Officer of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2006-10-05
Invested on: 2007-10-26
Francis Plummer is a recognized specialist in infectious diseases whose work has influenced public health policy in Canada and abroad. A professor at the University of Manitoba, he has advanced our knowledge of HIV/AIDS. As scientific director general at the National Microbiology Laboratory, he has positioned it as a world-renowned centre for the diagnosis of and research on dangerous microbial diseases, notably SARS and the West Nile virus. A consultant for international organizations and governments of countries such as Kenya and India, he has developed low-cost educational and practical interventions that have been adopted by the World Health Organization and by UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.