Toronto CNW – March 24, 2014 – The Prize, established by Friends of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FCIHR), in collaboration with the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences recognizes leaders of exceptional achievement in science and health policy of international stature. Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong, will receive the Prize and deliver a Public Forum Lecture on September 17th, 2014 in Ottawa. In 2015, he will undertake one or more Institutional visits to Canadian universities and health science centres.
Dr. Tsui has had a distinguished academic career with major discoveries in Genetics and Genomics. He identified the Cystic Fibrosis gene in the late 1980s and in further studies of the human genome, characterized chromosome 7. He contributed significantly to fighting the SARS coronavirus in 2003 and led the Hong Kong consortium in the international effort in completing the first comprehensive catalogue of the human genetic evaluations. Dr. Aubie Angel, President of Friends of CIHR, notes that “Dr. Tsui has brought international recognition to Canadian strength in Human Genetics”. He has trained a cadre of scientific investigators who are part of the next wave of Canadian scientific leadership. He maintains close ties with the Canadian genomics community as Emeritus University Professor, University of Toronto, and Adjunct Scientist, Hospital for Sick Children, Research Institute.