Ceremony to confer an honorary doctorate from the University of Montpellier on Jean-Jacques Muyembe
This Friday, December 9, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, will confer the title of Doctor Honoris Causa* from the University of Montpellier upon Jean-Jacques Muyembe. The ceremony will take place in the anatomy amphitheater of the University of Montpellier’s Faculty of Medicine starting at 3:00 p.m., in the presence of Éric Delaporte, director of the TransVIHMI international joint unit (UM-Inserm-IRD) and professor of infectious diseases at the University and the Montpellier University Hospital. Following the ceremony, the PRISME DRC agreement— Research Platform on Global Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”—will be signed at 4:30 p.m. in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Director of ANRS / Emerging Infectious Diseases.
By invitation only
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, co-discoverer of the Ebola virus
Jean-Jacques Muyembe is a Congolese virologist born in 1942, best known for being one of the co-discoverers of the Ebola virus in 1976. A professor of microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kinshasa, he is also the director general of the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Jean-Jacques Muyembe was part of the team at the Catholic mission hospital in Yambuku that investigated the first Ebola outbreak in 1976. In August 2019, a compound he developed in collaboration with American researchers proved effective against the Ebola virus. To mark the occasion, he will deliver a lecture titled “From the Discovery of the Ebola Virus to Its Control” on December 9 (during the degree conferral ceremony).
Signing of the agreement for the Research Platform on Global Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo” (PRISME DRC)
This scientific collaboration platform aims to support the implementation of research projects, training initiatives, and national capacity-building efforts, developed through a collaborative effort among Congolese institutions (ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases / IRD / INSERM / University of Montpellier / INRB / Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo / University of Kinshasa / French Embassy in the DRC).
Practical information:
Date: Friday, December 9, 2022, at 3:00 p.m.
Location: Anatomy Lecture Hall, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montpellier – 2 rue de l’École de médecine
Registration: here
* Established in 1918, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa honors distinguished foreign figures who embody and reflect the University’s values through their contributions to the worlds of ideas, culture, the arts, and science. Awarded during a formal ceremony, this academic title is the highest and most prestigious honor bestowed by the University of Montpellier.