Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq, North Korea — the list goes on for Dr. Michael VanRooyen, who has traveled to more than 30 countries to provide humanitarian support and disaster relief.
VanRooyen, co-director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and collaborator with multiple human rights organizations, has aided America in countless ways, notably working for the American Red Cross and providing assistance at the site of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Now, in recognition of his worldwide efforts, VanRooyen recently has been named the 2009 recipient of the MSU Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award.
VanRooyen, of St. Johns, Mich., graduated from Lyman Briggs in 1984. While attending medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago, he found his calling.
“I realized that my place in all of this, what I really wanted to do, was to bring academics and research to this field of humanitarian relief,” he said.
VanRooyen doesn’t hide his special bond with MSU. He painted three murals in Holmes Hall (of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez) as a student that still can be seen today. Having won the Lyman Briggs College Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008, VanRooyen’s strong relationship with the university remains evident.
“They are probably the biggest impact on my life and career, so I credit Michigan State and Lyman Briggs for being a huge impact on me and who I am,” he said. “It means a lot to come back to my home university and have them feel like my work is important.”
Dan J. McKean, director of development and alumni relations for Lyman Briggs College, first met VanRooyen in 2006.
“He is one of many alumni that we have discovered who are excelling in their profession and living the Briggs mission, ” McKean said.
On Oct. 16, VanRooyen and his wife, Dr. Julia VanRooyen, will be on campus to speak about their current project focusing on the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Julia VanRooyen said. “I think we are both always looking for any way that we can help get the word out about the kind of humanitarian work that he does, so this is a wonderful surprise.”
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