Oregon's Top Food Safety Detective Dies Suddenly

By Sam Lewis

Nationally recognized for solving food illness outbreaks, Dr. William Keene dies at age 56

The state or Oregon’s top epidemiologist, William Keene, died suddenly on Sunday, Dec 1. Two weeks ago, Keene had been admitted to a Portland, OR hospital for acute pancreatitis.

Over the last 20 years, Keene had become nationally recognized working with the Oregon Public Health Division. His work there kept Oregon among few states known for quickly solving outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Keene’s colleagues acknowledged his greatness, calling him “one of the food safety heroes in the U.S.” and “zealous, dedicated, and intelligent,” according to The Oregonian.

Keene was a Seattle native, and a 1977 graduate of Yale University receiving a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. He spent two years studying rhesus monkeys in India and Pakistan, returning to the states as a lab technician at the University of California at San Francisco. His work there sparked Keene’s interest in parasites, leading him to his graduate studies. First, Keene attended Johns Hopkins University, then the University of California at Berkeley. He graduated in 1989 with a master’s degree in public health along with a doctorate in microbiology. Since then, he has been Oregon’s top ranking food detective solving food illness outbreaks both in the field and in the lab.

Keene’s office served as a museum of sorts for his life’s work. Lining the office were shelves containing packages from Dole, Peter Pan, Nestle, and many other famous food manufacturers. However, these containers didn’t hold food. The empty containers served as a memory of foodborne illness cases Keene had solved over the years. The empty vessels can also be seen as a testament to not only Keene’s dedication to his work, but also to his lively personality. Furthering that point, Keene’s license plate from Oregon read O157H7 — the world’s deadliest E. coli strain.

When foodborne illnesses arrived, Keene was working. On a given year, he handled nearly 200 cases per year, playing a key role in solving many of them. Family members, colleagues, and industry experts are in shock of Keene’s death. “It's horrible,” says his brother, Dr. David Keene. “There was a lot of work left for him to do.”

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