McGill’s Mark Wainberg named to prestigious Légion d’honneur

Pioneer AIDS researcher and advocate to be named Chevalier of France’s Légion d’honneur

McGill University professor Mark Wainberg, a trailblazer in HIV/AIDS research, has been named a Chevalier of France’s Légion d’honneur. The world-renowned order, established by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1802, is the highest decoration in France. Dr. Wainberg, a professor in the faculty of Medicine, Molecular Biology/Virology, is also the director of the McGill AIDS Centre at the Jewish General Hospital’s Lady Davis Institute, which he established in 1984.

A tireless HIV/AIDS researcher and activist, Dr. Wainberg has dedicated his career to meeting with scientists, world leaders, industrialists, and celebrities in a quest to raise awareness and shape policies geared toward slowing the spread of AIDS/HIV and eradicating the condition. The past president of the International AIDS Society, Dr. Wainberg co-chaired the 16th international AIDS conference in 2006.

For the past five years, Dr. Wainberg has served as Chair to the scientific advisory committee of France’s national AIDS program. He was selected for inclusion in the Légion for his exceptional work in the HIV/AIDS field, and for strengthening the scientific collaboration and friendship between France and Canada.

“It’s a great honour to be recognized in the field of AIDS research, which after all was pioneered by our colleagues in France, “ said Wainberg, “It is also wonderful for me to receive this recognition and I do so with humility and recognition of the opportunities that the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University have permitted me to enjoy”.

For his groundbreaking work, Dr. Wainberg will receive a formal induction into the Légion, though no date has been set for the ceremony.