5 July 2022

Congratulations to Austin Health’s Professor Rinaldo Bellomo who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki to acknowledging his contribution to intensive care research.

Professor Rinaldo Bellomo was one of 10 ‘distinguished scholars’ from around the world to be bestowed the University’s highest recognition – the title of ‘doctor honoris causa’.

The University described him as “one of the most cited and celebrated researchers in field of intensive care medicine. He has and is currently leading numerous large clinical trial that have been, and will be, published in the best medical journals."

The University of Helsinki added: "It is our great pleasure to welcome him in Helsinki for the XV Conferment Ceremony of the Medical Faculty of the University of Helsinki.”

Rinaldo said it was quite a unique thing to be honoured in this way:

"It was an extraordinary and humbling experience to be chosen to be part of an academic tradition, which has been taking place every six years since 1643. It involved being fitted with a tailcoat, wearing shiny black patent leather shoes and white bow tie, while receiving a top hat as a symbol of protecting freedom of thought, and a sword as a symbol of defending the truth."

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