Learning from the creative genius

Noble Laureate Dr J. Robin Warren inspires Global Citizen Leaders of future at WeSchool

There was quite an excitement in the student fraternity when we heard that Noble laureate Dr John Robin Warren, bestowed with the honour for his work in Physiology (Medicine) would be in the WeSchool campus. Dr Warren was awarded the Nobel for his pioneering discovery of the ‘bacterium Helicobacter pylori’and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases together with Barry Marshall in 2005. Though his presentation focussed on the clinical processes adapted during his long and arduous journey, Dr Warren had the following words of wisdom to share, ‘’When we started our research, scientific and technological tools were not advanced. Science believed that bacteria couldn’t grow in stomach, good biopsies were rare, and there were no clinical specimens. Gastritis was not understood by the scientific fraternity. But we refused to be discouraged, kept experimenting and after years of dedicated hard work, discovered the bacterial strain. It was a quite a miracle that took us by surprise but it opened new vistas in discovering treatments for Gastritis and peptic ulcers”. We were all ears as the soft spoken scientist went on unfolding a lesson in scientific creativity and innovation in front of the captivated audience.

His discovery that one of the most common diseases of mankind has a microbial cause, opened new vistas for research in microbes as causes of other chronic conditions, thereby creating avenues of possibilities of cure. The Australian government has honoured the gentle pathologist-haematologist with ‘Companion of the Order of Australia’ for service to medicine and medical research.

It was fast becoming clear that irrespective of the area of one’s pursuits the basics of excellence remain the same - dedication, sagacity, commitment and perseverance. The axioms of a socially impactful life are applicable to all domains, may it be medicine or business. We had our share of questions and a relaxed Dr Warren enjoyed as he responded to the volley of questions showered upon him. On being asked by one of the professors as to what did he say of the belief that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to chisel out a genius, he humbly said he didn’t consider himself to be a genius as he was really trying to prove what was already there. Qualities of consistency, strong belief and patience are critical for breakthrough innovation to happen irrespective of the field or sector that one is working in. Interacting with Dr Warren was indeed an inspiring experience for us as he shared his dictums for creating excellence in professional pursuits cutting across domains and specialisations. “With Design thinking and innovation at the core of WeSchool’s philosophy, Interactions with a creative genius who has dedicated his life to improve the health and well being of mankind inspires us to take forward the agenda of social reforms through our different initiatives ”said Prof Dr Uday Salunkhe in his concluding remarks.