Warren R. Sanborn, 1952
B.S., Denison University
M.S., Michigan State University
M.B.A., National University
Naval Health Research Center
San Diego
Citation awarded June, 1981
A specialist in public health and medical laboratory microbiology, Commander Warren Sanborn is head of the microbiology branch of the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego. He has also served as a research microbiologist at Naval Medical centers in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and as an international consultant in infectious and enteric disease control to 16 foreign governments, preventive medicine foundations, and the World Health Organization.
His principle accomplishments include the first successful meningococcal vaccine trials conducted among natural civilian populations in Egypt and Sudan, requiring a random-start systematic sample double-blind trial design and a triple-check system for precise identification of 125,000 vaccinees. He received the Major Gary Wratten Award for his work in the development of rapid diagnostic tests for various infectious diseases and the successful adaption of portable laboratory methods for field operation that brought laboratory diagnosis to patients in remote areas. He taught diagnostic bacteriology in various countries of Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East and made first time discoveries of diseases present in Morocco, Indonesia, and the Nile. He is the author and co-author of 45 scientific papers and 28 scientific presentations and has received an achievement award from the American Public Health Association.
