Achievements
Dr. Ken Harewood, GCM is a renowned scientist widely recognized for his contributions to cancer research. He was formerly GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Professor and Director of the Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute at North Carolina Central University, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from NYU, and Masters and Doctoral degrees in Biochemistry from City College of New York. His pioneering research at Pfizer resulted in creative contributions to the discovery of viral agents that cause human leukemia and AIDS.
Dr. Harewood attended The Lodge School where he earned national acclaim as one of the school’s most celebrated football players. His speed, ball handling skills, and goal scoring abilities were on display when he captained Laborde or played alongside Ronnie Hall on the school’s football team. He recalls a “set play” Lodge used at kickoff that always left opponents flat-footed. It was called the “three-touch” play and involved a pass from him to Ronnie who quickly touched it to the center half whose role was to deliver it to the right corner of the penalty box where Harewood was already anxiously waiting to strike it into the net. The fans would be ecstatic every time that play succeeded. Harewood brought the same excitement to fans at Kensington Oval when he played for Barbados as a schoolboy, or Empire after leaving The Lodge.
During his undergraduate years he played varsity football at NYU where the team won the divisional championship and he was named All American for three consecutive years. During the 1960s, he founded a branch of The Lodge School Alumni Association in New York. That group sponsored several fundraising events, including a banquet in 1966 to celebrate Barbados’ independence. The honorable Val McComey Barbados’ Ambassador to the US and former teacher at The Lodge addressed the gathering. Proceeds from those activities were used to provide books and supplies to his alma mater.
While at North Carolina Central University, Dr. Harewood launched an innovative summer internship program that brought several Lodge School students to the Institute where they conducted hands-on research in the Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology. Dr. Harewood was the 2006 recipient of the Barbados Gold Crown of Merit. He is the author of a memoir entitled Beyond My Wildest Dreams. His most recent book, The Biotec Revolution, examines the impact of new technologies on science education in America.
Dr. Harewood is the son of the late Annie and Glenville Harewood of College Land, St. John. He and his wife Eudine live in Durham, NC. They have two children – Dionne and Kevin, and six grandchildren. His siblings are Joyce, Ralph, Peggy, Roger and Phillip Harewood. Dr. Harewood is a 2023 inductee in the Lodge School Sports Hall of Fame.