Remembering Dr. Blagburn

Dr. Blagburn

The Auburn Vet Med family recently lost one of its most influential and esteemed faculty members, Dr. Byron Blagburn.

Dr. Blagburn held a continuous faculty appointment for over 40 years at Auburn University. He began his tenure at Auburn in 1982 and quickly progressed through the faculty ranks. He was ultimately named Distinguished University Professor, and was only the 10th faculty member to receive this title in the history of Auburn University. Dr. Blagburn published 250+ scientific manuscripts and was awarded over $10 million in research funding throughout his career. Dr. Blagburn provided decades of instruction to veterinary students in the discipline of parasitology and served as the diagnostic parasitology laboratory section chief for the majority of his career at Auburn. Most Auburn veterinary graduates in practice today were instructed by Dr. Blagburn in parasitology.

Dr. Blagburn’s impact reached far beyond Auburn. He is recognized internationally for his work in the discipline of veterinary parasitology. Dr. Blagburn is a past president of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, the Southern Conference on Animal Parasites and the Southeastern Society of Parasitologists. Dr. Blagburn has served as Associate Editor for the Journal of Parasitology and on the editorial boards of Veterinary Parasitology, The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology and Veterinary Therapeutics. Due to his dedication and excellence in research and outreach, Dr. Blagburn has received numerous honors and awards during his career as a veterinary parasitologist. Most notable among them were the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, honorary diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Microbiology, the Distinguished Veterinary Parasitologist Award from the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, and most recently, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Companion Animal Parasite Council.

Dr. Blagburn was a dear friend to many faculty, staff and students in our college. We will miss him greatly.

A celebration of the life and career of Dr. Byron Blagburn is scheduled for Saturday, July 13, 2024, from 3:00 – 5:00 PM CST in the Veterinary Education Center on the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine campus, located at 1180 Wire Road in Auburn. We look forward to a time of fellowship with members of his family, colleagues, alumni and friends who are able to attend.

The ceremony will be livestreamed for all that are unable to attend in person.

RSVP to Amy Bylsma at amy@auburn.edu or 334-844-3694