Dr. Gary L. Dunbar, Executive Director of the Field Neurosciences Institute in Saginaw, is one of 18 recipients of the prestigious Gusi Peace Prize International Award. The Gusi Peace Prize International is Asia's foremost awarding body and among the leading in the world today.

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The Gusi Peace Prize award is given by the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation to recognize individuals and organizations who contribute to global peace and progress through a wide variety of fields. Dr. Dunbar was one of 18 international recipients selected for the award and chosen because of his global contributions in both the educational and the research domains of neuroscience. Similarly, his outstanding contributions in research, especially for developing new strategies for treating damage to the nervous system, including transplantation of genetically altered adult stem cells as a potential therapy for injury to the brain and spinal cord as well as neurological deficits in Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's diseases, has earned international recognition and a prominent leadership role in the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair.

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"I felt both honored and humbled to be selected for the Gusi Peace Prize, especially after meting and hearing, first-hand, what the other 2019 Gusi Laureates have accomplished in the context of helping others, which was humbling to me," shared Dr. Dunbar. "The prize is given to those whose efforts have provided significant improvements to the lives of others through education, research, politics, and/or the arts, along with a strong commitment to humanitarian commitments, so I felt deeply honored to be included in this group of people"

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Dr. Dunbar has been the executive director of FNI since 2008. Martha Ann Joseph, Chair of the FNI Board of Directors, was thrilled to hear that Dr. Dunbar was a recipient of the Gusi Peace Prize International Award. "FNI is blessed to have Dr. Dunbar as our executive director for the past 12 years as he has always embraced the mission of the organization, to help others in terms of preventing and searching for cures for neurological problems emanating from trauma and disease to the nervous system."

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Similarly, E. Malcolm Field, MD, Medical Director of FNI, expressed joy and pride in Dr. Dunbar's international honor. "Dr. Dunbar embodies the very premise of the Gusi award in attaining peace and dignity for fellow humans by his tireless devotion to finding new ways to treat a variety of neurological disorders and for his dedicated efforts in education the next generation of neuroscientists, physicians, and health-care providers at the highest level."

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Presently, Dr. Dunbar holds the John G. Kulhavi Professorship in Neuroscience, as well as the E. Malcolm Field Endowed Chair in Neuroscience at CMU. He also serves as the executive director of the Field Neurosciences Institute- its parent organization is Ascension St. Mary's in Saginaw.

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The Gusi Peace Prize was founded by the Honorable Ambassador Barry Gusi, to honor and continue the work of his late father, Captain Gemeniano Javier Gusi, who fought against Japanese oppression during World War II and later championed human rights in the Philippines. For 20 years, the Gusi Peace Prize Award has been awarded to prominent individuals from all over the world who have made significant contributions to the betterment of humankind; those most vulnerable.