Hayden was born in Cape Town, South Africa, one of Ann Platt's and Roger Hayden's two sons. His paternal grandfather, Max Raphael Hahn was an entrepreneur, art collector and chairman of the Jewish community in Göttingen, Germany. His father, originally named Rudolf (Rudi) Hahn, fled to London in 1939, enlisted in the British army and fought during World War II, and eventually settled in South Africa in 1947.^[9][10] After the divorce of his parents, when he was eight, Hayden was raised by his single mother.^[1] He originally planned on becoming a lawyer but instead opted for medical school, as he soon realized that as a lawyer he would not be able to bring about much change. In 1975, he graduated from the University of Cape Town as the top graduate in medicine, where he also received his PhD in Genetics (1979). He completed a post-doctoral fellowship and further training in Internal Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Michael is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Clinical Genetics. He moved to Canada and joined the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1983 from the Children's Hospital in Boston, a teaching arm of Harvard Medical School.^{[citation needed]}

He is married and has four children.

Hayden's research focus is primarily on genetic diseases, including genetics of lipoprotein disorders, Huntington disease, predictive medicine, personalized medicine and drug development. Along with his research team, Hayden has identified 10 disease-causing genes, which includes the identification of the major gene underlying high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in humans. This gene, known as ABCA1, has major implications for atherosclerosis and diabetes. Hayden also identified the first mutations underlying Lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPL) and developed gene therapy approaches to treat this condition, the first approved gene therapy in the western world. He is also co-leader of the Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety project, a BC-led Genome Canada-funded, national strategy to prevent adverse drug reactions.^{[citation needed]}

Since 2010:

• 2020- David Dubinsky Humanitarian Award, American Friends of Soroka Medical Center (AFSMC)^[11]
• 2017- Inductee, Canadian Medical Hall of Fame^[12]
• 2015- One of 100 most inspirational and influential persons in Pharma by PharmaVoice^[13]
• 2014- Honorary Doctor of Medicine, University of Göttingen^[14]
• 2014- Luminary of the Year, Personalized Medicine World Conference^[15]
• 2013- Named one of 50 Canadians born in the 20th century who have changed the world in a book by Ken McGoogan (including Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Leonard Cohen, Oscar Peterson and John Kenneth Galbraith)^[16]
• 2012- The Diamond Jubilee Medal, on behalf of HRH Queen Elizabeth II given in recognition of significant contributions and achievements.^[17]
• 2011- Champion of Genetics, The Canadian Gene Cure Foundation (CGCF)
• 2011- Killam Prize, Canada Council of the Arts, given in recognition of outstanding career achievements.^[18]
• 2011- Aubrey J. Tingle Prize, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research^[19]
• 2011- Margolese National Prize, University of British Columbia^[20]
• 2011- Canada Gairdner Wightman, Gairdner Foundation^[21]
• 2011- Genome BC Award for Scientific Excellence, LifeSciences British Columbia^[22]
• 2010- Order of Canada^[23]
• 2010- Jacob Biely Faculty Research Prize, University of British Columbia

In 2002, Hayden was part of the cast of the documentary Chasing the Cure which discussed treatments for widespread killer-heart disease, cancer, and bacterial poisoning and how research findings will change the face of medicine in the next 20 years.^[24]

Hayden appears in the 2012 documentary movie Do You Really Want to Know? directed by John Zaritsky. In the film, Hayden describes his professional relationship and friendship with Huntington's disease family member and researcher Jeff Carroll and the process of guiding Carroll and his five siblings through genetic testing for the mutation that causes Huntington's.^[25]

Hayden is also a subject in the 2013 documentary, "Alive & Well", directed by Josh Taft. In the film, he discusses his mission to find a cure for Huntington's disease.

• Huntington Disease
• Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
• BC Children's Hospital Foundation
• Tangier Disease
• University of British Columbia
• Personalized Medicine
• Masiphumelele

• Alive & Well official homepage