UCalgary prof Naweed Syed awarded Senate 150 medal

After a whirlwind year, Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) professor Naweed Syed, PhD, considers 2017 to be the best year of his life. This past March, Syed was awarded Pakistan’s Medal of Excellence, the “Tamgha-e-Imtiaz,” for his scientific accomplishment in developing a bionic hybrid neuro chip, a silicon chip that acts like a brain cell and allows researchers to investigate brain cell activity at a higher resolution than ever before.

“I was very humbled,” says Syed, scientific director of the CSM’s Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI). “The whole country waits in anticipation to find out who won the award and it was celebrated in Pakistan with a 32-cannon salute and a full-day parade.”

On top of an already extraordinary year, Syed found out in October that he was nominated for a Senate of Canada 150 Medal, an award created by the Canadian Senate to recognize the country’s “unsung heroes” whose dedication to volunteerism have made a positive impact on their communities.

“I was actually in Pakistan when I found out about the Senate 150 Medal,” recalls Syed. “It was around midnight when my wife called me from Canada. She had just picked up the mail and opened the letter which stated my nomination. It was a pleasant surprise and it’s a tremendous recognition.”

In November, Syed travelled to Ottawa to receive his medal, a quarter-inch thick medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in commemoration of Canada’s 150th anniversary. He also met with Senator Salma Ataullahjan, who nominated him based on his extensive community service experience.

This year alone, Syed has been involved with many local initiatives, including one of the largest food drives for the Calgary Food Bank and Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre. He also led a fundraising campaign for the Syrian Refugee Support Group in Calgary. Nearly $30,000 and enough items to fully furnish several houses were collected.

For ACHRI’s annual Discovery Day, he welcomed a group of Syrian high school students to tour his research lab, where they received an up-close look at his neuro chip technology and even dissected snail brains.

Earlier this year, Syed represented the University of Calgary as the keynote speaker at March for Science, a rally held in Calgary in support of a global movement to promote science and research as well as evidence-based policies in government.

Syed also serves as the CEO of the Right to Live Foundation. The foundation supports South Asian communities in Calgary with issues relating to domestic abuse and violence against women and children.

Internationally, Syed is working with the Canada Pakistan Research and Development Council (CPRDC), the Bill Gates Foundation, UNESCO, World Health Organization and various drug companies to create a vaccination facility in Pakistan that can respond to disease outbreaks within the region.

As a board member of the CPRDC, he’s also helping with an initiative, along with the government of Pakistan and other philanthropic organizations, to better equip ambulances in Pakistan with the goal of reducing mortality rate.

“The traffic is so bad and the ambulance service is so poor that many patients arrive at the hospital either already dead or in very critical condition,” he says. “The idea is to create ‘mobile hospitals on wheels’ so that even during transport, there are enough resources within the ambulance to sustain the patient until they arrive at the hospital.”

As Syed received his medal in Ottawa for his many community contributions, he reflected upon an unforgettable year and the significance of the award.

“The feeling was just unbelievable. I thought I was in heaven,” he says. “It’s amazing to be able to stand among those who are defined as Canada’s unsung heroes. You get goosebumps hearing about their contributions to Canada.”

He adds that being recognized by the Canadian government for his community service has been a special honour that has reminded him what it truly means to be a Canadian.

“Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of being part of a great society and country,” says Syed. “I work with refugees and other people in the community not for the recognition but just to pay back my due to Canada. I’m a very strong believer in giving and helping anybody who needs help, even if I could just put a smile on a child’s face or hold the door open for someone. I really think that’s the purpose of my life.”

Naweed Syed, PhD, is a professor in the department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. He is also the scientific director of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) and is a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.