Magnificent ceremony to confer the insignia of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 on Guy Boivin, Full Professor of Paediatrics at the Faculté de Médecine de l’Université Laval and Microbiologist-Infectiologist at the Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie CHU de Québe – Université Laval.
Under the honorary chairmanship of Olivier Dugrip, Recteur de la région académique Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Recteur de l’académie de Lyon, Chancelier des universités, Gabriele Fioni, Recteur délégué pour l’enseignement supérieur, la Recherche et l’Innovation de la région académique Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Frédéric Fleury, President of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and Philippe Cassagnau, Vice-President of Research at Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, the ceremony took place at the Théâtre d’Astrée and celebrated Guy Boivin’s long-standing friendship and scientific collaboration with our team.
We were all very honoured by the presence of Mr. Alain Mérieux, who has historic personal links with Quebec, and whom we thank most sincerely for his support for the research work on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases that we are carrying out with Guy Boivin as part of our International Research Laboratory RESPIVIR France – Canada.
Co-discoverer of the human metapneumovirus in 2001, recipient of the Canada Research Chair in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses from 2006 to 2020, Guy Boivin was named Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2018 and of the Royal Society of Canada in 2020, and received the Louis Pasteur Prize from the Association des médecins microbiologistes-infectiologues du Québec for his outstanding contribution to the field of infectious diseases. The author of more than 400 scientific publications, Guy Boivin is co-founder of the biotech companies Signia Therapeutics, Vaxxel and Trienix Pharma.
Our scientific collaboration over the past 15 years with Guy Boivin’ team has helped to structure and strengthen the strategic link between France and Canada, and particularly between the province of Quebec and the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Under the impetus of our RESPIVIR France-Canada International Research Laboratory, we are developing new strategies to combat emerging respiratory infectious diseases, which have major health and economic implications. This close cooperation between our universities and our regions contributes to innovation, the competitiveness of our industries and job creation. This is the meaning and the challenge of our collective commitment.
https://www.univ-lyon1.fr/actualites/doctorats-honoris-causa-2023-et-2024
