The society grants this honor to a current APS member in recognition of distinguished contributions to plant pathology or to The American Phytopathological Society. Fellow recognition is based on significant contributions in one or more of the following areas: original research, teaching, administration, professional and public service, and/or extension and outreach.
Jennifer Juzwik was born in Nitro, WV. She received her B.S. degree in biology from Fairmont State College in 1976 and completed an M.S. degree in plant pathology in 1978, working on aspen canker diseases at Colorado State University. Her doctorate in plant pathology was completed on oak wilt at the University of Minnesota in 1983. She studied hybrid poplar diseases for one year as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto. After working as the provincial forest pathologist for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources from 1984 to 1989, she returned to the United States as a research plant pathologist with the USDA Forest Service in St. Paul, MN, where she developed an active and diverse research program. Juzwik is an author or coauthor on over 60 refereed journal articles, 35 technical publications, 20 book chapters and review articles, 10 extension publications, and 8 popular publications. She has given over 160 invited presentations.
Juzwik is the preeminent regional, national, and international expert on oak wilt. Her research permeates all aspects of oak wilt management: detection tools, vector relationships, biocontrol, fungicide effectiveness, prevention of root graft transmission, and phytosanitary treatments for international trade of oak logs. Management guidelines for oak wilt rely on critical research that she has conducted, including determining which nitidulid beetle species are the primary vectors and defining the seasonal period of highest risk of pathogen transmission. She has shared her vast knowledge on oak wilt through outreach and publications with cooperators at many levels. Her current work on log treatment provides key information for determining international trade policy for oak logs. European Union (EU) acceptance of methyl bromide for fumigation of logs ended December 2020; thus, her research on alternative treatments is serving a critical, urgent need. She has served as an expert witness concerning oak wilt and log treatment to the European Food Safety Administration and serves on the USDA APHIS technical committee to develop a systems approach to prevent introduction of oak wilt to the EU.
Juzwik consistently conducts research relevant to the most pressing forest health questions. Thousand cankers disease (TCD) became an important regional, national, and international trade concern in 2009 when it was determined that the fungus Geosmithia morbida and insect Pityopthorus juglandis were associated with mortality of black walnut trees in the western United States. By the time TCD was detected in the eastern United States in 2010, Juzwik was already designing surveys to delineate the distribution of the beetle and fungus. She was an early advocate for fully understanding the etiology of the disease in the eastern United States, and she implemented research on detection, vectors, and aggressiveness of the pathogen(s). Her results are foundational to an accurate understanding of the risks of TCD, and her ongoing research on vacuum steam treatment of logs is contributing to safe continuation of trade.
Additional diseases on which Juzwik has conducted essential research include forest nursery diseases (particularly alternatives to methyl bromide treatment), rapid crown mortality of hickory, hickory dieback, rapid 'ōhi'a death, Heterobasidion root disease, oak decline and Phytophthora diseases, sooty bark canker of aspen, Rhizosphaera needlecast, and western gall rust. Because of her broad knowledge, she was appointed to the Northeast Regional Invasive Species Issue Team. She often provides insights on emerging disease problems to the U.S. Forest Service Washington Office and was a lead writer for the management chapter and two regional summaries of a recent science synthesis of invasive species in U.S. forests and rangelands.
Juzwik was an invited participant in USDA/EPA Methyl Bromide Alternatives Workshops in 1993 and 2001 to set priorities and conduct mid-course review, respectively, for phase-out of methyl bromide use in the United States. She served on the executive team for the Thousand Cankers Disease Technical Working Group responsible for preparations of the National Response Framework for Thousand Cankers Disease on Walnut and the annual Thousand Cankers Disease Strategic Survey Plan (2010–2019). Juzwik also served on the executive team responsible for the Invasive Species: State of the Science Workshop (2015) and coordination of writing teams that prepared chapters for the published national assessment. Currently, she serves on the executive team of the National Forest Pathology Science and Management Assessment effort coordinated by the U.S. Forest Service Research and Development deputy area.
In 2016, Juzwik received the L.C. Chadwick Arboricultural Research Award from the International Society of Arboriculture and the Inspiring Women Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the USDA Forest Service.
Juzwik served as a U.S. Forest Service research unit project leader for nine years and continues to provide counsel to station administration. Throughout her career, Juzwik has served in professional leadership roles, including service to APS as chair of the Forest Pathology Committee, president of the North Central Division, and member on the Investment Advisory Committee. She has coordinated and/or moderated symposia or field trips for six APS Annual meetings.
Juzwik has held an adjunct faculty appointment with the University of Minnesota Department of Plant Pathology since 1999, teaching the oak wilt component of the field plant pathology course for several years. She has served on departmental standing committees and on 13 graduate student committees. She also has served as the major advisor for two Ph.D. and five M.S. students and, upon a recent USDA policy change, as co-advisor for one Ph.D. and one M.S. student. Additional mentoring roles include working with undergraduate research interns and hosting Hispanic and other international trainees and researchers. Throughout her career, Juzwik has been a role model and advocate for women in forest pathology and science. As a testament to her efforts, one of Juzwik's former Ph.D. students has become the only female forest pathologist in the Korean Forest Service.
As one of the first females in the profession of forest pathology, Juzwik is a pioneer. Beyond merely navigating this path, she has tremendously impacted the profession through her research, which provides essential etiological information and disease management tools, and through mentoring and professional leadership.
