Popularising Polish science, development of antiviral therapies, extraordinary accomplishments in immunotherapy, participation in the debate on stem cell research, and promoting the Jagiellonian University in the world – these are just a few achievements of Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, upon whom the Jagiellonian University bestowed its highest distinction: doctor honoris causa. The conferment ceremony took place on 10 April 2018 in Collegium Maius.
The ceremony was opened by JU Rector Prof. Wojciech Nowak, who shortly summarised the history and traditions of bestowing honorary doctorate at the Jagiellonian University. Next, Prof. Maciej Siedlar, Head of the JU Medical College Department of Clinical Immunology, delivered a laudatory speech about Prof. Borysiewcz’s most important achievements.
‘Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz has always stressed the importance of basic research in the context of its usefulness to the general public, regardless of nationality and social status. Though he is one of the most prominent British researchers, Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz speaks openly of his Polish ancestry and actively contributes to Polish science. He has delivered a number of lectures at the Jagiellonian University Polish Research Centre in London, and in 2013, he visited our University to discuss issues related to management of higher education institutions. His endeavours in promoting Polish research have earned him the Bene Merito honorary badge of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’, said Prof. Siedlar. ‘Bestowing the highest JU distinction is an acknowledgement of Prof. Borysiewicz’s achievements as a scientist, doctor, and scientific administrator who promoted Poland and the University on a global scale’.
After reading the Latin text of the diploma by the Dean of JU Faculty of Medicine Prof. Maciej Małecki and presenting it to the recipient by JU Rector, Prof. Borysiewicz gave a short acceptance speech. ‘Thank you for this great honour. I am very proud to have received this title from the Jagiellonian University. It has always been special to me since my first visit to Poland in 1983, when I met its later rector Prof. Aleksander Koj and a group of medical students at a conference’, he recanted. Prof. Borysiewicz also spoke about the role of universities in the modern world. ‘Old European universities have two things in common. Firstly, they are guided by the principles of academic freedom, and secondly, they constantly evolve and develop to properly respond to the reality that surrounds them. Universities provide invaluable benefits to society, so it is important to conduct research in all areas, not just the profitable ones. Freedom of thought and action are the basis of academic freedom, and academic freedom is something worth fighting for’, Prof. Borysiewicz added.
‘I thank Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz for these wise words. They are especially important now, in Poland, when we are discussing reforms and the future of Polish higher education’, said Prof. Wojciech Nowak, closing the ceremony.
The Jagiellonian University Senate resolution on conferring the title of doctor honoris causa upon Prof. Borysiewicz reads: ‘The bestowal of the highest honorary distinction of the Jagiellonian University is requested with particular respect to: his contribution to the development of research into immunological mediation of viral infections and malignant tumours induced by viruses; his contribution to the development of research into immunological mediation of viral infections and malignant tumours induced by viruses; his achievements in the field of immunotherapy, and in particular the development of a vaccine against human papilloma virus infections; his participation in the discussion on the ethical aspects of research using stem cells as well as on experiments with embryos and methods of cloning; and his contribution to the promotion of the achievements of the Jagiellonian University and the strengthening of cooperation between the University of Cambridge and the Jagiellonian University’.
Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz was born in 1951 in Cardiff as the son of Polish immigrants. Upon finishing high school, he began studying at the Welsh National School of Medicine. After graduating, he took up an MRC Clinical Training Fellowship and he began working and teaching at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London. He is the author and co-author of 128 publications. His H-Index is 44, with the number of citations exceeding 6,200. Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz is a member of numerous national and international associations, such as the Royal Society and Cancer Research UK. He has received many awards – aside from the Order of British Empire presented by Queen Elisabeth II for his pioneering work in vaccines, he was also awarded with the Royal Society of Medicine Jephcott Gold Medal and Royal College of Physicians Moxon Trust Medal, just to name a few.
