Allan Ronald

Who is Allan Ronald?

Dr. Allan R. Ronald is a Canadian doctor and microbiologist.

Ronald was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1938 and received bachelor's and medical degrees from the University of Manitoba, graduating in 1961. He did postgraduate work at Winnipeg General Hospital, the University of Maryland Hospital, the Institute for Medical Research in Lahore, Pakistan and the University of Washington. He joined the University of Manitoba medical faculty in 1968, attaining the rank of full professor in 1976; he headed the departments of medical microbiology and internal medicine and served as the associate dean of research from 1993 to 1999. He completed visiting professor posts at the universities of Nairobi and Hong Kong. He also served as head doctor at the Health Sciences Centre and as head of the infectious-diseases department at St. Boniface General Hospital.

In 1980, Ronald created "one of the first clinical investigation units exploring sexually transmitted infections in Africa" at the University of Nairobi. According to a University of Winnipeg citation for an honorary doctorate, the program Ronald developed has resulted in

groundbreaking findings solving some of the major mysteries surrounding the transmission and spread of AIDS. It has been called the most important research site in the developing world for HIV/AIDS with 700 abstracts or publications arising from it. It has also been pivotal in understanding the disease in Africa and resulted in important programs to help prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS.