Byron L. Blagburn holds the appointment of Distinguished University Professor at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his doctorate in parasitology from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, and is an Honorary Diplomate of the American College of Microbiology (Parasitology). Dr. Blagburn instructs first, third, and fourth-year students of veterinary medicine, directs graduate student research, serves as director of the clinical parasitology diagnostic laboratory and oversees a research program which focuses on parasite-induced diseases of companion animals. He is Past President of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, the Southern Conference on Animal Parasites, the Southeastern Society of Parasitologists, and the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). He has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Parasitology and has served on the editorial boards of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Therapeutics, The International Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, and The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. He currently serves on the editorial board of the The Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian. Dr. Blagburn is a recipient of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitiologist’s Distinguished Veterinary Parasitologist Award, the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence (1987 and 2010), and the Auburn University Student Government Association “Teacher of the Year” Award.