For the past six years 3M Health Care has proudly sponsored the 3M Distinguished Lectureship series. The annual event held by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Western Ontario, features a lecture given by a world-renowned doctor or scientist in the Microbiology or Immunology field. The 3M Distinguished Lectureship Committee selects and invites the speaker to this eagerly anticipated event.

Since its inception, the 3M Distinguished Lectureship Series has attracted a large audience, including professors, physicians, post-doctoral fellows, research technicians, medical students, graduate and undergraduate students, and other members of academia. For graduates, it is an unparalleled experience as they are given the opportunity to interact with leaders in the scientific community.

It’s an opportunity not to be missed. “The event has grown each year,” says Tracy Hunt, VP Marketing for the 2003 Distinguished Lectureship committee, “and is now established as one of the most eagerly awaited and anticipated events of the year in the department of Microbiology and Immunology throughout the University.”

This year’s speaker was Dr. Steven Porcelli, an Associate Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Porcelli is a recognized leader in the field of T-cell biology. His research has involved studying the role of the immune system (T-Cells) in tuberculosis infections and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes. He dazzled the audience with his presentation on Lipid Antigen Presentation by CD1: Roles in Host Defence and Immunoregulation.

The 3M Distinguished Lectureship presents a unique opportunity for students and faculty and in the process, by broadening their educational experience, creates the potential for new ideas, new therapies and new discoveries. The potential for these ideas to one day serve the greater good gives the Lectureship even more resonance.