Dr. Michael Hayden and Dr. Kishor Wasan
UPDATE, March 23, 2011:
Dr. Hayden has been named the 2011 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award Recipient “for his outstanding national and international leadership for medical genetics, entrepreneurship and humanitarianism”.
The NGDI congratulates Michael on this prestigious achievement.
The inaugural NGDI – Distinguished Lectureship Seminar Series featuring Dr. Michael Hayden, Director of the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics was a great success!
Over 90 faculty, staff, and students enjoyed a one hour talk by Dr. Hayden as he highlighted the great work that he has been doing in South Africa and with his international Ripples of Hope Award.
Michael initiated and led an international effort (although most funding was from Vancouver) to bring benefit to a community living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. In collaboration with colleagues around the world, he spearheaded and built a youth‐friendly recreation, counseling, and Learning Centre in direct partnership with the township of Masiphumelele in Cape Town. This centre aims to promote responsible sexual behaviors among at‐risk youth, empower HIV/AIDS‐affected youth, and build a sense of self and community‐participation within the township.
Laura Bandy and Padmesh Rajput enjoy a few minutes with Dr. Hayden
He also discussed his Ripples of Hope Award that brings international students to UBC to train as Post Doctoral Fellows. Dr. Hayden leveraged the funds ($500,000) he received as CIHR’s Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year in 2008 to a $3 million endowment fund that focuses on 4 themes: Global Health, Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship, Mental Health, and Rare Diseases.
Dr. Hayden’s enthusiasm for these projects was applauded and during the question period he eloquently reminded us that those members of the room who were born outside Canada (that by a show of hands it was more than 50%) all have contacts, no matter how small, that may be beneficial in doing work for groups like the Neglected Global Diseases Initiative.
The members of the working group for the NGDI thank Dr. Hayden for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to help inaugurate our new Distinguished Lectureship Seminar Series. Dr. Kish Wasan representing the group presented Dr. Hayden with a gift of appreciation for his talk.