York University announces establishment of Dahdaleh Insitute for Global Health

Dec 28 2015

York University in Ontario, Canada this month announced the establishment of The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health, in honour of Victor Dahdaleh - a prominent UK-based Canadian business leader and York alumnus who recently donated $20m to the University.

The Institute will be a leading centre of excellence in addressing global health issues, and will attract some of the top researchers and academics from around the world.

Dr Dahdaleh, who recently received a Doctor of Laws degree from St Francis Xavier University, said: "I am excited and honoured to contribute to York University as it addresses global health and equity challenges through research, social innovation, international collaboration and leadership development, and prepares the next generation of global health leaders."

His $20m gift to York University, the largest ever by a graduate in its history, is set to finance new Faculty positions and research programmes, as well as scholarships and travel grants for domestic and international students. The University is also naming a new building on its Keele campus the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building.

The Dahdaleh Institute's activities will be largely focused within the Faculty of Health while taking in involvement from across York University, reflecting the multi-disciplinary nature of global health initiatives. Its work will strive towards reframing the ways in which high and low income countries collaborate on global health challenges. The University's extensive network of global partners as well as its strong links with communities in the culturally diverse Greater Toronto Area make give it a strategic advantage as a centre of research into health and social concerns.

Dr Dahdaleh's donation follows an established trend of providing support for education. His charitable organisation, the Victor Dahdaleh Foundation, funds scholarship programmes in the UK and Canada, with a particular focus on giving underprivileged students from overseas the opportunity to study in some of those countries' top academic establishments.

Billionaire Victor Dahdaleh is owner and chairman of Dadco and affiliated companies, a privately owned investment, manufacturing and trading group with origins dating back to 1915 and operations and investments in Europe, north America, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.

Dr Dahdaleh has served in a leadership capacity with many organisations, including the London School of Economics, the William J Clinton Foundation, and the Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce. His contributions to universities around the globe support academia, address global issues such as economic and social development, and fund vital health-related research.

SOURCE Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation