June 15, 2023 – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) presented breakthrough virologist, renowned HIV researcher, and Emory University School of Medicine professor, Dr. Raymond F. Schinazi, with a prestigious Honorary Doctorate degree during the 86th Board of Governors Meeting on June 12th in Jerusalem, Israel.  

Dr. Schinazi’s impact on global health is peerless. His breakthrough discoveries have saved more than 8.5 million lives, including 4 million people with hepatitis C. The vast majority of people with HIV have used one of the drugs he invented. Dr. Schinazi established the first HIV laboratory at Emory and was the first to advocate using antiviral “cocktails” to prevent drug resistance. He also was involved in the discovery and development of safe antiviral agents effective against HIV and hepatitis B, as well as a drug with a 98% hepatitis C cure rate. More recently, he discovered the use of JAK1/2 inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 leading to full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Dr. Schinazi is the Frances Winship Walters Professor of Pediatrics, director of the Division of Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology (LOBP), within the Center for ViroScience and Cure at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he is working on eliminating HIV, hepatitis B, and other emerging viruses.  

Dr. Schinazi is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists, including his private initiative to support research with the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School.  

At the ceremony, HU President Prof. Asher Cohen conferred upon Dr. Schinazi the degree of Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa, “Honoring his prolific academic career in medical research; in tribute to his immense contributions to global health, providing millions of people worldwide with new and effective drugs, tolerable dosages, and groundbreaking cures; and for his partnership in training the future generation of medical researchers through his initiative with the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School.”  

Acknowledging the accolade, Dr. Schinazi said, “Three generations of my family have supported the mission of this top institution of learning, and I am proud and humbled to receive this prestigious honor for saving so many lives globally.”  

Dr. Schinazi’s Italian-Jewish family fled Egypt to Italy when he was 13. He continued his studies at a Jewish boarding school in England and earned his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in Chemistry at the University of Bath. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University with Prof. William Prusoff, the father of the first effective antiviral agents, before moving to Emory University in 1978 as a fellow under the guidance of Prof. André Nahmias, a renowned herpes virologist and immunologist.  

He frequently addresses social and ethical issues related to drug access, particularly in his native Egypt and the Republic of Georgia. He has published over 600 peer-reviewed scientific papers, edited six books, and registered more than 100 US patents. He has received numerous lifetime achievement awards, including the French Legion d’Honneur, and holds three Honorary Doctorates.