Allan R. Ronald (born August 24, 1938) is a Canadian doctor and

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

. He has been instrumental in the investigation into sexually transmitted infections in Africa, particularly in the fields of HIV/

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. Ronald is the recipient of multiple awards and honours.

Life and education

Ronald was born in

Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. In 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Highway, Trans-Can ...

, in 1938 and received bachelor's and medical degrees from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

, graduating in 1961. He did postgraduate work at Winnipeg General Hospital, the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

Hospital, the Institute for Medical Research in

Lahore, Pakistan Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 27th largest in the world, with a population of over 14 million. Lahore is one of Pakistan ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. He joined the University of Manitoba medical faculty in 1968, attaining the rank of full professor in 1976; he headed the departments of medical microbiology (1976–1985) and internal medicine (1985–1990) and served as the associate dean of research from 1993 to 1999. He completed visiting professor posts at the universities of Nairobi and Hong Kong. He also served as head doctor at the Health Sciences Centre and as head of the infectious-diseases department at St. Boniface General Hospital. In 1980, Ronald created "one of the first clinical investigation units exploring sexually transmitted infections in Africa" at the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

. According to a University of Winnipeg citation for an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

, the program Ronald developed has resulted in

groundbreaking findings solving some of the major mysteries surrounding the transmission and spread of AIDS. It has been called the most important research site in the developing world for HIV/AIDS with 700 abstracts or publications arising from it. It has also been pivotal in understanding the disease in Africa and resulted in important programs to help prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS.

After retiring from his university position in 2000, Ronald created a distribution system for HIV/AIDS drugs in Uganda, moving there for three years beginning in 2003. Ronald has served as Governor of the

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

and as President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Awards and honors

Ronald received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...

in 2006. That same year, he received the Gairdner Foundation Wightman Award. He became a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

and an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, and was inducted into the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, ...

in 2010. In 2011, he was awarded the 2010 Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of "his long dedication to the prevention and treatment of human infectious diseases and the education of many generations of physicians..."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ronald, Allan 1938 births Living people People from Portage la Prairie Canadian infectious disease physicians Canadian microbiologists University of Manitoba alumni Academic staff of the University of Manitoba Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada