UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
HONORARY CONFERRING
Friday, 17 June 2011 at 3 p.m.
TEXT OF THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR SEAN CALLANAN, UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin on 17 June 2011, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa on FREDERICK A. MURPHY
President, President and members of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, colleagues (in particular new graduates), proud parents, family members and friends, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Professor Frederick A. Murphy who today we award an Honorary Doctor of Science degree. I present to you a true pioneer, a veterinarian whose work in the area of viral infectious diseases underpins much of the advances in our understanding of disease and of the concept that the world must embrace a “one-health” initiative
Some of you are familiar with this term “One Health”, a paradigm based on the fact that human health, animal health and the health of the entire ecosystem are inextricably linked. This linkage arises in a number of ways. Firstly, it is well established that many infectious agents, and notably viruses, can be transmitted between animals and man. You don’t have to look far into the past to see this. Recent examples include Influenza and SARS viruses where we have seen how links between animals, man and societal influences were instrumental in viral spread. Alternatively animal viruses, even when they do not spread to man, can in some circumstances have devastating effects on societies- who can forget the effects that the 2001 UK Foot and Mouth outbreak had on our animal trade, leisure and tourism industries in addition to the personal pain we observed being experienced by farming families along the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, as well as in our neighbouring Island.
The global movements of people, animals and goods together with altered climates provide the opportunities for the spread, genetic modification, emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases and veterinarians have a major role to play in this arena, not only in recognition of novel syndromes but in the quest to identify causes, develop a risk analysis and provide meaningful and informed recommendations.
To look at the role of the veterinarian in this arena is to look at the career of Professor Murphy whom we honour today. He is a genuine pioneer in the area of infectious diseases, and one who has had a significant part to play in the discovery of emerging zoonotic infections.
Professor Murphy’s CV is long and the achievements are vast so forgive me for my synopsis;
He obtained his veterinary education in Cornell University and his PhD from the University of California at Davis. He then joined the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta where he moved up the ranks to Director of the National Centre for Infectious Disease. It was during this time he was part of the team who discovered Marburg virus (a virus which induces fever and haemorrhage in man with transmission from monkeys as the original source of infection). Following on 10 years later he was part of the team who discovered Ebola virus (a virus which induces a highly fatal shock-like syndrome in humans again with monkeys as the original source of infection). Much of this work in essence was pioneering, true field-based, laboratory based research involving the development of mobile/hot laboratories. Is it enough in one’s lifetime to be part of one or two great discoveries? Of course not, and Professor Murphy also had significant involvement in the discovery of viruses of the Arenaviridae and Bunyaviridae families, viruses which are carried in rodents and insects but transmissible to man.
The true mark of a man is his modesty and Professor Murphy always credits his co-discoverers. Perhaps this is a legacy of his Irish ancestry, his paternal grandfather, Timothy Murphy, came from Cork to New York City, in 1900 at the age of 20. Cork people are well known for their modesty…. In an interview in 2008 when praising his co-workers Professor Murphy commented “I always wondered what I was doing among all these brilliant people”.
In 1991 Professor Murphy was made Dean and Professor of Virology at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis and held the title of Distinguished Professor of Virology in the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine from 1995-2005. Presently he is Professor and McLaughlin Professor in Residence at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Professor Murphy has served on numerous prestigious scientific advisory committees including the US National committee for Microbiology, the Institute of Medicine Committee on Emerging Microbial threats to Health in the 21st Century and many Russian National Academies of Sciences committees.
Frederick A. Murphy’s influence on veterinary medicine and on the science underpinning the control of infectious diseases is deep and wide. He has published over 500 scientific papers, reviews, book chapters and textbooks. The electronic micrograph he made of Ebola virus in 1976 has become an iconic image. His contributions have already been recognised through numerous awards including honorary doctorates from the Universities of Guelph and Turku and the 2009 University of Pennsylvania Veterinary World Leadership Award.
Today, we are honoured to acknowledge the pioneering advances of Professor Murphy during his long and distinguished career and we remain committed to the value of the One-Health strategy. World Veterinary Year 2011 provides a particularly opportune and auspicious time for us to mark his achievements
Praehonorabilis Praeses, totaque Universitas,
Praesento vobis hunc meum filium, quem scio tam moribus quam doctrina habilem et idoneum esse qui admittatur, honoris causa, ad gradum Doctoratus Scientiae; idque tibi fide mea testor ac spondeo, totique Academiae.