Erica Spackman
Hall of Honor

Dr. Erica Spackman is a native of West Chester, PA and developed a love of agriculture as child by spending time on her family’s farm. Her first experience working with poultry was in high school where she worked on a local farm that raised game birds, chickens, and sheep. She then attended Haverford College in Haverford PA, and rediscovered an interest in poultry as a graduate student at the University of Delaware in Animal and Food Sciences and completed an MS on chicken infectious anemia virus (1998) and PhD on avian leukosis virus subgroup J (2001).

Dr. Spackman then joined Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL), USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) as a post-doc in 2001 and began research on avian influenza virus. Then became a Research Microbiologist there in 2002 and worked on enteric viruses associated with Poult Enteritis Mortality Syndrome and Runting Stunting Syndrome in addition to avian influenza. Since then Dr. Spackman’s research has focused on avian influenza diagnostics, vaccines, virus pathobiology in numerous wild and domestic avian species, and virus transmission that can inform farm biosecurity. She has also responded to emerging pathogens and outbreaks including Newcastle disease, SARS-CoV-2, and food safety and vaccines related to highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infections in dairy cows. In 2023 She achieved the status of a Distinguished Senior Research Scientist in ARS and in 2025 became Research Leader for the Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases research unit (SEPRL) at the US National Poultry Research Center, USDA-ARS.

Dr. Spackman has been active with numerous poultry and influenza technical working groups and committees some of which include: the National Poultry Improvement Plan; since 2002 she has served as an instructor for the avian influenza diagnostic workshop and since 2004 she has served on the avian influenza technical advisory committee as a member and later as chairperson. She has published over 160 peer-reviewed publications, 27 book chapters, and has edited a book “Animal Influenza Virus” which is going into its 4th edition. She is an active member of the American Association of Avian Pathologists, Poultry Science Association, and the American Biological Safety Association.

She has received numerous professional awards some of the most recent include: USDA-ARS Animal and Plant Protection Scientist of the Year (2025); Phibro Animal Health Excellence in Poultry Research Award (2021); Bruce W. Calnek Applied Poultry Research Achievement award (2018); George M. Worrilow Award, University of Delaware, College of Agriculture Alumni Association for Outstanding Service to Agriculture (2014); Houghton Trust Lecture Award for a young scientist who has made major contributions to the field of poultry disease research (2011); Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (2008).