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The Sumaira Foundation’s Global Rare Trailblazer Award was established in 2023 to honor and recognize exceptional leaders who are challenging the paradigm and envisioning new possibilities to improve the quality of life for individuals with rare diseases.
Prof. VANDA LENNON (2025)
TSF’s 2025 Global Rare Trailblazer Award honored Prof. Vanda A. Lennon, Dorothy A. Adair Professor and Director of the Neuroimmunology Research Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. She is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work in neuroimmunology and has pioneered research into autoimmune neurological diseases, particularly paraneoplastic syndromes and neuromyelitis optica, helping identify autoantibodies that attack the nervous system.
Her discoveries, including biomarkers like antibodies to aquaporin-4 and GFAP, have transformed the diagnosis and treatment of previously mysterious and debilitating conditions. Dr. Lennon’s research has led to earlier detection of hidden cancers and improved care for patients with autoimmune diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades and a lasting impact on modern neurology and immunology.
Prof. Josep Dalmau (2024)
TSF’s 2024 Global Rare Trailblazer Award honored Prof. Josep Dalmau, Research Professor at the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) in IDIBAPS/Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and guest researcher at the National Institute of Health (NIH). He is a trained neuro-oncologist with a research focus on autoimmune encephalitis and paraneoplastic neurological disorders. His recent work has revealed a new category of disorders mediated by antibodies to the neuronal cell surface and CNS synaptic proteins, including among others the NMDA, AMPA, and GABA receptors.
TSF’s Inaugural Global Rare Trailblazer Award honored Tim Walbert, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Therapeutics. Apart from setting up Horizon to be an industry leader in bringing to market patient-focused solutions for rare diseases, Walbert – himself a patient with both a rare disease and an autoimmune disease, and a caregiver to his son who also suffers from a rare disease – consistently brought great empathy and a deep understanding of patient needs into industry conversations. Under his leadership, Horizon developed and commercialized multiple therapies for rare autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Walbert is currently a Senior Advisor at Amgen and serves on the boards of several biopharma companies, including Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Sagimet Biosciences and Century Therapeutics.
