Dr. Robert Hancock is an impressive leader in Canadian health research. He has done valuable work relating to the prevention and treatment of infections. His work is directly improving the health of British Columbians and people worldwide.

A pioneer in a number of critical areas of microbiology, Dr. Hancock has made seminal discoveries in the area of antibiotics and their interaction with bacteria cells.

Through innovative research, he has increased our understanding of how antibiotics affect bacteria – in the process developing antibiotics and molecules that enhance natural immunity with the potential to be the first novel classes of broad spectrum anti-microbials to be developed in 30 years.

Dr. Hancock has researched and taught at the University of British Columbia for nearly 30 years, where he is currently Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and has been awarded a prestigious Canada Research Chair.

His contributions to science and research include the establishment, in 1990, of the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network, one of Canada’s initial Networks of Centres of Excellence, where he served as Scientific Director for six years. He served as the Chair of the Medical/Scientific Advisory Committee of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

At UBC, he established the Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research (CMDR) and co-founded the BC Centre for Drug Research and Development.

In addition to a wide array of other honours, he recently won Canada’s three leading health research prizes: the 2005 McLaughlin Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, the 2006 Michael Smith Prize from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research as Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year, and the 2007 Killam Prize of the Canada Council, and in 2003 won the world’s leading prize for antibiotics research, the Aventis Award.  He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2001.