The 2016 Leaders In Innovation Dinner in London has, once again, attracted a major talent as its featured guest.
Western University announced Tuesday that Golden Globe winning actor Idris Elba will be the featured guest at the 2016 dinner, which will be hosted by the Robarts Research Institute. This year's dinner, to be held on November 10, will celebrate research excellence in the field of chronic lung disease.
Elba, who rose to fame in North America on the strength of his portrayal of Baltimore drug kingpin Stringer Bell on the HBO series "The Wire", will share his story of being a chronic asthma sufferer. He had to be rushed to hospital in 2013 after suffering an asthma attack while onboard a plane.
“Leaders in Innovation will provide us with an exciting opportunity to recognize and celebrate important research advances being made in asthma research right here at the Robarts Research Institute,” says Marlys Koschinsky, Executive and Scientific Director at Robarts. “I am confident that Idris Elba’s viewpoints on this disease will motivate us to continue to push ahead with leading edge research to improve asthma diagnosis, management and treatment.”
The dinner will also honour asthma researchers Dr. Stephen Holgate from the University of Southampton in the UK and Dr. Malcolm Sears from McMaster University’s Department of Medicine. They will be awarded the 2016 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize.
This year's dinner will be held at the London Convention Centre. Tickets are $250 per person or $2,000 for a table of eight. Tickets can be purchased online at www.robarts.ca/leaders-innovation.
