Government Chief Whip Joe McHugh has welcomed a decision by Cabinet today to bestow a prestigious award on Donegal Nobel Prize winner Professor Bill Campbell.
The Ramelton-born scientist is to receive the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad 2017.
“My Cabinet colleagues and I approved 10 recipients for these 2017 awards at our meeting today and I am delighted to announce that Professor Campbell is one of them,” said Donegal TD McHugh.
“He has already been recognised by his international peers through the Nobel Prize and I am delighted his country is also recognising his contribution to saving millions of lives around the world.
“I am personally delighted for Bill, for his family in Ramelton and for the people of the town and the county.”
Minister McHugh added: “Professor Bill Campbell not only helped to come up with an enormous medical breakthrough, he pushed through the decision of pharma giant Merck to distribute drugs free to millions of people in developing countries.
“Bill will be bestowed the honour later this year by President Michael D Higgins and I know it will be an event the people of Donegal will look forward to.”
Professor William C Campbell, born in Ramelton in 1930, and Professor Satoshi Omura were jointly awarded the Nobel prize in 2015 for discovering a drug which fights infections caused by roundworm parasites.
The drug, Avermectin, has radically lowered the incidence of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. The drug has also shown effectiveness against a growing range of other parasitic diseases.
Among other recipients of the Award today is Ulster actor Liam Neeson.
The full list of recipients of the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards in 2017 is:
Arts, Culture and Sport
Bernard Canavan (Britain)
Liam Neeson (US)
Business and Education
Patricia Harty (US)
Charitable Works
Denis Mulcahy (US)
Mary T. Murphy (Ethopia)
Irish Community Support
Hideki Mimura (Japan)
Jacqueline O’Donovan (Britain)
Peace, Reconciliation and Development
John de Chastelain (Canada)
Marianne Elliot (Britain)
Science, Technology and Innovation
William Campbell (US)
