Dr. Tony Pawson named honorary Doctor of Medicine at Sweden’s most famous institute

Dr. Tony Pawson, Distinguished Lunenfeld Investigator and Kyoto Prize Laureate, has been named a new honorary Doctor of Medicine by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. This year’s honorary doctors will be formally appointed at a ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall on May 7.

 

“I have many great colleagues at the Karolinska and it’s a highly regarded institute, so this is a wonderful honour,” said Dr. Pawson, who will attend the ceremony next month in Sweden.

 

Every year, the Board of Research at the Karolinska Institutet, one of Sweden’s leading medical universities, awards honorary doctorates to people who have made vital contributions to the university. Dr. Pawson has collaborated with Karolinska scientists who conduct research in virology, signal transduction and developmental biology, delivered presentations at the university’s scientific symposia, and acted on some of its research advisory boards.

 

“For more than 15 years, Professor Pawson has made invaluable contributions to the Karolinska Institutet’s scientific endeavours as a member of several research groups and as a source of inspiration,” said the Karolinska’s Board of Research. “He has demonstrated great generosity and has placed the entire pioneering competence of his group at the disposal of science.”

 

Dr. Pawson is world renowned for his research in cell signaling and transduction, and he has revolutionized scientists’ understanding of the way our cells work in health and in disease. His discoveries contribute to many aspects of medical research and have relevance for the understanding and treatment of a host of diseases including cancer, diabetes, and disorders of the immune system. In the 25 years he has spent studying how cells grow and communicate with each other, he has become one of the top 25 cited scientists in his field.

 

In particular, Dr. Pawson studies signal transduction – the way in which cells control their own and each other’s behaviour through chemical signals. His groundbreaking discoveries related to signal transduction have allowed for the development of new generations of drugs that halt the proliferation of particular kinds of cancer cells.

 

This latest honour adds to an epic list of accolades for Dr. Pawson, including his naming in January as a ‘nation builder of the decade’ by The Globe and Mail.