Inventor and philanthropist Dr. Gary K. Michelson and his wife Alya Michelson received the 2024 Humanitarian Award at the World Brain Mapping Foundation’s 21st Gathering for Cure (GFC) Awards Gala at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The Humanitarian Award is given to individuals who have contributed significantly to the survival and quality of life of patients across the Globe. Previous recipients of the annual award include Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Ming Hsieh.
Dr. Michelson is world-renowned as a surgical innovator and the most prolific individual inventor in medical history, with nearly 1,000 patents. Millions of people worldwide benefit from Dr. Michelson’s inventions, which have revolutionized spinal surgery, making it safer and more effective.
The award recognizes the Michelsons’ inspiring work as co-chairs of Michelson Philanthropies, a network of four private operating foundations that advance education, animal welfare, public policy, intellectual property, and medical research.
Since turning their attention to philanthropy in 2005, Dr. Michelson and Alya have made incredible progress on their driving goal–to make life less unfair.
The Michelsons continue to be at the forefront of medical innovation, spearheading transformative initiatives in medical innovation, including co-founding the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience and the newly announced California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, which will be housed at the UCLA Research Park, currently under development.
“It is a great honor to share this award with my husband and partner, and as an artist and former journalist, I have always used and will continue to use my voice for good,” said Alya Michelson while accepting the award. “I wanted to also thank our team at Michelson Philanthropies for believing in our mission and always doing their best.”
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