The Royal Society of Canada honoured nine UBC professors this month for their outstanding achievements and contributions to their fields.
The newly elected fellows, a medal winner and member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists join 197 other UBC fellows and members of the Royal Society of Canada.
“We’re proud to continue to grow the ranks of UBC faculty who have become members of the Royal Society of Canada,” said John Hepburn, vice president, research and international. “We’re pleased that so many UBC professors are recognized as leaders in research, scholarship and creative arts in Canada.”
Seven UBC professors were named fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the arts, humanities and sciences in Canada. This year, 87 new fellows from across Canada were elected to the society.
Dr. Julio Montaner, head of the UBC Division of AIDS, received the society’s McLaughlin Medal, which is awarded to a medical scientist who has contributed important research with long lasting impact.
Dr. Montaner is a recognized leader in the field of HIV and AIDS. He played a key role in the discovery of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which reduces the amount of HIV in an infected individual’s bloodstream to undetectable levels. After becoming director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in 2005, he introduced the Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®) strategy. With this strategy, earlier and sustained access to HAART reduces the amount of HIV virus in a person’s blood and sexual fluids to undetectable levels, thus preventing the spread of HIV.
Elizabeth Dunn, a professor in the Department of Psychology who studies happiness, has been admitted to the society’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Dunn is among the Canadians recognized as an emerging leader in her field of research.
The new members will be celebrated and inducted into the Royal Society of Canada at a ceremony in Victoria in November.
The new fellows are:
- Joerg Bohlmann, professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories and Faculty of Forestry
- Robert Brunham, professor emeritus in the Department of Medicine
- Anthony Farrell, professor in the Department of Zoology and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems
- Roger François, professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Joshua Mostow, professor and associate head of the Department of Asian Studies
- Gail Murphy, associate dean and professor in the Department of Computer Science
- Pitman Potter, professor in the Allard School of Law and Institute of Asian Research
Read more about the new fellows here.