Hyun Lillehoj is a molecular biologist at the ARS Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD. She is one of the world's premier leaders in the field of avian immunology, conducting research that has advanced the understanding of immunological responses in poultry to the pathogens Eimeria and Clostridium, which cost the U.S. poultry industry a combined $10 billion in losses annually. Her research also focuses on developing alternatives to antibiotic use—integrating nutrition, health, and disease research—to protect commercial chickens from important avian diseases. Lillehoj has been working with colleagues in the agency and around the world to find ways of strengthening the poultry immune system with dietary supplements. She was one of several researchers to collaborate on the first study that assessed the use of green tea to improve poultry health. In another study, Lillehoj evaluated the effects of adding commercial probiotics to poultry diets to benefit their immune system. She was awarded the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer for her work on developing and transferring immunological reagents and coccidial vaccine delivery technologies. In 2014, Lillehoj was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame, and in 2015 she was honored at the 14th annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals awards in Washington, D.C. where she was presented with a Career Achievement Medal for her groundbreaking scientific discoveries for strategies to improve poultry health. Story by Nancy Vanatta, Information Specialist, USDA Agricultural Research Service in Research and Science

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