McGill leaders recognized by Ordre national du Québec

Four McGill researchers have been added to the ranks of the Ordre national du Québec, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the development of Quebec society.

Ratna Ghosh, Mark Wainberg, George Karpati and Emil Skamene are among the 2005 appointments to the Ordre national announced by Premier Jean Charest. They will receive the insignia of the Order at a ceremony at the National Assembly on June 22.

Appointed Officers of the Order are:

• Ratna Ghosh, James McGill and William C. Macdonald Professor in the Faculty of Education. The preeminent Canadian specialist in international and multicultural education, she was the first female dean of her faculty.
• Mark Wainberg, director of the Lady Davis Research Institute at the Jewish General Hospital and of the McGill AIDS Centre. A renowned AIDS researcher and advocate for those with HIV and AIDS, he was head of the International AIDS society from 1998 to 2000.

Appointed Knights of the Order are:

• George Karpati, Isaac Walton Killam Professor of Neurology in the Faculty of Medicine and director of the Neuromuscular Research Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute. He is one North America's top neurologists, particularly noted for his research on muscular dystrophy.
• Emil Skamene, director of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He has advanced scientific understanding of infection and immunity, including the identification of genes that affect susceptibility to diseases like tuberculosis, leprosy and malaria.

These outstanding individuals are among 43 people named to the Ordre national du Québec on June 1. About 40 members of the McGill community have been named to the Order since its establishment in 1984. For more information on the Order and its members, consult the website.