Iain R.B. Hardy, M.D., EIS '92 Memorial Award

Iain Hardy came to CDC in 1992 as an EIS Officer after completing training in pediatric infectious diseases and receiving a Masters in Public Health. While at CDC he was assigned to the National Immunization Program and was known for his important work evaluating the U.S. surveillance system for pertussis and the efficacy of pertussis vaccine during a resurgence of the disease in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1993. Later, findings from a study Dr. Hardy conducted on adult vaccination for diphtheria during an epidemic of the disease in Russia and other independent states of the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s were instrumental in developing WHOs strategy for prevention and control of diphtheria.

In October 1995, Iain Hardy drowned in a mountain lake in Veyrier-du-Lac, France where he was attending a meeting of immunization program managers. In his memory family and friends made donations to establish the Iain Hardy Memorial Award which is presented each year at the annual EIS Conference to honor an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer or recent graduate (within five years) for contributions to the control of vaccine-preventable diseases.