It is a great honor to receive the Henry Baldwin Ward Medal. First and foremost I thank my former Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Bruce Christensen, for nominating me for this award, my colleagues that wrote supporting letters, and the H. B. Ward Medal committee for selecting me as this year's recipient. Science is not done in isolation, so before I recount my journey in parasitology, I thank all the people that helped shape who I am. If I were to name them all we would be here a long time, but suffice it to say the list includes my former lab mates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, my students and colleagues at Vanderbilt University, and of course, my family.
It is indeed a tremendous honor to receive this award. For many years I have had a strong connection to the American Society of Parasitologists (ASP)....