SickKids’ Dr. Lewis Kay appointed to Order of Canada

Dr. Lewis Kay, Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and a Professor in the Departments of Molecular Genetics, Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, was named an Officer of the Order for Canada, one of the country’s most prestigious civilian honours. The announcement was made December 30, 2016.

The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of achievement. Kay is being cited for his pioneering research in biochemistry and medical imaging science, which explores the structure and behaviour of proteins.

“I am thrilled to congratulate Dr. Kay on this well-deserved honour. His development and application of new NMR methods that link protein dynamics to biological function have made and continue to make an extraordinary contribution to our country and our world,” says Dr. Michael Salter, Chief of Research, SickKids.

Kay is a researcher in Molecular Structure & Function at the SickKids Research Institute. His laboratory focuses on the development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for studying macromolecular structure and dynamics, and the application of NMR techniques to problems of biological and clinical importance. He has extended NMR from a technique used to probe small protein systems to one that enables the study of molecular machines at atomic resolution and has used these techniques to demonstrate the importance of dynamics in such critical components of the cell. He is also a Canada Research Chair in Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics.

Nearly 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order since it was established in 1967. Kay will receive his insignia at a ceremony at a later date. Learn more on the Order of Canada website.