Gairdner's national program brings great medical minds to UPEI

Today, the University of Prince Edward Island is pleased to host one of the Gairdner Award winners as part of Gairdner's National Program lecture series. Dr. Lorne A. Babiuk is sharing his award-winning medical insights, inspiring UPEI to continue striving towards innovation excellence and encouraging the next generation of Canadian scientists.

• Lorne A. Babiuk, OC, SOM, PhD, DSc, FRSC, Vice-President (Research), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

The challenge: Over 30 newly emerging and re-emerging diseases have occurred over the last 30 years, 70 per cent of which have been transmitted from animals to humans. These diseases are the cause of significant mortality and morbidity and international infrastructure was needed to address this problem.

The work: Dr. Babiuk's work has focused on studying how diseases are transmitted from animals to humans, while developing innovative vaccination approaches to control infectious diseases such as the rotavirus. Through his study of infectious disease, and leadership role in the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and at the University of Alberta, Dr. Babiuk has helped to relieve mortality, morbidity, and economic hardship caused by infectious disease.

Why it matters: The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one-third of all human deaths are caused by infectious disease. Dr. Babiuk's work has shown how diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans, and how innovative vaccines will help to bring down the number of deaths caused by infectious disease.

'The opportunity to learn from the world's greatest medical minds is one we hope will inspire students across the country to be imaginers, innovators, and ultimately, cultivators of the future of medicine in Canada and around the world,' said Dr. John Dirks, President and Scientific Director of Gairdner. 'Gairdner's National Program is our way of helping to ensure that Canada continues to grow as a global leader in medical science.'

The Gairdner National Program is a month-long lecture series given by Canada Gairdner Award winners to over 6,000 students at 21 universities from St. John's to Vancouver. The National Program reaches students across the country, making the superstars of science accessible and inspiring the next generation of researchers. Along with the Canada Gairdner Awards, the National Program is part of Gairdner's efforts to promote a stronger culture of research and innovation across the country.

The Canada Gairdner Awards were created in 1959 to recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. They are Canada's only globally known and respected international science awards, and Gairdner is the only national organization that consistently brings the world's best biomedical researchers to Canada to share their ideas and work with scientists across the country. In so doing, it enlarges networks and enhances Canada's international reputation, while providing a realistic and unbiased benchmark for Canada's leading scientists.