The Office of the President is calling for nominations for the third recipient of the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health.
The medal, established 10 years ago, “honors individuals who have made significant advancements toward global public health — with a particular emphasis on those whose work has made a real-life impact on populations around the world,” President Mark S. Schlissel said.
To submit a nominee
The committee seeks a public health leader who has contributed to the field through:
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Major scientific discovery or invention.
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Leadership in development, implementation, or promotion of effective public health policy, nationally or internationally.
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Seminal support for the development or implementation of effective action that advances global public health.
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Distinguished service in the promotion of global public health.
The medal is awarded every three to five years and the recipient will be asked to deliver a keynote address at a symposium on a major topic in world health.
Learn more about the award and the nomination process.
Electronic submissions are encouraged by the May 15 deadline. Send questions to francismedal@umich.edu.
“Improving world health is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities that we face as a society, and it is my distinct pleasure to continue the University of Michigan’s tradition of awarding the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health,” Schlissel said.
Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. was director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center and the founding chair of epidemiology in the School of Public Health. He directed a $17.5 million nationwide field trial of the Salk polio vaccine, developed by his former student, Dr. Jonas Salk.
Salk, whose vaccine was developed at the University of Pittsburgh, had studied under Francis as a graduate student at U-M. The yearlong trial involved 1.8 million children in the United States, Canada and Finland.
The first medal was presented in 2005 to Dr. William Foege, who pioneered a successful strategy to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. Foege was honored with the medal at the 50th anniversary celebration of Francis’ famous declaration that the Salk polio vaccine was “safe, effective and potent.”
The second medal was awarded in 2010 to Dr. Alfred Sommer, whose research into Vitamin A deficiency has saved millions of children from blindness and death. Sommer will serve on the committee to choose the next medal recipient.
School of Public Health Dean Martin Philbert will chair the selection advisory committee that will conduct a global search to identify candidates.
Other committee members, from U-M unless otherwise noted, are:
• Huda Akil, Gardner C. Quarton Distinguished University Professor of Neurosciences, professor of psychiatry, co-director and research professor, Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute.
• Dr. Matthew L. Boulton, senior associate dean for global public health; professor of epidemiology, preventive medicine, and health management and policy, School of Public Health; and professor of internal medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Medical School.
• Dr. Alfred Franzblau, vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs, Office of the Provost, and professor of environmental health sciences, SPH.
• Dr. Julio Frenk, dean, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School.
• Dr. Marschall S. Runge, executive vice president for medical affairs.
• Dr. Joseph Kolars, senior associate dean for education and global initiatives, Josiah Macy Jr. Professor of Health Professions Education, and professor of internal medicine, Medical School.
• Donna Shalala, president and professor of political science, University of Miami.
• Kathleen Sienko, Miller Faculty Scholar Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Miller Faculty Scholar Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering; co-director, Humanitarian Technology Institute.
• Dr. Alfred Sommer, dean emeritus, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; University Distinguished Service Professor and Gilman Scholar, Johns Hopkins University.
