Dr. Ksiazek is currently Chief, Special Pathogens Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia. He has been in Special Pathogens Branch at the CDC since 1991 after retiring from the U.S. Army as Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of active duty service.

After graduation with his DVM from K-State in 1970, Dr. Ksiazek spent a year as Associate Veterinarian, at the Adirondack Animal Hospital in Glensfalls, New York. He started a 20-year military career when he joined the U. S. Air force in 1971, holding a position that year as Base Veterinarian at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. He then worked as Chief of Veterinary Services, Royal Air Force Chicksands, United Kingdom. Dr. Ksiazek made a change in his veterinary military career by attending the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, receiving a master’s degree in Virology and later the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a PhD in Epidemiology and Virology.

Dr. Ksiazek has worked as a Veterinary Microbiologist at virology research at stations around the world for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and then for the U.S. Army at the Disease Assessment Division, as at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. He then served as Chief, Rapid Diagnosis Section, Department of Epidemiology, Disease Assessment Division, at Ft. Detrick.

His military career saw many awards and honors including: High Score, National Veterinary Board, 1970; Veterinary Officer Basic Course, Honor Graduate, 1971; Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Maxwell, Alabama, 1974; The Margaret Beattie Award for Excellence in Laboratory Science, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 1983; The Army Surgeon General's Award of an "A" skill identifier for Veterinary Microbiologists, 1990; Department of the Army Research and Development Achievement Award for Technical Achievement, 1990; Pekka Halonen Award for Diagnostic Virology, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1992; Founders Lector, American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, 1995; Edward Stitt Lecture Award, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, 1996; Senior Biological Research Service, CDC, USPHS recipient of four Secretary of Health and Human Services Awards for infectious disease outbreak investigations, 1993-1999; and recipient of Army, Navy and Air Force Commendation Medals.

Dr. Ksiazek has authored and co-authored over 225 publications in his career and is a member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, American Society for Microbiology, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Veterinary Medical Association, the Society of Tropical Veterinary Medicine and is a member of the Phi Zeta Honor Society.

Dr. Ksiazek and his wife Shirley live in Lilburn, Georgia and have a daughter, Sarah.