By Bunmi Yekini
Geneva, Switzerland – May 20, 2025— The World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded its prestigious Director-General’s Award for Global Health to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood, recognizing their lifetime contributions to global health, especially in the fight against malaria and other infectious diseases.
The awards were presented by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a high-level ceremony at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. Each recipient received an honorary lifetime achievement award.
“Their invaluable contributions have helped to alleviate the burden of malaria and other vaccine-preventable diseases and to build sustainable health system capacity in Africa,” said Dr. Tedros.
Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck, former Senegalese Minister of Health and infectious disease specialist, was lauded for her leadership in health system reform and disease control. She notably led the Roll Back Malaria partnership from 2004 to 2011 and has served on the boards of major global health institutions including the Global Fund and PATH.
“This prize is all the more important in that it symbolizes trust in the values that I defend: solidarity between peoples, science in the service of humanity and the leadership of women in the health system,” Professor Coll Seck said in her acceptance speech.
Dr. Tedros highlighted her tenure as Senegal’s Minister of Health, during which she expanded universal access to healthcare and championed integrated disease control programs. She is currently President of Forum Galien Afrique and remains an active voice for health equity and women’s leadership in medicine.
Professor Sir Brian Greenwood, a renowned figure in global infectious disease research, was celebrated for his decades of groundbreaking work, especially in malaria control. From pioneering the use of insecticide-treated bed nets to leading clinical trials of the RTS,S malaria vaccine, his influence on policy and practice has been profound.
“Over the last five decades, Professor Sir Greenwood performed pioneering research and made major contributions to infectious disease control,” Dr. Tedros said. “His work has shaped modern approaches to malaria control.”
Reflecting on his 60-year career, which began in Nigeria, Professor Greenwood recalled stark improvements in child health outcomes across West Africa.
“The pediatric wards were full of measles, meningitis, malaria, polio—there were still even occasions with smallpox coming to hospital,” he said. “The under-5 child mortality was about 400 per thousand. In The Gambia where I also worked, that’s now 40—a 10-fold drop.”
Professor Greenwood’s legacy also includes his work on the MenAfriVac vaccine in the African meningitis belt and strategies combining seasonal vaccination with chemoprevention.
The Director-General’s Award for Global Health, established in 2019, celebrates individuals whose work has had a significant impact on public health and global well-being. This year’s dual recognition underscores the continuing importance of research, leadership, and collaboration in addressing global health challenges.