- Overview
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Dr. Michael Zulyniak is an Associate Professor in Human Health and Nutrition at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His research aims to untangle the biological, environmental, and cultural networks that underpin the disparity in disease risk during pregnancy in women from minority ethnic groups and inform improved prevention and treatment strategies. This is accomplished by harnessing the strength of research methods across nutrition, metabolism, genetics, epidemiology, and social sciences to systematically understand their intertwined relationship, effects on disease risk, and key points of mediation. Michael’s research program is cross-disciplinary by nature and includes collaborators in medicine, environmental sciences, toxicology, data sciences, public health, and molecular sciences.
- Publications
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Evaluating modifiable hypertension risk in Nigerian adults—The Nigerian diet risk score
Tropical Medicine & International Health
Nimisoere P. Batubo and Carolyn I. Auma and J. Bernadette Moore and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.14089
04/2025Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-24-1154
03/2025Supplementary Table 1 from Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.28523433
03/2025Supplementary Figure 1 from Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.28523442
03/2025Supplementary Table 2 from Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.28523430
03/2025Supplementary Figure 2 from Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.28523439
03/2025Data from Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.c.7700658
03/2025Supplementary Figure 3 from Plasma n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank: Evidence of Nonlinearity, as Well as Tumor Site- and Sex-Specificity
Joanna Aldoori and Michael A. Zulyniak and Giles J. Toogood and Mark A. Hull
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.28523436
03/2025Dietary assessment and prevention of hypertension in Nigeria: Protocol for a retrospective cross-sectional study for the development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire for clinical use.
PloS one
Batubo NP and Moore JB and Zulyniak MA
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292561
PubMed: 38630757
04/2024Empowering healthcare professionals in West Africa-A feasibility study and qualitative assessment of a dietary screening tool to identify adults at high risk of hypertension.
PloS one
Batubo NP and Nwanze NM and Alikor CA and Auma CI and Moore JB and Zulyniak MA
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294370
PubMed: 38662712
04/2024Protein Hydrolysates and Bioactive Peptides as Mediators of Blood Glucose—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Acute and Long-Term Studies
Nutrients
Arig Elbira and Maryam Hafiz and Alan Javier Hernández-Álvarez and Michael A. Zulyniak and Christine Boesch
DOI: 10.3390/nu16020323
01/2024Fish oil supplement use modifies the relationship between dietary oily fish intake and plasma n-3 PUFA levels: An analysis of the UK Biobank
British Journal of Nutrition
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114524000138
2024Understanding the impact of maternal and infant nutrition on infant/child health: multiethnic considerations, knowledge translation, and future directions for equitable health research
Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism
DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2023-0572
2024Relative Validity and Reproducibility of a Dietary Screening Tool in Nigerian Health Care
Current Developments in Nutrition
DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104459
2024The Nigerian Dietary Screening Tool: A Step toward Improved Patient-Clinician Communication in Nigerian Hospitals: A Pilot Implementation Study
Nutrients
DOI: 10.3390/nu16142286
2024Empowering Healthcare Professionals in West Africa ¿ A Feasibility Study and Qualitative Assessment of a Dietary Screening Tool to Identify Adults at High Risk of Hypertension
Nimisoere P. Batubo and Nnenna M. Nwanze and Chizindu A. Alikor and Carolyn I. Auma and J. Bernadette Moore and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.23297914
11/2023Dietary Assessment and Prevention of Hypertension in Nigeria: Protocol for a Retrospective Cross-sectional Study for the Development and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for Clinical Use
Nimisoere P. Batubo and J. Bernadette Moore and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.25.23296109
09/2023Barriers to Exercise in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
Anwar M. Alobaid and Michael A. Zulyniak and Ramzi A. Ajjan and Jan Brož and Mark Hopkins and Matthew D. Campbell
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2023.04.016
08/2023Reducing Sitting Time in Type 1 Diabetes: Considerations and Implications
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
Anwar M. Alobaid and Paddy C. Dempsey and Monique Francois and Michael A. Zulyniak and Mark Hopkins and Matthew D. Campbell
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2023.02.003
04/2023Dietary factors and hypertension risk in West Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Nimisoere P. Batubo and J. Bernadette Moore and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.21.23287434
03/2023Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Vitamin D in the UK Biobank: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomisation Study
Nutrients
Zixuan Zhang and Kimberley Burrows and Harriett Fuller and Elizabeth K. Speliotes and Kushala W. M. Abeysekera and James L. Thorne and Sarah J. Lewis and Michael A. Zulyniak and J. Bernadette Moore
DOI: 10.3390/nu15061442
03/2023Protocol for the INFORMED (Individualised Patient Care and Treatment for Maternal Diabetes) Study: a randomised controlled trial embedded within routine care
BMJ Open
Cassy F Dingena and Anvesha Mahendra and Melvin J Holmes and Naomi S Clement and Eleanor M Scott and Michael A Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065388
02/2023Nutritional and Exercise-Focused Lifestyle Interventions and Glycemic Control in Women with Diabetes in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Nutrients
Cassy F. Dingena and Daria Arofikina and Matthew D. Campbell and Melvin J. Holmes and Eleanor M. Scott and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.3390/nu15020323
01/2023A culturally tailored personaliseD nutrition intErvention in South ASIan women at risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (DESI-GDM): a randomised controlled trial protocol
BMJ Open
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072353
2023Interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent short bouts of light-intensity activity improves time in range in people with type 1 diabetes
Diabetic Medicine
2023Metabolic drivers of dysglycemia in pregnancy: ethnic-specific GWAS of 146 metabolites and 1-sample Mendelian randomization analyses in a UK multi-ethnic birth cohort
Frontiers in Endocrinology
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1157416
2023Metabolic Drivers of Dysglycemia in Pregnancy: Ethnic-Specific GWAS of 146 Metabolites and 1-Sample Mendelian Randomisation Analyses in a UK Multi-Ethnic Birth Cohort
Harriett Fuller and Mark M Iles and J. Bernadette Moore and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2022.12.21.22283768
12/2022Unique Metabolic Profiles Associate with Gestational Diabetes and Ethnicity in Low- and High-Risk Women Living in the UK
The Journal of Nutrition
Harriett Fuller and Mark Iles and J Bernadette Moore and Michael A Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxac163
10/2022Observational assessments of the relationship of dietary and pharmacological treatment on continuous measures of dysglycemia over 24 hours in women with gestational diabetes
Cassy F. Dingena and Melvin J. Holmes and Matthew D. Campbell and Janet E. Cade and Eleanor M. Scott and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.16.22280027
09/2022Ethnic-specific associations between dietary consumption and gestational diabetes mellitus incidence: A meta-analysis
PLOS Global Public Health
Harriett Fuller and J. Bernadette Moore and Mark M. Iles and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000250
05/2022Unique Metabolic Profiles Associate with Gestational Diabetes and Ethnicity in Low and High-Risk Women Living in the UK
Harriett Fuller and Mark Iles and J. Bernadette Moore and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.11.22273658
04/2022Investigation of the association between high arachidonic acid synthesis and colorectal polyp incidence: a Mendelian randomisation approach
Rachel Moon and J. Bernadette Moore and Mark A. Hull and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.11.22273669
04/2022Barriers to exercise in type 1 diabetes individuals with insulin resistance
Diabetologia
2022Phytosterols and phytostanols and the hallmarks of cancer in model organisms: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1835820
2022Characterizing Adolescents' Dietary Intake by Taste: Results From the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey
Frontiers in Nutrition
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.893643
2022Investigation of the Association between High Arachidonic Acid Synthesis and Colorectal Polyp Incidence within a Generally Healthy UK Population: A Mendelian Randomization Approach
Lifestyle Genomics
Rachel Moon and J. Bernadette Moore and Mark A. Hull and Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1159/000526447
2022DNA methylation changes in cord blood and the developmental origins of health and disease – a systematic review and replication study
BMC Genomics
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08451-6
2022Corrigendum: Characterizing adolescents' dietary intake by taste: Results from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey(Front. Nutr., (2022), 9, (893643), 10.3389/fnut.2022.893643)
Frontiers in Nutrition
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1046893
2022Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of cholesterol esterification enzymes reduces tumour burden: a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical models.
Biochemical pharmacology
Websdale A and Kiew Y and Chalmers P and Chen X and Cioccoloni G and Hughes TA and Luo X and Mwarzi R and Poirot M and Røberg-Larsen H and Wu R and Xu M and Zulyniak MA and Thorne JL
DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114731
PubMed: 34407453
08/2021Studies to Improve Perinatal Health through Diet and Lifestyle among South Asian Women Living in Canada: A Brief History and Future Research Directions
Nutrients
Dipika Desai and Sujane Kandasamy and Jayneel Limbachia and Michael Zulyniak and Paul Ritvo and Diana Sherifali and Gita Wahi and Sonia S. Anand and Russell de Souza
DOI: 10.3390/nu13092932
08/2021Dietary and supplemental long-chain omega-3 fatty acids as moderators of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
European journal of nutrition
Wood AHR and Chappell HF and Zulyniak MA
DOI: 10.1007/s00394-021-02655-4
PubMed: 34392394
08/2021Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of cholesterol esterification reduces tumour burden: A pan-cancer systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical models
bioRxiv
DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.12.448188
2021Development of an Arabic food composition database for use in an Arabic online dietary assessment tool (myfood24)
Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2021.104047
2021Ethnic differences in maternal diet in pregnancy and infant eczema (vol 15, e0232170, 2020)
Plos One
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0246481
2021Impact of taste on food choices in adolescence— systematic review and meta-analysis
Nutrients
DOI: 10.3390/nu12071985
2020Predictive metabolomic profiling within a diverse population of pregnant women at low or high risk of gestational diabetes
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
DOI: 10.1017/S002966512000765X
2020Ethnic differences in maternal diet in pregnancy and infant eczema
PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232170
2020Erratum: A whey protein-based multiingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial (PLoS ONE (2017) 12:7 (e0181387) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181387)
PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243876
2020Investigation of the Causal Association between Long-Chain n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Synthesis and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis
Lifestyle Genomics
DOI: 10.1159/000509663
2020Correction to: A multi-ingredient nutritional supplement enhances exercise training-related reductions in markers of systemic inflammation in healthy older men(Appl. physiol. nutr. metab. 43, 3: 299-302, 2018,10.1139/apnm-2017-0533)
Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism
DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2020-0763
2020Corrigendum: A Multi-Ingredient Nutritional Supplement in Combination With Resistance Exercise and High-Intensity Interval Training Improves Cognitive Function and Increases N-3 Index in Healthy Older Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Front.Aging Neurosci., (2019) 11, (107), 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00107)
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.611387
2020Metabolic Trajectories Following Contrasting Prudent and Western Diets from Food Provisions: Identifying Robust Biomarkers of Short-Term Changes in Habitual Diet.
Nutrients
Wellington N and Shanmuganathan M and de Souza RJ and Zulyniak MA and Azab S and Bloomfield J and Mell A and Ly R and Desai D and Anand SS and Britz-McKibbin P
DOI: 10.3390/nu11102407
PubMed: 31600930
10/2019Metabolic Trajectories Following Contrasting Prudent and Western Diets from Food Provisions: Robust Biomarkers of Short-Term Changes in Habitual Diet
Wellington N and Shanmuganathan M and de Souza RJ and Zulyniak MA and Azab S and Bloomfield J and Mell A and Ly R and Desai D and Anand SS and Britz-McKibbin P
DOI: 10.20944/preprints201908.0149.v1
08/2019A multi-ingredient nutritional supplement in combination with resistance exercise and high-intensity interval training improves cognitive function and increases n-3 index in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00107
2019The influence of maternal and infant nutrition on cardiometabolic traits: Novel findings and future research directions from four Canadian birth cohort studies
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
DOI: 10.1017/S0029665119000612
2019A multi-ingredient nutritional supplement enhances exercise training-related reductions in markers of systemic inflammation in healthy older men
Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism
DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2017-0533
2018Lifestyle Genomics: Addressing the Multifactorial Nature of Personalized Health
Lifestyle Genomics
DOI: 10.1159/000492297
2018Causes and consequences of gestational diabetes in South Asians living in Canada: results from a prospective cohort study.
CMAJ open
PubMed: 28800568
08/2017Causes and consequences of gestational diabetes in South Asians living in Canada: results from a prospective cohort study
CMAJ open
DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20170027
2017Ethnic and diet-related differences in the healthy infant microbiome
Genome Medicine
DOI: 10.1186/s13073-017-0421-5
2017A whey protein-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial
PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181387
2017Does the impact of a plant-based diet during pregnancy on birth weight differ by ethnicity? A dietary pattern analysis from a prospective Canadian birth cohort alliance
BMJ Open
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017753
2017Fish oil regulates blood fatty acid composition and oxylipin levels in healthy humans: A comparison of young and older men
Molecular Nutrition and Food Research
DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201500830
2016Harmonization of food-frequency questionnaires and dietary pattern analysis in 4 ethnically diverse birth cohorts
Journal of Nutrition
DOI: 10.3945/jn.116.236729
2016A randomized controlled trial of the effects of a prudent diet on cardiovascular risk factors, gene expression, and DNA methylation - The Diet and Genetic Intervention (DIGEST) Pilot study
BMC Nutrition
DOI: 10.1186/s40795-016-0074-6
2016Molecular insights into the role of white adipose tissue in metabolically unhealthy normal weight and metabolically healthy obese individuals
FASEB Journal
DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-263913
2015Erratum: Food Consumption and its Impact on Cardiovascular Disease: Importance of Solutions Focused on the Globalized Food System: A Report From the Workshop Convened by the World Heart Federation (J Am Coll Cardiol (2015) 66 (1590-1614))
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.09.052
2015Metabolomics reveals metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese individuals differ in their response to a caloric challenge
PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134613
2015Food Consumption and its Impact on Cardiovascular Disease: Importance of Solutions Focused on the Globalized Food System A Report from the Workshop Convened by the World Heart Federation
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.07.050
2015Serum fatty acid profiling within distinct lipid fractions provides a more robust indicator of insulin resistance in humans than total triglyceride and fatty acid profiles
Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab.
Michael A. Zulyniak
DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0136
10/2014A distinct fatty acid profile underlies the reduced inflammatory state of metabolically healthy obese individuals
PLoS ONE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088539
2014Serum and adipose tissue amino acid homeostasis in the metabolically healthy obese
Journal of Proteome Research
DOI: 10.1021/pr500416v
2014Fish oil supplementation alters circulating eicosanoid concentrations in young healthy men
Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2013.02.004
2013Ethnic- and sex-specific associations between plasma fatty acids and markers of insulin resistance in healthy young adults
Nutrition and Metabolism
DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-10-42
2013Vaccenic acid in serum triglycerides is associated with markers of insulin resistance in men
Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism
DOI: 10.1139/H2012-081
2012The relationship between plasma fatty acids and risk factors for insulin resistance in men
Canadian Journal of Diabetes
M.A. Zulyniak and J.C. Ralston and A.J. Tucker and K.A. MacKay and L. Hillyer and P.D. McNicholas and T.E. Graham and L.E. Robinson and A.M. Duncan and D.W.L. Ma and D.M. Mutch
DOI: 10.1016/s1499-2671(11)52249-x
01/2011Harnessing metabolomics for nutrition research
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
DOI: 10.2174/138920111795909113
2011 - Research
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Individualised Patient Care and Treatment for Maternal Diabetes
The effect of diabetes on pregnant women is becoming a global health problem that is linked to short and long-term health risks for the mother and her baby. Although many women with diabetes manage to control their blood glucose levels during pregnancy, up to 50% of women struggle to follow lifestyle and clinical guidelines and experience episodes of high blood glucose levels. With global health groups predicting that over 12 million pregnant women will be diabetic within 8 years, finding new and better ways to support pregnant women with diabetes is crucial to minimise short- and long-term risks for pregnant women and their babies.
The most common requests from pregnant women with diabetes are guidelines that are easy to follow and personalised advice that fits a busy schedule. Work from our lab offers two solutions to deliver on these requests: (1) high protein diets offer a manageable solution to lower blood glucose in women with diabetes; and (2) by measuring metabolism in the body we identify women at greatest risk of dysglycemia during pregnancy. This study aims to demonstrate the value of these tools to support pregnant women with diabetes and their babies.Metabolic Predictors of Maternal Health Disparity in Pregnancy
Globally, gestational diabetes (GDM) is the most common pregnancy complication, affecting up to one in every seven births; however, its prevalence varies between ethnic groups, irrespective of BMI and country of residence. Furthermore, women who develop GDM are more likely to develop diabetes in later life. Factors driving this disparity in prevalence are not fully understood but metabolism is thought to play a key role, given ours and other’s work that demonstrates (i) differences in metabolic profiles between GDM and non-GDM pregnancies in an ethnic-specific manner; and (ii) that a single dietary strategy to manage GDM across all ethnic groups appears ineffective. This study harnesses the strengths of genetic, metabolite, lifestyle, and clinical data to offer a clear and accurate understanding of ethnic-specific metabolic drivers of gestational dysglycemia that can inform appropriate and effective prevention and management strategies across ethnic groups.Genetic and Lifestyle Determinants of Newborn Birthweight and Adiposity
There is an inverse association between birth weight (across most of its distribution) and health in adulthood. This is likely a reflection of maternal and offspring genetics, intrauterine environments, and foetal exposures, which collectively regulate the intrauterine environment and newborn anthropometrics. Studies suggest that maternal and foetal genetics both contribute to newborn anthropometrics but we’ve yet to understand their distinct effects on newborn anthropometrics . This is the first study to construct ethnic specific PRSs for BW and adiposity in South Asians and white Europeans living in the Canada and the UK and will shed light on the unique maternal and offspring genetic contributors and lifestyle moderators of newborn BW and adiposity in each ethnic group.GrantsPrinciple Investigator. GenetiC and Lifestyle DeterminAnts of Newborn BiRthweight and AdIposiTY (CLARITY). Funding Source: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, UK)
Principle Investigator. Early maternal predictors of infant birth weight and adult cardiometabolic risk in South Asians. Funding Source: Wellcome UK
Co-Investigator. A culturally-tailored personalizeD nutrition intErvention in South Asian women at risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: a randomized trial (DESI-GDM). Funder: Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)
Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon to receive honorary doctorate at the University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI) in Kingston, Jamaica is recognizing Prof. Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon as one of their extraordinary individuals to be honoured at their graduation ceremony this year for his life's work in global health focusing on paediatric critical care and sepsis advocacy and research.
