Jennifer Meece, Ph.D., research scientist and director of the Integrated Research and Development Laboratory at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, was recently selected as the Infectious Disease Distinguished Physician/Scientist Endowment holder.

This endowment aims to support research in infectious diseases such as tick-borne, fungal, bacterial or viral conditions. 

“I cannot tell you how honored I am. I truly love everything I have done leading to this moment. I am excited to pursue new research opportunities to further advance the mission of the Research Institute and Marshfield Clinic Health System with this endowment honor,” Dr. Meece said upon accepting the endowment.

Dr. Meece plans to use the endowment to advance understanding of important infectious diseases for our patient population such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, which are all tick-transmitted infections. She also will continue her research on blastomycosis, a soil-borne fungal disease endemic in our service area.

“It is my hope to continue to fortify our research program in infectious diseases,” Dr. Meece said. “As new and important infections arise that impact our patients, funds from this endowment could be used to advance our understanding of these infections.”

The Research Institute aims to participate in research that directly impacts the patients of the Health System, which is a large reason Dr. Meece is the holder of this endowment. This endowment will build upon an already established research base at the Research Institute that Dr. Meece has contributed to over her tenure.

“Jen continues to be a leader in tick-borne illness research in the country, which is something that uniquely affects the areas we serve. I am excited about the research this endowment will help fund,” said Amit Acharya, B.D.S., Ph.D., executive director of the Research Institute.