Fellow parasitologists, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce Dr. Dale H. Clayton of the University of Utah as the 2008 Henry Baldwin Ward Medalist for the American Society of Parasitologists. Dale Clayton is the quintessential modern parasitologist. His varied research projects are rooted in traditional parasite systematics but run the gamut from alpha-taxonomy to evolutionary, ecological, and behavioral associations between hosts and parasites, and state of the art molecular phylogenetic analyses. Furthermore, one of his recent applied studies received mass media attention throughout the world after he and his colleagues developed a new device to kill head lice and their eggs on humans. Throughout his studies, he has been amply supported by numerous grant awards, especially by recent significant awards from NSF, and he has engaged many students, ranging from high school to postdoctoral levels, in various research projects.
Dale's research principally involves the chewing lice associated with birds—often...