Professor Emeritus Kenneth C. Burtis, who served as the dean of the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) from 2006-2011, has been named the 2021-2022 UC Davis Distinguished Emeriti by the UC Davis Emeriti Association.

Burtis was recognized for his essential contributions to the Healthy Davis Together (HDT) program, including extending COVID-19 testing to the city of Davis and the broader Yolo County community.

In the nomination letter by CBS Dean Mark Winey and Executive Associate Dean Ted Powers, Burtis was lauded for his “integral involvement in establishing the asymptomatic COVID-19 testing during the early stages of the pandemic,” and for “working with campus leadership and scientists at the Genome Center and the School of Medicine to develop testing protocols as well as create the significant infrastructure for testing all on-campus students, faculty and staff.”

As a result of these collective efforts, UC Davis was able to maintain campus operations at a very high level and became a national model for low-cost testing on college campuses.

Expanding access to rapid COVID testing

When it became clear that the on-campus testing program would be successful, plans were made to extend rapid and affordable saliva-based testing into the community of Davis. This expanded testing would become the core component of the Health Davis Together program (HDT). Involved in these efforts from the beginning, Burtis played a pivotal role in the design and implementation of the HDT program. He was ultimately named chief operating officer of HDT in September of 2020, a post he held until late spring of 2021.

The launch of the HDT program included a range of activities, such as increasing the number of investigators and contact tracers, supplying masks and other protective equipment to local businesses, providing advice and incentives for safe practices, as well as offering incentives to students to shop locally. Combined, these activities required tremendous coordination between campus representatives, those from local government and county public health officials.

Said Winey and Powers, “As HDT’s chief operating officer, Ken played a crucial role in navigating the scientific, financial and political considerations that were integral to the partnership.”

Distinguished Professor Richard Michelmore, director of the Genome Center, has known Ken since he joined the UC Davis faculty. “Ken has always impressed me as a champion of the campus, and he’s always willing to serve its goals,” he said. “It was no surprise when he stepped up to help lead HDT. I can confidently say that HDT and the successful partnership between the City of Davis and campus would not have happened without Ken’s tireless efforts.” 

A distinguished legacy on campus

After graduating from UC Davis in 1976 with a B.S. in biochemistry, Burtis went on to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford in 1985 before returning to campus as a faculty member in 1988.

During his tenure at UC Davis, Burtis held many important service positions, including Associate Director of the UC Davis Genome Center, Interim/Acting Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, and Faculty Advisor to the Chancellor and Provost. In the nomination letter, Winey and Powers credit Burtis with a long career distinguished by “academic excellence and a ‘service above self’ mentality.”

In the award announcement, the UC Davis Emeriti Association applauded Burtis for “courageous humanitarian efforts to monitor and contain this COVID-19 pandemic,” and praised his efforts to make a positive and significant impact on the lives of students, staff, faculty and residents of Davis. Additional recognition was given for continuing to bring state and national attention to the UC Davis campus and community.

About the award

The UC Davis Distinguished Emeriti award honors outstanding scholarly work or service performed since retirement, and includes recognition at the Chancellor's Emeriti Luncheon, a plaque and a $1,000 award.