When Juliet Daniel answered a recent phone call from a government representative in her native Barbados, she had no idea what the call was about.

"She said they needed my address so that they could send me something. I said, 'what do you want to send me?'"

As it turned out, the associate professor of biology had been given one of Barbados' highest honours, the Gold Crown of Merit, for her work in cancer research, an area she continues to make advances in at McMaster.

"It's a very special honour to be recognized with this award," said Daniel, who was presented with a medal from the Governor-General of Barbados at a ceremony last month. "There are very few scientists from Barbados, so I really appreciate the recognition."

Daniel's work, which focuses on understanding how cancer cells escape from tumours and travel to other parts of the body, has previously been recognized with a Premier's Research Excellence Award.

The Gold Crown of Merit is one of four classes of the Order of Barbados, the top recognition in the Barbadian system of awards and honours. It is given for high meritous service or achievement in science, the arts, literature, sport, civic duties and other endeavours worthy of national recognition.

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