Michael J. Fox Awarded Honorary Medical Degree

According to E! Online, Michael J. Fox has been chosen as the recipient for an honorary degree of medicine at one of Sweden's leading universities. The Karolinska Institute, which is in charge of awarding the annual Nobel Prize in medicine, chose the actor for his dedication in raising awareness about the causes and potential cures for Parkinson's disease.

Fox was diagnosed with the neurological disease in 1991, and has since begun the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. In the last decade, the foundation has given more than $175 million in funds for research of the disease and development of drugs that aim to fight, or even cure, the illness.

After being notified of his recognition Fox said, "I'm grateful to the Board of Research and to the Karolinska Institute for this tremendous honor. It is especially meaningful because our Foundation and the Karolinska Institute share a belief in the power of scientific endeavor to create a future that is better for everyone, and a commitment to act strategically—even unconventionally—to help bring that future closer."

Fox is set to receive the honorary doctorate in a ceremony held in New York this Friday.