Former Chair of Molecular Medicine Ireland, Dr Michael E. Kamarck, has been honoured by University College Dublin with a Degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa. Dr Kamarck, who holds the position of President of Technical Operations and Product Supply at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, was appointed Chair of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre in July 2004 and oversaw its transformation into Molecular Medicine Ireland in April 2008 before stepping down in December of that year.

At the conferring ceremony on Thursday 4th June Professor Bill Powderly, Head of the School of Medicine and Medical Science, paid tribute to Dr Kamarck, a US national, for the outstanding contribution he has made to Ireland’s growth both in industry and academia. He described him as “a strong supporter of biomedical science in Dublin and in Ireland” and “a critical catalyst in several extremely important collaborative ventures between the universities and medical schools in the Republic”. This a direct reference to Dr Kamarck’s leadership of the DMMC, initially a collaboration between UCD and TCD and later RCSI, which through his vision and nurturing, expanded to become MMI, a national entity with the inclusion of NUIG and UCC. Dr Kamarck’s focus on the “big picture” and “getting the job done” together with his “persistent urging and constant support” contributed to the successes of MMI and the partner institutions in securing funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Health Research Board to create the Dublin Centre for Clinical Research (DCCR) and from the Higher Education Authority to establish the MMI Clinician Scientist Fellowship Programme.

Professor Powderly left the conferring ceremony audience in no doubt that Dr Kamarck’s infectious enthusiasm, “Mid-Western optimism and can-do attitude” helped to advance the growth and development of molecular medicine in Ireland. Dr Kamarck’s wife Debbie travelled from the US for the occasion which was also attended by Dr Ruth Barrington, CEO of MMI, and Mr John Coman, Secretary to the Board of MMI, at the invitation of Dr Kamarck.

Earlier that week MMI hosted a dinner for Dr Kamarck in Newman House to celebrate his tenure as Chair of the Board of MMI. This was attended by current and former Board members and staff. Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD and one of the founders of the DMMC, thanked Dr Kamarck on behalf of all the partner institutions for his contribution to MMI and molecular medicine research and postgraduate education in Ireland.