Dr. Victoria Y. Yokoyama is recognized for her outstanding and sustained research contributions in the development of quarantine treatments to control pests of regulatory concern in exported commodities. She is internationally known for her work that minimizes the use of chemical treatments, promotes handling techniques, and incorporates host biology to reduce the risk of accidental pest introductions through commodities shipped from the western states. Her work has helped sustain current trade, and develop new markets for stone fruits and hay in Pacific Rim countries.
Dr. Yokoyama received her B.S. in entomology from the University of California at Davis, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in entomology with a minor in food science and nutrition in 1974 from the University of California at Berkeley. After receiving her doctorate, she briefly served as a researcher at the Institute for Cancer Research at Columbia University, then joined the Department of Biology faculty at California State University at Long Beach.
She has served the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Fresno, CA since 1984 as a research entomologist, and is currently located at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Science Center in Parlier, CA. She has published over 100 technical reports and papers. She has served at the branch, section, and societal levels of ESA, most recently as President of the Pacific Branch in 2005.
(updated August, 2006)