Fellow parasitologists and guests, I take great pleasure in introducing to you Lihua Xiao of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the 2012 Henry Baldwin Ward Medalist. This award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of parasitology to a member of the Society who, by self-directed investigations, has attained a position of leadership in some aspect of parasitological research. His is an inspiring story set against an initial background of poverty and struggle.
Lihua was born shortly after the Great Leap Forward and grew up during the time of the Great Famine, followed by the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Wénhuà Dàgémìng) in a humble home in a small, ancient town near the city of Yueyang, China. He was raised with a brother and 2 sisters by parents working in a local factory. During the Cultural Revolution, the entire family suffered as his...