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UCSF Awards Medals to Three Health Innovators for Outstanding Contributions

April 28, 2011

Three distinguished individuals were recognized on April 26 with the UCSF Medal – the University’s highest honor – to acknowledge those who have made outstanding contributions in areas associated with the University’s mission.

The UCSF Medal was presented at the 2011 Founders Day banquet at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco.

Initiated in 1975 by then Chancellor Francis Sooy, MD, the UCSF Medal replaced the granting of honorary degrees. Recipients are selected annually by a committee composed of University members and others.

His Highness the Aga Khan

The 49th hereditary spiritual leader (Imam) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which works in more than 30 countries to improve living conditions and opportunities for the poor. The AKDN agencies are nondenominational and conduct programs without regard to the faith, origin or gender of beneficiaries.

In 2009, the Aga Khan entered into an agreement of cooperation with the state of California to enable partnerships between the AKDN and California institutions in areas such as health care, education, natural disaster risk management, the environment and culture. Also in 2009, Aga Khan University entered into a partnership with UCSF to advance their common goal of improving health care in specific countries of Africa and Asia by enhancing health care human resources capacity through education in medicine and nursing, as well as joint research in diseases that afflict vulnerable people in the developing world.