Dr. Stephen D. Allen earned his B.A. in microbiology from Indiana University (IU) in 1965. In 1970, he earned his master’s degree in microbiology and M.D. through the Combined Degree Program at the IU School of Medicine (IUSM) in Bloomington. Allen began his teaching career at the IUSM in 1977 as an assistant professor and associate director of the Division of Microbiology in the Department of Clinical Pathology. He was promoted to associate professor in 1982. Before joining the IU faculty, he completed his residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at Vanderbilt University in 1974, with certification in 1975. He was proud to be able to join the Country Music scene in Nashville where he played his electric bass. He was a Medical Officer with the United States Public Health Service at the CDC in Atlanta from 1974 to 1977. Throughout his professional career, Allen served as a trustee of the American Board of Pathology from 1995 to 2006 and as president of the board in 2003. He earned the title of James Warren Smith Professor of Clinical Microbiology in June 2006 and retired with his Emeritus title in 2012.