Past Award Recipients
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Background & Criteria
2010 Nominees List
Gates Award Winner
Past Award Recipients
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The Gates Award for Global Health - Past Award Recipients |
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2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001
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 2010 Award Recipient
GHESKIO
(Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections)
GHESKIO is a Haitian non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to clinical service, research, and training in HIV/AIDS and related diseases. Haitian health professionals created GHESKIO in 1982 as the first research group on HIV formed after the Center for Disease Control (CDC) officially recognized the existence of AIDS. Beginning with the first description of AIDS in a developing country setting, GHESKIO has devoted itself to critically examining health issues surrounding HIV/AIDS in Haiti.
Soon after the earthquake on January 12, 2010, GHESKIO – partnering with the Haitian Government and multiple private institutions – implemented high-impact health interventions for approximately 7,000 homeless people camped on its Port-au-Prince campus, providing emergency surgery and rehabilitation care to 3,000 trauma victims, increasing tuberculosis screening and treatment for 2,000 patients, and continuing HIV services for around 22,000 patients. The day after the quake, many of GHESKIO’s 401 workers showed up, some walking 15 miles.
GHESKIO’s fate holds profound ramifications for Haiti’s fragile health care system. Public health care, weak and underfunded, depends on a handful of private institutions, including GHESKIO and Partners in Health, which runs free clinics and hospitals in the rural central plateau. It is such a critical component of the medical system that the government officially designated it a public utility. The World Health Organization recently changed its HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines based on GHESKIO research.
View video | 2010 Gates Award Video - GHESKIO
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 2009 Award Recipient
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Founded by Sir Patrick Manson, the School began as the London School of Tropical Medicine in 1899. An institute of state medicine to be called the School of Hygiene was recommended in 1921, and a united school, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine was established in 1924. At that time, the term 'hygiene' was not restricted to its current meaning of 'cleanliness' or 'sanitary science', but was used in the wider sense of the establishment and maintenance of health - now more usually described as 'public health'.
The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Every year over 800 students come to the School from around 120 countries to study doctoral or masters’ degrees. The School has about 1000 staff drawn from around 45 nationalities. The distance learning program which was launched in 1998 now caters to over 2000 students studying in four masters programs.
Its research funding now exceeds £48 m per annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. There are research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the world, utilizing its critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists, molecular biologists and immunologists. At any one time around 60 School staff are based overseas. The School has a strong commitment to partnership with institutions in low and middle income countries to support the development of teaching and research capacity.
View video | 2009 Gates Award Video - London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
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2008 Award Recipient
Aravind Eye Care System
 Founded in 1976, Aravind Eye Care system is comprised of community outreach activities, the Aravind Center for Women, Children and Community Health (ACWCCH), the Lions-Aravind Institute for Community Ophthalmology (LAICO), the Aravind Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, the Aravind Medical Research Foundation, and Aurolab. The system provides an integrated approach to the provision of eye care services to a large population in southern India and has established a new model of financial self-sustainability.
Aravind has a strong presence in its community. They conduct more than 1,000 free eye camps each year, partnering Aravind teams with local community service organizations to provide screening and treatment to those unable to travel to one of the Aravind hospitals. The camps screen more than 300,000 people annually, resulting in more than 45,000 surgeries.
Through its work, Aravind recognized the need for a better way to obtain low-cost, high-quality intraocular lenses for their cataract surgery patients. Until then, lenses produced by western manufacturers were costing several hundred dollars each and availability was limited. To solve this problem, Aurolab was established. Employing local workers, Aurolab now produces hundreds of thousands of international quality intraocular lenses that are sold all over the world for less than $10 per lens. They also produce a variety of low cost ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, widening the availability of these much needed drugs in developing counties. All profits are routed back into product development and service provisions.
View video | 2008 Gates Award Video - Aravind Eye Care System
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 2007 Award Recipient
Population and Community Development Association
Since 1974, the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) has helped improve lives and strengthen communities in Thailand. Founded by Mechai Viravaidya, the organization is honored today for pioneering HIV prevention and family planning programs that have become international models in these fields. PDA’s innovative approach to community development benefited more than 10 million people throughout Thailand.
Mechai founded PDA to provide family planning services to the many rural communities that were not reached by government programs at the time. Working through a nationwide network of village-based volunteers, PDA empowered women to plan their pregnancies, giving both mothers and children the opportunity to live healthier lives.
Mechai and PDA worked closely with the Thai government to develop and implement a groundbreaking national HIV prevention program that led to a dramatic reduction in new HIV infections in Thailand, from 143,000 in 1991 to 21,000 in 2003. By introducing creative and often humorous approaches to promoting condom use, Mechai became known as Thailand’s “Condom King.”
In addition to health services, PDA’s comprehensive approach to poverty reduction addresses income generation, water resource development, sanitation projects, environmental conservation, and promotion of gender equality and democracy.
Today, PDA’s 250 employees and more than 4,600 volunteers work in 16 regional development centers and branch offices throughout Thailand. Through its international training program, PDA has trained 2,900 people from 50 countries in innovative approaches to HIV prevention, family planning, adolescent reproductive health, and other issues.
Mr. Condom Goes to Washington - HealthLink issue 145 article
The Global Health Council Influentials Study Tour highlighted the work of the 2007 Gates Award for Global Health winner during a tour in Thailand Feb. 18-23. It focused on the work of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA).
View article, "Council Hosts Gates Award Winner Study Tour."
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 2006 Award Recipient
Carter Center
The Carter Center’s achievements have touched tens of millions of lives in some of the world’s poorest countries for more than two decades. Founded by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center has worked tirelessly to prevent and treat neglected diseases such as schistosomiasis, river blindness, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis and Guinea worm disease.
 One inspiring example of this work is the Center’s campaign against Guinea worm disease, an ancient parasitic illness that causes fever, swelling and severe blisters that inflicts entire communities at a time. Due in large part to the work of The Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Disease Eradication Program and its partners, millions of people have been spared this terrible ordeal. Since the program’s inception in 1986, Guinea worm cases have dropped dramatically from 3.5 million to just 10,600 in 2005, worldwide.
Dedicated Center employees, more than three-fifths of whom are locally-hired in developing countries, work closely with global partners and community networks to deliver medicines, develop health education programs, and train local health care personnel. The organization creatively broadened the reach of these efforts by developing innovative disease control programs adaptable for success in different geographic areas.
The Carter Center is honored today for its inspirational leadership in the fight against neglected diseases, and for serving as a reminder that even the most challenging global health problems can be overcome. It is with deep appreciation for these endeavors that the 2006 Gates Award for Global Health is bestowed upon this remarkable organization.
The Carter Center Receives 2006 Gates Award - HealthLink issue 139 article
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 2005 Award Recipient
AMREF
The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) whose mission is to improve the health of disadvantaged people in Africa as a means for them to escape poverty and improve the quality of their lives. AMREF defines the disadvantaged as people who suffer from high prevalence and severe impact of major health problems like malaria, HIV/AIDS, poor water and sanitation, lack of information about adolescent and reproductive health, and poor access to health care.
Since its founding, AMREF has embraced technology as integral to improving health. AMREF owns a fleet of planes specially equipped with intensive care units, and it established Africa's first and largest two-way radio communications network. Recently, AMREF has begun installing videoconferencing facilities in rural areas, so that doctors and patients can consult with specialists in major cities. In its early years as Flying Doctors, AMREF airlifted surgeons to perform emergency procedures in African towns and villages without access to hospitals, a service that continues today. Since then, AMREF has greatly expanded its scope, and today operates programs addressing HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, clean water and sanitation, family health, training health care workers, and emergency relief.
One of AMREF's largest initiatives trains rural health workers who have little or no formal medical education. In addition, more than 20 countries send their district health workers to Nairobi for AMREF's year-long Diploma in Community Health program. The organization also publishes a series of field manuals that give practical instructions for safely and correctly caring for serious diseases. Additionally, AMREF regularly conducts evaluation research to guide the development of its programs, and its findings influence health policy worldwide. Recently, AMREF led East African consultations for the Commission for Africa established by U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.
AMREF Receives 2005 Gates Award - HealthLink issue 134 article
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 2004 Award Recipient
BRAC
BRAC's community-based health programs currently serve more than 31 million people through a network of health clinics, community nutrition centers, and grassroots health workers. Their services include women's reproductive and maternal health programs, HIV/AIDS prevention education, immunization promotion, the treatment of life-threatening childhood diarrhea, TB diagnosis and treatment, and nutrition. BRAC is currently expanding its system of rural primary health clinics throughout the country, and recently established Bangladesh's first school of public health.
Since its founding in 1972 by Abed, a former Shell Oil executive, BRAC has worked to extend innovative health interventions to large numbers of poor Bangladeshis. For example, in the 1980s, BRAC sent workers to almost every household in the country to teach mothers how to prepare oral rehydration solution and prevent thousands of childhood deaths from diarrhea. BRAC also partnered with the Bangladeshi government to organize a national immunization campaign that raised childhood vaccination rates from less than 2% in 1986 to 65% only five years later. These and other successes have provided other countries with important models for scaling up effective health interventions.
In addition to its health-focused programs, many of BRAC's other development activities contribute to health, including support for women's empowerment, efforts to increase food production, basic primary education in rural schools, especially for girls, and micro-credit for women to support small businesses.
Built on a Dream:
Gates Winner Builds Futures - HealthLink issue 128 article
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 2003 Award Recipient
Brazil's National AIDS Program
Brazil received international attention in 1996 when it guaranteed all citizens free access to antiretroviral drugs; today, it provides HIV treatment to approximately 115,000 people. The government has greatly reduced treatment costs by negotiating lower prices with drug companies and by manufacturing generic versions of some drugs. Brazil estimates that since 1996, its treatment program has reduced AIDS mortality rates by nearly 50% and opportunistic infections by 60-80%. The government also estimates that its treatment program prevented nearly 360,000 hospital admissions from 1997-2001, resulting in savings of more than $1 billion.
Brazil's treatment program is closely integrated with countrywide HIV prevention efforts, which include HIV counseling and testing, condom marketing, education campaigns, and drug treatment programs. In a recent report, Access to HIV Prevention: Closing the Gap, the Global HIV Prevention Working Group cited Brazil as "the clearest example of the potential synergy between prevention and treatment initiatives."
Brazil has been a pioneer in guaranteeing access to AIDS treatment with anti-retrovirals for all its citizens who need therapy. The Brazilian National STD/AIDS Program (NAP) strives to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. The predominant intervention strategy employed by NAP focuses on educating the public on prevention strategies that reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other STDs.
Brazilian AIDS Program Receives Gates Award - HealthLink issue 122 article
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 2002 Award Recipient
Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
Rotary has brought an entirely new set of actors into the effort to improve health and health equity around the world. Its 1.2 million members in over 30,000 clubs covering more than 200 countries and geographical areas worldwide are front-line health workers in pursuit of the goal of polio eradication and other important health efforts. Rather than relying on established donors, Rotary has contributed US$700 million in new resources for polio eradication. As an organization which bases its principles on voluntary community service, Rotary has been able to work closely with communities, the private sector, local governments, and even multi-national agencies in establishing a new and creative set of working partnerships. Rotary's top priority is to eradicate polio worldwide.
Rotarians around the globe are honored for their tireless work in their local neighborhoods, marshalling resources and volunteering time to increase awareness of and support for critical global health issues. The Gates Award for Global Health is a manifestation of the honor due this exceptional organization.
Rotary International Wins Gates Award for Global Health - HealthLink issue 116 article
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 2001 Award Recipient
ICDDR,B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh)
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented the first ever Gates Award for Global Health to ICDDR,B (the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established 50 years ago, ICDDR,B is a major international public health research organization, focused on addressing conditions prevalent in developing countries and associated with poverty. Formerly known as the Cholera Research Laboratory, ICDDR,B helped pioneer the discovery and development of oral rehydration solution (ORS), which today saves the lives of two-and-a-half-million children each year from what used to be the leading infectious killer in the world: diarrhea. ICDDR,B has also played a central role in cholera vaccine research and applied research programs on maternal and child health. Today it continues its groundbreaking work in child survival, safe pregnancy and delivery, family planning, tuberculosis, dengue fever, and nutrition research."
"We live in an age when the separation between national and international health agendas no longer works. And while poverty lies at the root of many ills, ill health in its turn has a devastating effect on the economies of developing nations," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who recently called for a global mobilization strategy in response to the AIDS crisis. "To build a more equitable global society, there is no more important investment than public health in the developing world. This award brings long overdue recognition to an organization which has demonstrated visionary leadership in that field."
Gates Award Presented - HealthLink issue 110 article
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