Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) will honor Roger I. Glass, MD, PhD, with the 2016 Cura Personalis Award at its Ninth Annual GUMC Convocation on Thursday, Nov. 17. Glass also will be the Convocation keynote speaker.
The Cura Personalis Award, GUMC's highest honor, is bestowed upon a health professional who has made outstanding contributions to human health guided by compassion and service. A Catholic, Jesuit concept, cura personalis is Latin for "care of the whole person" and is GUMC's founding principle.
Glass, director of the Fogarty International Center and associate director for international research for the National Institutes of Health, was selected for the award because he embodies Georgetown's emphasis on social justice.
"Our award winner reflects this ideal by leading a federal research effort that doesn't ask how the U.S. can help itself, but rather by examining our contributions and impact in the world as it pertains to improving health on a global scale," announced Edward B. Healton, MD, PhD, GUMC's Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Executive Dean of its School of Medicine.
Glass, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, was named director of the Fogarty International Center in 2006. His research has been targeted towards epidemiologic studies to anticipate the introduction of rotavirus vaccines leading to the prevention of debilitating gastroenteritis infections. An award-winning researcher, Glass has co-authored more than 600 research papers and chapters. He has maintained field studies in India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Russia, Vietnam, China and elsewhere, and he is fluent and often lectures in five languages.
"I am delighted and humbled to receive this award for efforts to build sustainable research capacity in low- and middle-income countries," said Glass. "By empowering local scientists and governments to determine and address their own research priorities, we are giving them the necessary tools to improve the health of their own people."
In addition to the keynote address, Glass will be the featured panelist during the Convocation's colloquium on global health titled: "Building Global Health Capacity at Georgetown: Responsibilities and Priorities," from 10:00 -11:30 a.m. Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia will present the Cura Personalis medal to Glass during the Convocation ceremony from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. where Glass will also deliver the keynote address. All activities take place on the Georgetown University Medical Center campus at 4000 Reservoir Rd., NW, in Washington.
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