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A special ceremony for the presentation of the diploma of the degree of Doctor of Science,honoris causa, to Professor Louis J. Ignarro by Professor Lawrence J. Lau, CUHK Vice-Chancellor, was held today (7 January) on the CUHK campus. Professor Ignarro, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, was not able to attend in person the University’s Sixty-fifth Congregation for Conferment of Degrees earlier on 4 December.

Following the presentation ceremony, a public lecture entitled “The Road to Stockholm – A Nobel Mission” by Professor Ignarro took place. Professor Ignarro shared with over 200 CUHK staff, students, alumni, members of the medical and academic sectors and the public his story of success.

At the lecture, Professor Ignarro talked about his childhood upbringing and early education, and his early interest in chemistry and biology as a child. He explained the impact of his parents, who were Italian emigrants to the United States and had not received any formal education, on his development. He briefly introduced the Nobel Prize, its selection criteria and how it has changed his life, his discoveries and the practical applications of his research. There was a slide show of the Nobel Prize presentation ceremony at the White House and in Stockholm.

Professor Louis J. Ignarro, a distinguished molecular and medical pharmacologist, is currently Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at UCLA, USA, and an Honorary Professor of Medicine at CUHK. Professor Ignarro discovered that nitric oxide causes vasodilation, inhibits thrombosis, and is produced in arteries as the endothelium-derived relaxing factor. His discoveries have greatly encouraged research in the protective mechanism of the cardiovascular system against pathological conditions and in vascular complications, bearing significant impact on medical development. The University conferred upon Professor Ignarro the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, in recognition of his valuable advice and support to CUHK in its research and development in medicine and science.