A number of years ago, ASTMH members
Dickson Despommier, PhD, and
Daniel W. Griffin, MD, PhD, who had met 30 years earlier, were having lunch and discussing the latest edition of their textbook
Parasitic Diseases. Dr. Dickson suggested the traditional route of getting the book printed and selling copies to medical students, universities and other interested readers. At this point, they started to bemoan the fact that education about parasitic diseases was really not being given the attention it deserved relative to the number of people who suffered due to these diseases. Their conversation then shifted to the fact that the people and places of the world that could benefit most from this information were the places least likely to have access to their book if they followed a traditional route. They started talking about creating an organization whereby people who appreciated the problem could help them get their books to the people and places that needed them the most. They quickly started to think more broadly about the concept of parasitic diseases and the challenge of getting knowledge to the people and places that need them the most, and they decided to start Parasites Without Borders.
ASTMH asked Dr. Griffin about the progress Parasites Without Borders has made on its mission, as well as its decision to host a fundraiser for the Society and plans for this year’s Annual Meeting at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD, November 17 – 21.
What strides have you made since Parasites Without Borders was created?
From an idea to a reality, by early 2019 our textbook already had an additional version and was available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle and PDF in English as well as Spanish. We had distributed over 40,000 copies to almost 100 different countries throughout the world. Our textbook was being used at a number of Universities and organizations through the world, e.g., London School of Tropical Medicine, Glasgow University, Scotland, Stanford University, the U.S. Peace Corps, the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York, Columbia University’s Medical School (Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons-Columbia University), Universidad de Ciencias de Medicas (UCIMED, the nonprofit medical school in San José, Costa Rica), the University of Panama, University of Gezira-Faculty of Medicine, Sudan, and Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan.
We created free online companion videos for our textbook and certification exam. We expanded our focus to include a handbook and educational videos on medical problems encountered in limited resource settings.
We had continued our work with our sister organization Microbe.TV and continued to produce our This Week in Parasitism podcast and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were there with objective science-based newsletters, weekly COVID-19 updates and other educational activities. Our directors conduct media outreach to ensure that the information we provide is widely disseminated.
What are some of your long-range plans for the organization?
The COVID-19 pandemic really reinforced the need for free access to science-based information for all the people and places that need it the most. Our directors became even more active, helping educate about therapeutics, testing, vaccines and other aspects of COVID-19. Our organization still sees much work to be done helping with education and vaccine rollouts but plans to be there for the duration of this pandemic and for the next pandemic we may face.
Tell us about your team’s involvement with ASTMH and AJTMH.
Our directors have a long history of involvement with ASTMH: membership, Annual Meeting and
Journal articles. Dickson Despommier is a longtime member and former Council member. Peter Hotez served as the president of ASTMH. Vincent Racaniello even recorded an episode of This Week in Virology at the 2020 ASTMH Annual Meeting. I myself am a lifetime member. The 6th edition of
Parasitic Diseases was even
reviewed by the Journal in 2017 (the 7th edition is now available on our website). We are thrilled that This Week in Parasitism, our podcast about eukaryotic parasites, is listed on the ASTMH resource page.
Thank you for hosting the fundraiser to benefit ASTMH earlier this year. Why ASTMH?
We felt the timing was critical for us to promote the ASTMH. As things were starting to improve in the U.S. we felt it critical that the idea of “we are not safe until everyone is safe” be embraced by the more developed and resource rich countries. Parasites Without Borders is also interested in supporting women in science, so a portion of the funds raised will go to provide travel awards to three female travel awardee recipients selected by ASTMH’s Travel Awards Committee for the 2021 Annual Meeting. ASTMH has been a leader in global health, and we were not only happy to provide support this year but look forward to this being a yearly fundraiser.
Will Parasites Without Borders be at the 2021 Annual Meeting?
God and health willing, all our directors are planning on attending the upcoming 2021 Annual Meeting. We have already secured our exhibit booth, so stop by in person or virtually to meet our directors and learn about our resources on parasites.