Outstanding Alumni Award 2026: Michael Turell ’70, MS ’72

Bio

Dr. Michael Turell is a medical entomologist, arbovirologist, and epidemiologist who studies factors affecting pathogen transmission by arthropods. Specifically, he studies the ability of mosquito and tick species to transmit viruses responsible for human disease, the development and safety testing of vaccines, and the development of novel diagnostic assays. He obtained his BS and MS from Cornell University, served as a Medical Entomologist in the US Army for 5 years, then obtained an MPH from Tulane University followed by a Ph.D. from the University of California – Berkeley. He then began a 34-year career at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD. 

He has over 215 publications that have been cited over 11,700 times and was an invited guest to Moscow and Beijing. In addition to laboratory-based studies, his work has included field-studies in Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, Ecuador, Kenya, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Korea, and many other countries and assisting/directing workshops on vector-borne pathogens in many countries. His extensive service career includes journal editing, numerous proposal review panels, and helping to train the next generation of medical entomologists and arbovirologists. He considers youth education important and has been the advisor to a 4-H Entomology Club in Frederick, MD, for >35 years. He has served on staff at every National Scout Jamboree while teaching Insect Study Merit Badge since 1993. He was instrumental to the 1984 formation of the American Committee of Medical Entomology and served as ACME’s chair for two terms, and secretary-treasurer for one term.