Valerie Ragan, former director of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has received the Medal of Distinction from the United States Animal Health Association. The award, considered the organization’s highest honor, recognizes outstanding leadership and lifetime contributions to the field.
Earlier this semester, Dr. Ragan retired from her position as director of the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine after 16 years of service. She began the role in 2009, first working out of the University of Maryland campus of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She moved to the college’s main campus at Virginia Tech in 2014. Before her career in academia, Dr. Ragan spent 17 years with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Services, ultimately serving as the national brucellosis epidemiologist.
Going forward, Dr. Ragan plans to continue conducting consulting work on infectious diseases. She is also working on a book to help veterinarians navigate career transitions.
Dr. Ragan earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Tech and her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Georgia.