William Schaffner, MD
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in spring 2020, the public suddenly became acutely aware of what William Schaffner, MD, professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM), has known for decades — that comprehensible, science-based communication and compassionate, coherent policy creation are essential for civic well-being and preventing loss of life. As one of the most widely recognized and respected experts on vaccination, infectious disease, and public health and safety, Dr. Schaffner has long been a go-to expert for national and international media outlets. His ability to communicate clearly and cogently about best practices for preventing and treating infectious diseases has made him an oracle for public health institutions and policymakers over the past 50 years.
Dr. Schaffner began his illustrious career with a two-year commission with the U.S. Public Health Service as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. He also served as medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and on the executive board for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He served a record-setting 42 years with the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, work that helped improve vaccine access and administration for children and adults in underserved communities.
A vigorous public health advocate who champions collaboration between academic medical centers and public health institutions, Dr. Schaffner forged a close relationship between Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH); some TDH personnel now teach in the Vanderbilt Master of Public Health program and facilitate student research projects. Other academic medical centers have emulated this unique training model, advancing educational objectives and public health. Dr. Schaffner has mentored more than 25 CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officers and regularly supervises those assigned to the TDH.
As a research scientist, Dr. Schaffner has published more than 600 studies, reviews, and book chapters on infectious diseases, bridging epidemiology, infection control, and immunization. He’s investigated a broad range of health issues, from how liquid tetracycline damages young children’s tooth enamel — work that convinced the FDA to remove it from the market — to providing the first evidence that surgeons with HIV pose a low risk to patients, averting a national testing mandate for all surgeons.
In his self-described favorite investigation, Dr. Schaffner demonstrated the effectiveness of child car restraint devices. His research focused on Tennessee, the first state to pass a law requiring the use of infant and child car seats. Dr. Schaffner’s groundbreaking paper contributed to the passage of similar laws in all 49 other states and has been credited with preventing countless injuries and saving scores of lives.
Dr. Schaffner has received several major awards from the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Public Health Association, and others. In 2015, he received Vanderbilt’s Levi Watkins, Jr. Faculty Award for outstanding contributions in fostering opportunities for those belonging to underrepresented communities in research programs. In 2017, he received the inaugural National Vaccine Program Office UpShot Award for Excellence in vaccine communication. The Dr. William Schaffner Public Health Hero Award from the Tennessee Medical Association and the Tennessee Public Health Association honors his legacy.
Dr. Schaffner earned a BS from Yale University and was a Fulbright Scholar at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg in Germany. He completed his MD at Cornell University in 1962, his residency training at Vanderbilt University Hospital, and a fellowship in infectious diseases at VUSM under M. Glenn Koenig, MD, FACP, and David E. Rogers, MD, the namesake of this award.