– Singer-songwriter, Henry to team up with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), founded by the United Nations Development Programme to develop and deliver new vaccines for global health
– IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim: “IVI is privileged to have Henry on board, and grateful for his support and advocacy for IVI’s work to discover, develop and deliver vaccines that prevent illness and death in vulnerable populations around the world.”
– Henry’s interest in IVI, sparked through a high school friend, leads to position as Goodwill Ambassador
SEOUL — The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), a South Korea-based nonprofit international organization, announced the appointment of singer-songwriter and actor, Henry Lau, as IVI Goodwill Ambassador in a ceremony held at IVI headquarters in Seoul, on January 8.

IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim (left) presents a plaque to appoint Mr. Henry Lau (center) as IVI Goodwill Ambassador, accompanied by IVI researcher Justin Im (right) during an appointment ceremony at IVI headquarters on January 8, 2019.
“IVI is thrilled to have Henry Lau on board,” Director General Dr. Jerome Kim said. “We expect that Henry’s global fame, coupled with his warm heart and commitment to humanity will surely add significant momentum to IVI’s ongoing efforts to discover, develop and deliver vaccines that prevent illness and death in vulnerable populations around the world.”

IVI Goodwill Ambassador Henry Lau tries out equipment in the lab during a guided tour of IVI laboratories after the Goodwill Ambassador appointment ceremony.
Henry became familiar with IVI’s mission in 2011 when his long-time high school friend, Justin Im, moved to Korea and started working at IVI. The two were roommates for several years. During this period, Henry learned a lot from Justin about neglected tropical diseases and the need for widespread vaccination to protect vulnerable children, especially in low-income countries.

During the laboratory tour, IVI Senior Scientist Dr. Jae Ouk Kim debriefs Henry Lau and IVI researcher Justin Im on the vaccine development process.
This friendship has culminated in Henry’s commitment to support IVI’s advocacy campaigns by meaningfully engaging with the scientific community and the general public to create awareness about the importance of vaccines.
“I’m excited to be part of IVI’s global mission and I will do my best to spread awareness around life-saving vaccines in order to help vulnerable children all over the world,” Henry said, urging his fans and the public to become familiar with IVI and its mission. IVI hopes that Henry’s voice will be a driving force in advocating on behalf of global vaccine initiatives.
About Henry Lau
Henry Lau, better known as Henry, is a singer, songwriter, actor, classical violinist, and fashion icon. Making his debut in 2008, Henry has enjoyed enormous success as a music artist, winning numerous awards across Korea, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Currently, Henry is a regular cast member of the top television show in Korea, “I Live Alone”, and a musical judge on “Super vocal” in China. Most recently, Henry finished filming a major role in a film by Amblin Entertainment (Steven Spielberg’s studio), with a global release date in 2019. Henry attended Berklee College of Music but discontinued his studies to focus on his musical career in Asia.
About IVI
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is the world’s only international organization devoted exclusively to developing and introducing new and improved vaccines to protect the world’s poorest people, especially children in developing countries. Established in 1997, IVI operates as an independent international organization under a treaty signed by 35 countries and the World Health Organization. The Institute conducts research in more than 30 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America on vaccines against enteric and diarrheal infections, Japanese encephalitis, MERS, and dengue fever; and develops new and improved vaccines at its headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.
Contact
IVI Tae Kyung Byun Senior Manager of Korean Communications, IVI Phone: +82-2-872-2801 (Ext. 159) Mobile: +82-10-8773-6071 Email: tkbyun@ivi.int