Neil Davis, a histopathology technician with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Institute of Infectious Diseases, is MRDC’s Employee of the Quarter. MRDC Commanding General Brig. Gen. Edward “Ned” Bailey announced Mr. Davis’ award Nov. 10.
“It’s an honor because I always try to take pride in my work, and it’s nice that other people recognize that,” says Davis, who earned the award for the second quarter of 2023 in recognition of his many accomplishments during his nearly three-decade career at USAMRIID. “I really appreciate the acknowledgment, and it’s good to see USAMRIID getting the recognition as well.”
Colleagues describe Davis as a consummate professional, whose tact and expertise are valued highly throughout the Pathology Division where he works. He is also known for his exacting attention to detail; this past quarter, he entered all study data into the division’s Pristima database with zero defects – no small feat considering that several of the entries required last-minute additions – and entered 28 defect-free orders into the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support information management system.
“This job requires attention to detail,” says Davis. “There are some aspects of the job that, if you aren’t paying attention, can really mess things up, and I don’t want to be that guy,” he adds with a smile.
Davis first arrived at the Pathology Division histology laboratory in 1995 as an enlisted medic – a 91 Bravo, the precursor of today’s 68 Whiskey MOS – and his supervisor liked Davis’ work so much, he hired him as a civilian when his enlistment ended. As one of the longest serving members of the division, he is regularly sought out to train and mentor Soldiers and civilian laboratory technicians in USAMRIID’s Biosafety Level 3 and 4 containment suites. This past quarter, he supported 57 necropsies in BSL-3 and BSL-4 containment and was consulted by one of USAMRIID’s senior scientists to help develop a technique for a new protocol.
“Mr. Davis is a dependable and approachable individual who goes out of his way to make people comfortable,” says Holly Bloomfield, manager of the Pathology Division histology laboratory where Davis works. “He really is the ‘go-to’ person in our branch. If you need information, he is the one whom most people seek out. We would be lost without him.”
Bloomfield says that Davis’ work has directly contributed to enhancing USAMRIID’s reputation as a source of reliable, high-quality research with industry partners. For example, he recently supported an important collaboration with an external partner to test a new monkeypox vaccine by assisting in the completion of 36 necropsies, mentoring three personnel in the lab’s BSL-3 containment suites and completing most of steps required to prepare the tissues collected for the study.
Davis is also highly regarded for his customer service skills. His work requires him to interact frequently with principal investigators, study pathologists and medical specialists from around the world, and they in turn rely on his skill and expertise. In this quarter alone, two PIs credited Davis’ outstanding support for enabling them to complete their studies. Bloomfield says that Davis’ skills and timeliness have been instrumental in enabling the Pathology Division to improve both the efficiency of its workflow and the quality of its data.
Davis says that he enjoys his work because every day there’s something new to learn, whether it’s a novel vaccine to test, a new technique to master or an emerging disease to understand. He tries to impart that same enthusiasm to colleagues when they join the team, and he also stresses the importance and value of teamwork.
“Always be willing to learn new things,” says Davis. “It’s important to remember that the way we do things here may be different from the way you learned it, so you have to be flexible. I’m always learning from the people I work with, and that keeps things interesting for me.”
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