Dr. W. Ian Lipkin receives China's top science honor

W. Ian Lipkin, MD, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, received China's top science honor for foreign scientists, the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award at a ceremony on Jan. 8, 2016 presided by China President Xi Jinping. The award recognizes Dr. Lipkin's outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation and for promoting scientific advancement in China.

Dr. Lipkin is the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health and professor of Neurology and Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. He is the director of the Center for Infection and Immunity, which is one of the world's largest, and most advanced academic centers for research in microbial surveillance, diagnosis and discovery.

"I am deeply honored by this award," said Dr. Lipkin. "It solidifies my relationship with dear friends and colleagues in the Chinese Academy of Science, Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health, and with the people of China."

At the height of the SARS outbreak in 2003, Dr. Lipkin was invited by Chen Zhou, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Xu Guanhua, minister of Science and Technology, to assess the state of the epidemic, identify gaps in science, and develop a strategy for containing the virus and reducing morbidity and mortality. Once the outbreak was contained Dr. Lipkin helped develop the institutional infrastructure needed to ensure that China would have the resources required to detect and more rapidly respond to emerging infectious threats, in part through building the Institut Pasteur in Shanghai, the new national Centers for Disease Control in Beijing and the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health. Today, he continues to consult with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Science and the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Lipkin's academic efforts in China focus on mentoring young Chinese scientists and encouraging China-born scientists to return home for positions in diagnostics and discovery at China's Centers for Disease Control, Institut Pasteur and Wuhan Institute of Virology. He also serves as a member of the Scientific Steering Committee member of the Joint Center for Global Change Studies at Beijing Normal University.

Commenting on the importance for Chinese and foreign scientists to work together, Dr. Lipkin said, "Science is an increasingly global endeavor, and the free flow of information and resources is critical to promoting and realizing the promise of research and technology. The International Science and Technology Cooperation Award is testament to China's commitment to this objective."

Provided by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health