Air Force Maj. Kirk Winger, right, winner of the 2008 Dr. Daniel E. Salmon Award, is congratulated by Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center Director Col. Anthony Rizzo at an ‘‘all hands” meeting where the award was announced to AFMIC staff.

The Salmon Award, sponsored by the National Association of Federal Veterinarians, is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions and notable service in the public interest by a veterinarian federally employed in any human health, environmental health, or animal health discipline.

Winger was chosen for his outstanding work in directing, identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing all-source intelligence on worldwide infectious disease threats, including emerging influenza viruses with pandemic potential. A senior analyst in AFMIC’s Infectious Disease Division, Winger has been the lead author on AFMIC’s weekly avian influenza situation report, the Dynamic Threat Assessment for Pandemic Influenza, and the Pandemic Influenza J2 Warning Assessment, among many other products.

‘‘Maj. Winger is truly one of the best young officers I have had the privilege of working with during my career,” said AFMIC director Col. Anthony Rizzo. ‘‘The award is a fitting recognition of the outstanding assessments Maj Winger has provided to policymakers at the highest levels of government.”

The unanimous choice of the NAFV Salmon award committee, Winger will receive a plaque, a check for $500 and a year’s membership in the NAFV during an awards ceremony in October 2008 in Washington, D.C.

Winger has been assigned to AFMIC, a Defense Intelligence Agency field production activity located on Fort Derrick, since July 2005. He earned a master of public health degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2003 after earning a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 1994. He earned certification as a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2004 and completed a fellowship with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an epidemic intelligence service Officer in 2005.

The Salmon award was established in 1984 to honor the first director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry. Dr. Daniel E. Salmon was a world-renowned veterinary medical scientist who pioneered research in bacterial diseases of animals and in immunology. His efforts led to the development of killed vaccines and to the naming of the bacterial genus Salmonella in his honor.

NAFV, headquartered in Washington, D.C, was established in 1918 and includes 1,300 active members. It is recognized as the representative organization for veterinarians employed by the federal government.