HMS’s VanRooyen earns Humanitarian Award

At its annual dinner on Sept. 5, the Hippocrates Society honored Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Medicine Michael VanRooyen with the 2008 Humanitarian Award. VanRooyen, who is also associate professor in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), was recognized for his extensive work in humanitarian assistance in more than 30 countries affected by war and disaster, as well as for his efforts in the United States.

The chief of the Division of International Health and Humanitarian Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, VanRooyen is co-director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. Prior to arriving at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he founded and directed the Center for International Emergency, Disaster and Refugee Studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The Hippocrates Society is composed of current and former physicians and scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who have made a significant philanthropic commitment in support of the hospital. Each year, the members present the award to a Brigham and Women’s physician or scientist in recognition of his or her contributions. Previous winners include Jennifer Leaning, Paul Farmer, and Manuel Guillermo Herrera.