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The John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award is given by the Gairdner Foundation to recognize the world's top scientists who have made outstanding achievements in Global Health Research. Since its inception, the Global Health Award has grown significantly to become one of the world's most prestigious awards recognizing excellence in global health research. [1]
James Jude Orbinski is a Canadian physician, humanitarian activist, author and leading scholar in global health. Orbinski was the 2016-17 Fulbright visiting professor at the University of California, Irvine, and as of September 1, 2017, he is professor and inaugural director of the Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was previously the CIGI Chair in Global Health Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and Wilfrid Laurier University (2012-2017), Chair of Global Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (2010-2012) and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2003-2012), where he was the founding Saul Rae Fellow at Massey College. Orbinski's current research interests focus on the health impacts of climate change, medical humanitarianism, intervention strategies around emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and global health governance.
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow was an American medical physicist, and a co-winner of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for development of the radioimmunoassay technique. She was the second woman, and the first American-born woman, to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The Gairdner Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to the recognition of outstanding achievements in biomedical research worldwide. It was created in 1957 by James Arthur Gairdner to recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. Since the first awards were made in 1959, the Gairdner Awards have become Canada's most prestigious medical awards, recognizing and celebrating the research of the world’s best and brightest biomedical researchers. Since 1959, more than 390 Canada Gairdner Awards have been given to scientists from 35 countries; of these recipients, 98 have subsequently gone on to win a Nobel Prize.
The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a precursor to winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine; as of 2020, 98 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to prior Gairdner recipients.
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is a volunteer fueled non-profit organization in the US that works to fund research to find cures for Crohn's disease, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these digestive diseases. Founded by Shelby and William Modell, Suzanne and Irwin Rosenthal, and Dr. Henry Janowitz, it was launched publicly on September 12, 1967, as the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis. It was incorporated on December 17, 1965. CCF has more than 50,000 members, served by the national headquarters, as well as over 40 chapters nationwide.
Constance Jean Eaves CorrFRSE was a Canadian biologist with significant contributions to cancer and stem cell research. Eaves was a professor generics of genetics at the University of British Columbia and was also the co-founder with Allen C Eaves of Terry Fox Laboratory.
Mathis Wackernagel is a Swiss-born sustainability advocate. He is President of Global Footprint Network, an international sustainability think tank with offices in Oakland, California, and Geneva, Switzerland. The think-tank is a non-profit that focuses on developing and promoting metrics for sustainability.
The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Columbia University. Located on the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, the school is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
Raven Baxter is an American science communicator, molecular biologist, and STEM educator. She is recognized in Fortune magazine's "40 Under 40 in Health" list for 2021, and Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2022.
Alan Bernstein is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto and President Emeritus of CIFAR, where he served as President and CEO from 2012 to 2022. A Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, he is also a Fellow and Member of the Standing Committee for Science Planning at the International Science Council (2022-2025). Bernstein is recognized as a leader in health research, science policy, mentorship and organizational leadership.
Michael R. Hayden, is a Killam Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, the highest honour UBC can confer on any faculty member. Only four such awards have ever been conferred in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Hayden is also Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine. Hayden is best known for his research in Huntington disease (HD).
Calvin Ralph Stiller is a Canadian physician, scientist, and entrepreneur. He retired as a member of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim is an infectious diseases epidemiologist and co-founder and Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA. She is a Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York and Pro-Vice Chancellor for African Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Salim S. Abdool Karim, MBChB, MMed, MS(Epi), FFPHM, FFPath (Virol), DipData, PhD, DSc(hc), FRS is a South African public health physician, epidemiologist and virologist who has played a leading role in the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemic. His scientific contributions have impacted the landscape of HIV prevention and treatment, saving thousands of lives.
The Global Reporting Centre (GRC) is an independent news organization focused on innovating global journalism, based out of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its model works by pairing scholars, leading journalists and news organizations to cover neglected stories around the world. Founded by Peter W. Klein, it grew from the International Reporting Program (now called the Global Reporting Program) based at the University of British Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Writing, and Media. Peter W. Klein stepped down as executive director in 2023 to join NBC News as executive editor of investigative reporting. Andrea Crossan, who was the former executive producer of PRX’s The World (radio program), took over as executive director.
Gagandeep Kang FRS is an Indian microbiologist and virologist who has been leading the work on enteric diseases, diarrheal infections and disease surveillance at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since 2023.
Raj Panjabi is an American physician, social entrepreneur, professor and former White House official.
Zulfiqar A. Bhutta trained as a physician in Pakistan in the early stages of his career. He holds titles across various organizations in diverse geographies. Professor Bhutta is the Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health & Institute for Global Child Health & Development, at the Aga Khan University South-Central Asia, East Africa & United Kingdom.
Pieter Rutter Cullis is a Canadian physicist and biochemist known for his contributions to the field of lipid nanoparticles (LNP). Lipid nanoparticles are essential to current mRNA vaccines as a delivery system. Prof. Cullis is best known for the development of ionizable cationic lipids. These lipids are able to complex with negatively charged nucleic acids at low pH (≈4.0) where they are positively charged because they have a pKa if approximately 6.4. They reduce or eliminate toxicity associated with cationic lipids at physiological pH of 7.4 because they adopt a net neutral charge. Finally, they enable endosomal escape because they again become positively charged in acidified endosomes and promote formation of non-bilayer structures by interaction with negatively charged lipids. These properties are critical to the function of the mRNA vaccines and are rapidly enabling gene therapy in clinical settings.