Michael Barger
Dean, Women's College
mbarger@stephens.edu
Education
Ph.D., Wake Forest University; M.S., B.S, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
About Michael Barger
Before becoming Dean of the Women’s College, which comprises the School of Integrative Studies and the School of Health Sciences at Stephens College, Dr. Michael Barger was Dean of the School of Health Sciences. Dr. Michael Barger earned his B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Parasitology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He completed his Ph.D. at Wake Forest University on the spatial ecology of fish and parasite communities in Appalachian streams. He spent 18 years at Peru State College in Nebraska and one year at Westminster College before coming to Stephens. His research interests include all aspects of the biology of parasitic worms and their hosts. Along with undergraduate student colleagues, his lab has completed major projects such as biodiversity analytics in the Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas funded by the National Science Foundation, long-term ecology of creek chub parasites in Nebraska, and taxonomic resolution of acanthocephalan parasites of turtles throughout North America. His current projects include the role of competition in regulating parasite communities, the influence of parasitism on host behavior, and various efforts to elucidate the life cycles of helminth parasites. He enjoys backpacking, fishing, gardening, cooking, reading, writing, and just about anything that keeps him outside and busy.