William T. Close is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a village doc in Big Piney, Wyoming. Prior to settling in Wyoming, he spent 16 years in Africa, arriving in the Congo just before independence and just in time for the mutinies, coup d'etats, and rebellions that have marked the history of that unhappy country. He became the personal physician to the president and chief doctor for the Congolese Army. During the Ebola outbreak in 1976 he supervised logistics for the international medical team of scientists dealing with the epidemic. Dr. Close is the author of the best-seller "Ebola," a documentary novel dealing with the people and events involved in the first epidemic. Through his practice, example, teaching and writing, Dr. Close exemplifies a professional ideal that combines scientific excellence with compassionate care. His continuing contributions to the profession include mentorship, lectures and writings that tug at the hearts of patients, doctors and nurses caught up in the frenetic pace of the medical industry. He has been an inspiration to young people who are entering the profession at a time when patient centered care needs to be reemphasized.

Dr. Close is now in his 50th year of medical practice and continues to see his patients in what he calls "a gentle, limited practice."