Hyun Soon Lillehoj 
Born: 1949 

Hyun was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the US in 1969. She attended the University of Hartford (BS, 1973) and the University of Connecticut (MS, 1976). She did her graduate work at Wayne State University, School of Medicine, under Professor Noel R. Rose and received her PhD in immunology in 1979. Hyun then joined the NIH as a Staff Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Ethan M. Shevach. In 1984, Hyun was recruited to the Protozoan Diseases Laboratory at the ARS, USDA in Beltsville, MD as a Research Microbiologist, where she progressed to Supergrade status in 2014. Hyun’s research throughout her career has focused on the avian immune system and its response to enteric pathogens, particularly Eimeria spp. and Clostridium perfringens, the etiologic agents of avian coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis, respectively. Her research has led to the development of safe and effective antibiotic-free approaches to control these two economically-important poultry diseases. Among her most important accomplishments are the development and commercialization of novel diagnostic and therapeutic products for avian immunology, including a natural anti-microbial peptide, and phytochemical alternatives to eliminate antibiotics usage for commercial poultry production. She was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame (2014), and has received major awards for her work, including the Presidential Rank Award (USDA, 2015) and the American Service Medal (2015). Hyun has mentored more than 160 undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior scientists, many of whom are now serving in academia and industry worldwide. She serves on the editorial board of several animal science journals, including Avian Diseases and Poultry Science, and is an Adjunct Professor at several universities, both in the US and worldwide. Hyun has been married to Erik for 42 years and they have two children, Sylvia and Peter, and two grandchildren.