Director-General presents Award for Global Health to four distinguished leaders

At the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in Geneva, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has presented four distinguished leaders with the Award for Global Health, recognizing their lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions to improving the health and well-being of communities worldwide. This year’s laureates are Dr Tore Godal, Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, Dr Mike Ryan and Dr Heba El Sewedy. They were celebrated during the High-Level Welcome of the World Health Assembly (WH

“I am honoured to present the Global Health Leaders Awards to four individuals who have made outstanding lifetime contributions to global health,” said Dr Tedros. Dr Tore Godal was recognized for his transformative leadership in immunization and infectious diseases. Throughout his distinguished career, he played a pivotal role in elevating vaccines as a global development priority and helped establish major initiatives including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Roll Back Malaria and CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. He also played a pivotal role in the fight against neglected diseases when leading WHO’s Tropical Diseases Programme, and expanding work on leprosy and malaria. He helped expand community-based ivermectin distribution and onchocerciasis control efforts, which contributed to protecting large populations from river blindness. Dr Godal’s work has translated scientific research into large-scale public health action, protecting millions of lives. Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis was recognized for her lifelong commitment in expanding immunization and disease elimination in the Region of the Americas and beyond. Her contributions were instrumental in achieving the elimination of measles and rubella in the Americas – the first region in the world to reach this milestone. Her advocacy and support of the regional Dual Elimination Initiative also supported the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV in the Americas. Through research, community engagement and regional collaboration, she has advanced a holistic approach to health and development and had a profound impact on the lives of many people in the Americas and globally. Dr Mike Ryan was honoured for his leadership in strengthening global preparedness for and response to health emergencies. A founder of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), he has shaped international systems for detecting and responding to epidemics, and – when serving as the Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme – led operational responses to SARS, cholera, Ebola, polio and COVID-19.

Key points

• “I am honoured to present the Global Health Leaders Awards to four individuals who have made outstanding lifetime contributions to global health,” said Dr Tedros.
• Dr Tore Godal was recognized for his transformative leadership in immunization and infectious diseases.
• Throughout his distinguished career, he played a pivotal role in elevating vaccines as a global development priority and helped establish major initiatives including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Rol…
• He also played a pivotal role in the fight against neglected diseases when leading WHO’s Tropical Diseases Programme, and expanding work on leprosy and malaria.
• He helped expand community-based ivermectin distribution and onchocerciasis control efforts, which contributed to protecting large populations from river blindness.