Mike Watson, who died suddenly in August 2022, had a towering and hungry intellect.  Everything he did was infused with enthusiasm and curiosity.  Trained as a physician, he led programmes in clinical development, vaccine discovery, vaccination policy, epidemiology and behavioural science.  He had a remarkable ability to synthesise insights from different fields and, through unbiased and original thinking, he nurtured paradigm shifts in the field of vaccinology.  Mike had so much more to contribute to the 'Vaccination Ecosystem' he described so well.

 

To continue Mike’s legacy and celebrate his life, his family, friends and colleagues have set up The Mike Watson Memorial Bursary to sponsor a student at the two-week Advanced Course of Vaccinology (ADVAC).

The Mike Watson Memorial Bursary aims to finance an annual bursary covering registration, accommodation, and travel costs for one participant from countries with limited resources, not from industry, selected according to predefined criteria (experience in vaccinology, motivation, publications, and recommendations).

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Helen, Evie and Oliver would like to thank Mike’s colleagues, especially Angus Thomson, Nick Kitchen and Hamilton Bennett, and also the Mérieux Foundation, Geneva University and ADVAC organisers for their time and enthusiasm in helping set up this initiative.  They would also like to thank everyone for their support and friendship over the last year.

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