Dana Calhoun

I am mother, parasite researcher, and driving force for women in science. I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Wildlife Management and Ecology Bachelor Program, Colorado Mountain College Veterinary Technology Associate of Science Program, and Texas A&M University Master of Science Program. I am a Senior Research Associate at the University of Colorado where I specializes in wildlife systematic parasitological studies, specifically host-parasite interactions and ecological consequences of stunning body invaders. Working with decorated scientist Dr. Pieter Johnson, I have published over thirty peer-reviewed scientific papers in renowned journals like PNAS, the Journal of Helminthology, and the International Journal of Parasitology. I have spent over 15 years educating and mentoring over 70 students in the understudied, diverse, and art of parasitology. 
 
I am an active promoter of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I serve as a contractor for Rice University, where I work with Wall Street Journal National Bestselling author and director of Doerr Institute of New Leaders, Dr. Stefanie Johnson. Here I work at the intersection of diversity, inclusion, and science with collaborators like NASA. In this role, I wrote an instructor manual for the Introduction Industrial Organizational Psychology textbook that included a spotlight on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I also am an advocate and active learner for deaf and hearing-impaired children, as my preemie daughter is hard of hearing. 
 
Outside the academic institution, I enjoy the scenic outdoors of Colorado with my husband Forrest Lacey (Project Scientist at NCAR), daughter Macallynn and our dogs Trace and Envy. I can also be found savoring beverages at local wineries and breweries and escaping with a good nonfiction beach read.

Publications:

2024 

Johnson, P.T.J., Calhoun, D.M., Achatz, T.J., Greiman, S.E., Gestos, A., and Keeley, W.H. (2024). Outbreak of parasite-induced limb malformations in a declining amphibian species in Colorado. International Journal of Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 24: 100965.

Calhoun, D.M., Groves. J.*, Schaffer, P. A., Achatz, T.J., Greiman, S. and Johnson, P.T.J. (2024). Epizootic of Clinostomum marginatum (Trematoda: Clinostomidae) in Ambystoma tigrinum from Colorado: investigation through genomics, histopathology, and noninvasive imagery. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Locke, S., Calhoun, D.M., Valencia Cruz, J., Ebbs, E., Diaz Pernett, S., Tkach, V., Kinsella, J., Freeman, M., Blanar, C. and P.T.J. Johnson. (2024). Expanding on expansus: A new species of Scaphanocephalus from North America and the Caribbean based on molecular and morphological data. Parasitology.

Malawauw, R.J., Piaskowy*, J., Ter Horst*, L.J., Calhoun, D.M. and Johnson, P.T.J. (2024). Parasitism in reef fish communities: evaluating the roles of host traits, habitat use, and phylogeny on infection by Scaphanocephalus (Trematoda). Coral Reefs 43: 509-522.

2023

Calhoun, D. M., Curtis, J., Hassan^, C., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2023). Putting infection on the map: Using heatmaps to characterize within-and between-host distributions of trematode metacercariae. Journal of Helminthology 97: e84.

Johnson, P.T.J., Stewart-Merrill, T. E., Calhoun, D.M., McDevitt-Galles, T., and Hobart, B. (2023). Into the danger zone: how the within-host distribution of parasites controls virulence. Ecology Letters 0: 1-11.

2022

McDevitt-Galles, T., Moss, W.E., Calhoun, D.M., Briggs, C.J., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2022). How extreme drought events, introduced species, and disease interact to influence threatened amphibian populations. Freshwater Science, 41 (in press).

Curran, S.S., Calhoun, D.M., Tkach, V.V., Warren, M.B., & Bullard, S.A. (2022). A new species of Prosorhynchoides Dollfus, 1929 (Digenea: Bucephalidae) infecting chain pickerel, Esox niger Lesueur, 1818 (Perciformes: Esocidae), from the Pascagoula River, Mississippi, USA, with phylogenetic analysis and nucleotide-based elucidation of a three-host life cycle. Comparative Parasitology 89, 82-101.

Calhoun, D.M. (2022). Teacher Instructional Manual. Industrial Organizational Psychology. Taylor and Francis.

Stewart-Merrill, T.E., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2022). Beyond single host, single parasite interactions: Quantifying competence for competence for complete multi-host, mult-parasite communities. Functional Ecology 36, 1845-1857.

2021

Falendysz, E.A., Calhoun, D.M., Smith, C.A., and Sleeman, J.M. (2021). Outside the box: Working with wildife in biocontainment. ILAR Journal ilab025.

2020

Rose. D.P.*, Calhoun. D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2020). Infection prevalence and pathology of the cymothoid parasite Olencira praegustator in Atlantic menhaden. Invertebrate Biology 2020, 00:e12300.

Johnson, P.J.T., Calhoun, D.M., Moss, W.E., McDevitt‐Galles, T., Riepe, T.B., Hallas, J.M., Parchman, T.L., Feldman, C.R., Achatz, T.J., Tkach, V.V. and Cropanzano, J. (2021) The cost of travel: how dispersal ability limits local adaptation in host–parasite interactions. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 34, 512-524.

Johnson, P.T.J., Calhoun, D.M., Riepe, T.B., McDevitt-Galles, T., and Koprivnikar, J. (2020). Community disassembly disease: realistic-but not randomized-biodiversity losses inhibit parasite transmission. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 286, 20190260.

Moss, W.E., McDevitt‐Galles, T., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2020). Tracking the assembly of nested parasite communities: using β‐diversity to understand variation in parasite richness and composition over time and scale. Journal of Animal Ecology 89, 1532-1542.

McDevitt-Galles, T., Moss, W.E., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2020). Phenological synchrony shapes pathology in host–parasite systems. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287, 20192597.

2019

Kohl, Z.F., Calhoun, D.M., Elmer, F., Peachey, R.B.J., Leslie, K.L., Tkach, V., Kinsella, J.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2019). Black-spot syndrome in Caribbean fishes linked to trematode parasite infection (Scaphanocephalus expansus). Coral Reefs.

Johnson, P.T.J., Calhoun, D.M., Riepe, T.B., and Koprivnikar, J. (2019). Community disassembly and disease: realistic-- but not randomized-- biodiversity losses enchance parasite transmission. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: 286.

Riepe, T.B., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J.  (2019). Comparision of direct and indirect technique for evaluating endoparasite infections in wild-caught newts (Taricha torosa and Taricha granulosa). Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 134 137-146.

Stutz, W.E., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2019). Resistance and tolerance: a hierarchical framework to compare individual versus family-level host contributions in an experimental amphibian-trematode system. Experimental Parasitology 199, 80-91.

Calhoun, D.M., Leslie, K.L., Riepe, T.B., Achatz, T.J., McDevitt-Galles, T., Tkach, V.V., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2019). Patterns of Clinostomum marginatum infection in fishes and amphibians: integration of field, genetic, and experimental approaches. Journal of Helminthology 1-12.

Johnson, P.T.J., Calhoun, D.M., Riepe, T.B., and Koprivnikar, J. (2019). Chance or choice? Understanding parasite selection and infectin in multi-host communites. International Journal of Parasitology 49, 407-415.

2018

Johnson, S.K., Fitza, M.A., Lerner, D.A., Calhoun, D.M., Chan, E.T. and Johnson, P.T.J.  (2018). Risky business: linking Toxoplasma gondii infection and entrepreneurship behaviors across individuals and countries. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 285, 20180822.

McDevitt-Galles, T., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2018). Parasite richness and abundance within aquatic macroinvertebrates: testing the role of host-and habitat-level factors. Ecosphere 9, e02188.

Calhoun, D.M., McDevitt-Galles, T., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2018). Parasites of invasive freshwater fishes and the factors affecting their richness and abundance. Freshwater Science 37, 134-146.

           PRESS: https://freshwater-science.org/news/in-drift-issue-31-spring-2018

Tornabene, B.J., Blaustein, A.R., Briggs, C.J., Calhoun, D.M., Johnson, P.T.J., McDevitt-Galles, T., Rohr, J.R., and Hoverman, J.T. (2018). Assessing the influence of landscape and environmental factors on ranavirusepidemiology in a California amphibian assemblage. Freshwater Biology 63, 639-651.

Johnson, P.T.J., Calhoun, D.M., Stokes, A.N., Susbilla, C.B., McDevitt-Galles, T., Briggs, C., Hoverman, J.T., Tkach, V., and de Roode, J. (2018). Of poisons and parasites-the defensive role of tetrodotoxin against infections in newts. Journal of Animal Ecology 87, 1192-1204.

Johnson, P.T.J., Stanton, D., Forshay, K., and Calhoun, D.M. (2018). Vertically challenged: how disease suppresses Daphnia vertical migration behavior.  Limnology and Oceanography 63, 886-896.

2017

Hannon, E.R.*, Calhoun, D.M., Chadalawada, S.*, and Johnson, P.T.J. (2017). Circadian rhythms of trematode parasites: applying mixed models to test underlying patterns. Parasitology 1-9.

Calhoun, D.M., Bucciarelli, G.M., Kats, L.B., Zimmer, R.K., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2017). Noxious newts and their natural enemies: experimental effects of tetrodotoxin exposure on trematode parasites and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Toxicon 137, 120-127.

Koprivnikar, J., Riepe, T.B., Calhoun, D.M., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2017). Whether larval amphibians school does not affect the parasite aggregation rule: testing the effects of host spatial heterogeneity in field and experimental studies. Oikos 127, 99-110.

2016

Calhoun, D.M., Woodhams, D., Howard, C.*, LaFonte, B.E.*, Gregory, J.R., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2016). Role of antimicrobial peptides in amphibian defense against trematode infection. EcoHealth 13, 383-391.

McAllister, C.T., Bursey, C.R., and Calhoun, D.M. (2016). Commensal protista, cnidaria and helminth parasites of the Cajun chorus frog, Pseudacris fouquettei (Anura: Hylidae), from Oklahoma. Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences 95.

Hannon, E.R.*, Kinsella, J.M., Calhoun, D.M., Joseph, M.B., and Johnson, P.T.J. (2016). Endohelminths in bird hosts from Northern California and an analysis of the role of life history traits on parasite richness. Journal of Parasitology 102, 199-207.

2015

Calhoun, D.M., Schaffer, P.A., Gregory, J.R., Hardy, K.M.*, and Johnson, P.T.J. (2015). Experimental infections of bluegill with the trematode Ribeiroia ondatrae (Digenea: Cathaemasiidae): histopathology and hematological response. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 27, 185-191.

2013

Calhoun, D.M., Curran, S.S., Pulis, E.E., Provaznik, J.M., and Franks, J.S. (2013). Hirudinella ventricosa (Pallas, 1774) Baird, 1853 represents a species complex based on ribosomal DNA and affinity of the genus in Hemiurata Skrjabin & Guschanskaja, 1954 base on lsrDNA. Systematic Parasitology 86, 197-208.

2012

Calhoun, D.M., and Dronen, N.O. (2012). A re-evaluation of specimens of Mesocoelium monas (Platyhelminthes: Digenea: Mesocoeliidae) form the National History Museum, UK and the United States National Parasite Collection, USA. Zootaxa 3589, 1-29.

Dronen, N.O., Calhoun, D.M., and Simcik, S.R. (2012). Mesocoelium Ohdner, 1901 (Digenea: Mesocoeliidae) revision of the family and re-evaluation of species composition in the genus. Zootaxa 3387, 1-96.

2011

Calhoun, D.M. (2011). A re-evaluation of the taxonomy of Mesocoelium monas complex (Platyhelminthes: Digenea: Mesocoeliidae). Texas A&M University Masters thesis, 97 pp.

2009

Calhoun, D.M. (2009). ABC’s of a CBC: An introduction to avian and mammalian complete blood count. Wildlife Rehabilitation 26, 133-142.

*undergraduate authors