Addresses to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn by Prince Mahidol Award Laureates 2023 on 24 January 2024

Address to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

by Dr. Barry H. Rumack, M.D.

At the Dinner hosted in honor of the Prince Mahidol Award Laureates 2023

On 24 January 2024 at Boromraj Sthitya Maholan Hall, Grand Palace

**********

Your Royal Highness,

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for this great honor of The Prince Mahidol Award 2023 in the field of Public Health.

I must thank my wife Carol for convincing me to go to medical school or I would likely not be standing here today looking back at an academic career. I would also like to thank my brother Jimmy and my sister-in-law for honoring me by coming to this award ceremony all the way from Sonoma California.

It is also important to acknowledge my 248 colleagues who have collaborated with me on research into issues of toxicology around the world. They and the World Health Organization have given me an opportunity to visit 109 countries and explore the public health aspects of medications, chemicals, plants, mushrooms and venomous animals and how they affect the lives of so many people.

I would also like to thank Supat Vanichakarn for his kindness in his announcement to me and his constant help along with his colleagues to make this trip and this honor extraordinary.

I would additionally like to thank Summon Chomchai with whom I have corresponded since 2011 and who has made numerous contributions in clinical toxicology as well as nominating me for this award.

Many of my colleagues around the world have told me that they know of this award and the work that is and has been done in Thailand and its importance in many areas of medicine and public health.

Thanks you again for this wonderful honor.

**********

Address to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

by Professor Napoleone Ferrara, M.D.

At the Dinner hosted in honor of the Prince Mahidol Award Laureates 2023

On 24 January 2024 at Boromraj Sthitya Maholan Hall, Grand Palace

**********

Your Royal Highness,

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for this great honor of the 2023 Prince Mahidol Award in the field of Medicine. I feel gratified to be on the footsteps of illustrious investigators that have received this award.

The work for which I am honored began almost 40 years ago, when I was a postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco and made early observations on a potential novel angiogenic factor. It has been a long journey since those days: 25 years at Genentech and about 11 years at UCSD. I feel extremely fortunate that this work resulted in scientific discoveries in the field of vascular biology and in clinical advances as well.

I wish to acknowledge many colleagues -too many to be mentioned here- who have collaborated with me on such research and made important contributions. I would also like to express my thanks to Prof. Supat Vanichakarn and other members of the PMA committee for being so kind and helpful.

I should mention that this is our first visit to Thailand and have enjoyed the beauty of Bangkok and a wonderful hospitality.

Last but not least, I wish to thank my wife Chika for her invaluable support during these years.

**********