It is my privilege, along with nominators Dr. Ann Adams and Dr. Scott Gardner, to introduce Dr. Robert L. Rausch as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Parasitologists for 2001.
Over the past 50 years Robert Rausch has been at the forefront of research on the systematics, taxonomy, biogeography, epidemiology, and pathology of helminth parasites in vertebrate hosts. Research programs and projects have continually emphasized the complex interface of parasitology, sylvatic distributions of pathogens in wild mammals, and public health, whether dealing with tapeworms such as Echinococcus or Diphyllobothrium or with nematodes such as Trichinella. Most meticulous in research, contributions by Dr. Rausch have been characterized by their innovative nature, depth and scope of detail, complete articulation and examination of hypotheses, and novel insights integrating parasites and parasitism within a broader context for the biosphere. His studies have had a significant impact on...