2023-05-18 20:10:09
- Since 2019, the Global Health Leaders Awards have been given to people whose contributions have had a direct impact on global health.
- For this 2023 edition, the winners are two doctors who participated in the discovery of the virus that causes Ebola.
- The awards ceremony will take place during the opening session of the 76th World Health Assembly to be held on May 21 in Geneva.
Receiving a patient’s thanks generates indescribable satisfaction and feelings. It is one of the reasons why it is worth studying Medicine but, as with other professions, there are also other recognitions. These are recognitions for those who have an outstanding career in the health field. In fact the Global Health Leaders Awards stand out among the most important international awards.
This award was established in 2019 and is given annually to people whose contributions have had a direct impact on global health. These are individuals who are role models because their work has changed the lives of millions of people.
With this in mind, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, made known to the winners of the Global Health Leaders Awards 2023 edition.
The first to identify the virus that causes Ebola
In this case the winners are Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum and Peter Piot. Both are leading scientists and leaders in global public health. As part of their job, the two participated in the discovery of the disease caused by the Ebola virus and have struggled to develop new treatments.
Honoured to announce the winners of this year’s @WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Awards: Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum and Peter Piot, for their lifelong commitment to health. I look forward to congratulating them in person at #WHA76. pic.twitter.com/mxYs3S3Tk4
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 18, 2023
The teacher Muyembe-Tamfum of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is recognized for its innovation, leadership, and contributions to the management and treatment of diseases such as Ebola virus disease. He has played a critical role in improving health outcomes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the African region, and the global community.
Furthermore, Professor Muyembe-Tamfum is the Director General of the DRC National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa. He is also Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at the University of Kinshasa School of Medicine and inaugural President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Academy of Sciences.
Professor Muyembe-Tamfum was part of the team that discovered the virus that causes Ebola during the first recorded outbreak in 1976. He later helped design one of the first effective treatments against the virus and the deployment of experimental vaccines against the disease.
He has worked tirelessly to build the scientific capacity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, establishing multiple research facilities in the country, and has played a key role with the WHO in the fight against infectious diseases.
The teacher Piot of Belgium is being recognized for its extraordinary leadership in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other major global health challenges. He has played a key role in launching major global health initiatives such as UNAIDS, the Global Fund and others that have improved health outcomes around the world.
Under his leadership, UNAIDS became the leading advocate for global action against AIDS, and he also spearheaded UN reform by bringing together 10 different UN organizations.
Professor Piot was also involved in the earlier discovery of the Ebola virus and the containment of the first known outbreak, taking part in epidemiological field investigations.
He has chaired a number of high-level initiatives, served in numerous high-level advisory roles, including on COVID-19, and has received multiple awards.
“In a time of multiple emergencies, health crises, and conflict, we recognize that leadership in public health and science is more important than ever to advance global health. Our awardees today embody that passion,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom.
For now, the ceremony to deliver the Global Health Leaders Awards 2023 will take place during the opening session of the 76th World Health Assembly to be held on May 21 in Geneva.
Also read:
Leprosy, a curable but ignored disease in Mexico
Mexican doctor makes history and obtains the Carlos Slim Health Award 2023
List of winners of the Global Health Leaders Awards 2022
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