2025 A Year In Review

In 2025, we continued our mission to bring the latest medical information on parasitic diseases to the people and places that need it most. We fundraised for critical global health organizations, continued to believe in science and support medical experts, and delivered pertinent resources, free of charge, all over the world. We’re grateful to all of you for supporting us along the way. Here are some of our noteworthy happenings from 2025.

PARASITES WITHOUT BORDERS MOURNS THE LOSS OF DICKSON D. DESPOMMIER

Dickson D. Despommier, a scientist, innovator, author, and professor, passed away in New York City on February 7th, 2025, at 84. Despommier, one of the founders of Parasites Without Borders (PWB), made critical contributions to the fields of medicine and science. Born on June 5th, 1940 in New Orleans, Despommier received his B.S. in Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, an M.S. in Medical Parasitology from Columbia University, and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Notre Dame before completing his Post-Doctoral Fellow at The Rockefeller University. Most recently, Despommier was highly involved in Parasites Without Borders, attending conferences on its behalf and hosting the popular science podcast on MicrobeTV, This Week in Parasitism (TWiP). Despommier also lent his expertise to the video series Parasitic Diseases Lectures. He will be greatly missed by his friends, family, and colleagues.

GRIFFIN HELPS SET UP MOBILE CLINICS & PROVIDE MEDICAL TRAINING IN PANAMA

For nearly a decade, Parasites Without Borders has worked with Floating Doctors, a global nonprofit dedicated to reducing the burden of disease in the developing world and promoting improvements in healthcare delivery worldwide. Just this year, Parasites Without Borders has raised $20,000 for Floating Doctors – donating hundreds of thousands of dollars overall. Dr. Daniel Griffin, Parasites Without Borders Co-Founder and President, went to Panama in the spring of 2025, helping to create mobile clinics and holding seminars and training opportunities for medical staff. “I’ve been volunteering with Floating Doctors since 2017,” says Dr. Griffin. “This year, I traveled with my daughter to local communities in Central America, including Shark Hole, Valle Escondido, and Cerro Brujo. These are remote, difficult-to-access villages, which makes accessible healthcare a challenge. The team took care of close to 100 individuals per day, treating respiratory infections, diarrheal disease, skin diseases and, unfortunately, some pregnancy complications. We also saw several instances of significant childhood malnutrition and stunting. There continues to be a high burden of disease and high childhood mortality.”

EIGHTH EDITION OF PARASITIC DISEASES NOW AVAILABLE

For over nine years, a dedicated group of doctors has been working tirelessly to share their combined 200 years of experience in clinical parasitology with those who need it most through an array of free medical resources. Parasites Without Borders’ newest medical resource, ‘Despommier’s Parasitic Diseases, Eighth Edition,’ is now available as a free PDF download and for purchase as a paperback or Amazon Kindle digital book. New features in ‘Despommier’s Parasitic Diseases, Eighth Edition’ include updates on the epidemiology of diseases, efforts underway to discover and develop new medicines and vaccines, and the status of disease management and elimination programs. The textbook also features a clinical summary section, over 400 full-color illustrations, more than 4,000 references, pathogen descriptions, life cycle diagrams drawn by John Karapelou, a pronunciation guide, epidemiology updates, lab diagnostic methods, a diagnostic atlas, prevention strategies, and a clinical appendix. 

NEW TROPICAL MEDICINE CURRICULUM UNVEILED

We are expanding our commitment to providing free and accessible medical resources with a brand new program, Tropical Medicine Curriculum. Found under the ‘Resources’ tab of our website, the course was developed by Parasites Without Borders in conjunction with a team of fellows and medical educators at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and was revised by a panel of expert clinicians and researchers from all around the world. The Tropical Medicine Curriculum addresses a variety of parasitic and tropical diseases. The series is a free, self-study educational tool that is designed to work for new learners and scholars. It will be released with over 30 lessons, but it is an evolving work, with additional sessions planned.

PARASITES WITHOUT BORDERS HEADS TO TORONTO

We had a great time at the 2025 ASTMH Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada supporting our partner, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). Held November 9-13 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, this was Parasites Without Borders’ third time participating as an exhibitor. We also support ASTMH by providing scholarships for their Travel Awards to help qualified students, early-career investigators, and scientists actively working in the tropical medicine field attend this inspiring, global-minded event. Over the course of the conference, we spoke with hundreds of attendees and gave out 200 hard copies of Parasitic Diseases, Eighth Edition. We gave textbooks to attendees from more than three dozen countries, including Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Spain, South Korea, Norway, Taiwan, Cape Verde, Switzerland, and many others. We also hosted an interactive “Guess That Life Cycle Game” with parasitic disease-themed prizes and partnered with MicrobeTV to record live episodes of our podcasts This Week in Parasitism (TWiP) and This Week in Virology (TWiV) Clinical Update With Dr. Daniel Griffin.