Awards & Honors

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Dr. Paul Janssen was a unique individual: A brilliant scientist in the lab and an outstanding businessman in the boardroom. As evidence of this, he received more than 70 scientific and professional awards, including:

  • 1956
    J.F. Heymans Prize, State University of Ghent (Belgium).
  • 1965
    Carl Wilhelm Scheele Prize, Pharmaceutical Society of Sweden, Stockholm.
  • 1970
    Taylor Manor Hospital Psychiatric Award, Baltimore, Maryland (USA).
  • 1978
    Adriaan Stevens Prize, Flemish Chemical Society, Ghent (Belgium).
  • 1978
    Johnson Medal for Extraordinary Achievements, New Brunswick, New Jersey (USA).
  • 1982
    Gairdner Foundation Award, Toronto (Canada).
  • 1984
    Award in Medicinal Chemistry, American Chemical Society (USA).
  • 1984
    Galenus Prize (Journal du Médecin, Journal du Pharmacien (Belgium) for ketoconazole (1984), and astemizole (1985).
  • 1984
    Quinquennial Prize for Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Sciences, Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine.
  • 1986
    Chauncey D. Leake Award, University of California, San Francisco (USA).
  • 1987
    Discoverers' Award, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Washington DC (USA).
  • 1989
    Dirk van Os Medal, Groningen University Fund Foundation (the Netherlands).
  • 1990
    Jacob Henle Medal, Georg-August University, Göttingen (Germany).
  • 1990
    Carothers Award, American Chemical Society, Delaware Section (USA).
  • 1990
    Golden Jaroslav Heyrovsky Medal, Czechoslovakian Academy of Science, Brezna (Czechoslovakia).
  • 1990
    Distinguished Service Award, American College of Clinical Pharmacology, Nevada (USA).
  • 1991
    Decoration of the Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Neck Ribbon, conferred by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
  • 1990
    Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown, Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine.
  • 1993-96
    Honorary Professor (1993) and Consulting Professor (1994/1996) in Dermatology, Stanford University (USA).
  • 1995
    Galenus Prize for Risperdal® (risperidone), Canada.
  • 1996
    Galenus Prize for Risperdal® (risperidone), France.
  • 1996
    The Pharmaceutical Discoverer's Award, NARSAD (National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression) (USA).
  • 1996
    Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold, Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine.
  • 1996
    International Galenus Prize for Risperdal® (risperidone), London (UK).
  • 1997
    Visiting Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nanjing, China.
  • 1998
    "Chaire Pierre Dumont" Award 1998-1999, School of Pharmacy, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 1999
    Friendship Award, Belgian American Chamber of Commerce.
  • 1999
    Gold Medal, Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for the Sciences and Arts.
  • 1999
    Flemish Entrepreneur of the Century, De Standaard newspaper, Belgium.
  • 2000
    Medal of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Lille 2 , France.
  • 2000
    CINP-Pfizer Pioneers in Psychopharmacology Award.
  • 2002
    Homeland honorary member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Medicine.
  • 2002
    Honorary Dean of Xi Jing University, Xian (China).

Dr. Paul Janssen received 22 honorary doctorates in medicine, natural science, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, pharmaceutical science and philosophy:

  • 1978
    Honorary doctorate in natural science, Frankfurt (Germany).
  • 1981
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Lund (Sweden).
  • 1982
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Louvain (Belgium).
  • 1984
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Szeged (Hungary).
  • 1984
    Honorary doctorate in veterinary medicine, Ghent (Belgium).
  • 1985
    Honorary doctorate in science, Dublin (Republic of Ireland).
  • 1986
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Düsseldorf (Germany).
  • 1988
    Honorary doctorate in philosophy, Beersheba (Israel).
  • 1989
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Liège (Belgium).
  • 1989
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Montreal (Canada).
  • 1992
    Honorary doctorate in medicine and the life sciences, Granada (Spain).
  • 1992
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Antwerp (Belgium).
  • 1992
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Pavia (Italy).
  • 1992
    Honorary doctorate in pharmacy, Istanbul (Turkey).
  • 1993
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Rome (Italy).
  • 1996
    Honorary doctorate in pharmaceutical science, Nanjing (China).
  • 1996
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Maastricht (The Netherlands).
  • 1998
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Alberta (Canada).
  • 1999
    Honorary doctorate in medicine, Prague (Czech Republic).
  • 1999
    Honorary doctorate in laws, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
  • 1999
    Honorary doctorate in science, Western Maryland College, Westminster, Maryland (United States of America).
  • 2000
    Honorary doctorate in pharmacy, Potchefstroomse University, (South Africa).

A Lasting, Far Reaching Legacy

Dr. Paul Janssen (1926-2003) was one of the 20th century's most innovative and inspiring pharmaceutical researchers. With over 100 patents to his name, his work was responsible for many breakthroughs in several fields of disease, including pain management, psychiatry, infectious disease and gastroenterology. Dr. Paul was an exceptionally gifted and passionate scientist who revolutionized modern medicine and inspired a new generation of researchers. Read More

Portrait Of Innovation

The late Paul Janssen—“Dr. Paul” to much of the world of pharmaceutical research—loved to ask, “What’s new?” For him, it was no casual opening to small talk. The world cried out for medical cures and treatments, and Janssen recognized that only a tenacious pursuit of novel molecules with therapeutic promise would yield them - John Rennie, Scientific American©. Read More

Scientific Achievements

Dr. Paul Janssen was one of the most productive pharmaceutical researchers of the 20th century. During his career Dr. Paul and his team were responsible for the discovery of over 80 drugs, including 25 antipsychotic medicines. He and his team made discoveries in many areas, including anesthesia and pain management, psychiatry, mycology and gastroenterology. Read More

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