At an award ceremony happening throughout a Plenary of the Seventy-eighth World Well being Meeting in Geneva on Friday, 23 Might 2025, public well being prizes and awards have been offered to individuals and establishments from all over the world for his or her excellent contributions to public well being.
The six 2025 laureates acquired their awards from the Seventy-eighth World Well being Meeting President Teodoro J. Herbosa, along with high-level representatives of the foundations that established these public well being awards and prizes, and WHO Director-Basic, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In February 2025, the Government Board of the World Well being Group determined to tell apart six laureates to rejoice their distinctive position for public well being of their international locations, their areas and globally.
They arrive from 4 WHO Areas: Africa, Jap Mediterranean, Europe and Western Pacific.
Sasakawa Well being Prize
Dr Merete Nordentoft from Denmark is the 2025 winner of the Sasakawa Well being Prize
The Sasakawa Well being Prize is awarded for excellent modern work in well being growth to an individual or individuals, an establishment or establishments, or a nongovernmental group or organizations. Such work consists of the promotion of given well being programmes or notable advances in major well being care.
The Government Board awarded the Sasakawa Well being Prize for 2025 to Dr Merete Nordentoft from Denmark for her excellent modern work in well being growth.
Dr Merete Nordentoft has made essential contributions to psychological well being care by offering concrete, major health-care-based options to deal with gaps within the chain of care. In 1998, she created the OPUS outreach therapy programme that has resulted in considerably improved outcomes for younger folks with first-episode psychosis, demonstrating substantial achievements in advancing psychological well being programmes and bettering the standard of care. Certainly one of OPUS’s key success elements is the direct involvement of communities and members of the family. The idea has since served as inspiration for a lot of international locations all through the world. Her intervention analysis on suicide prevention has straight knowledgeable Denmark’s nationwide motion plan for suicide prevention, which incorporates regional suicide preventive clinics and collaboration between helplines run by nongovernmental organizations {and professional} helplines.
The concentrate on early intervention and rising the accessibility of psychological well being providers on the group stage advantages susceptible teams.
“With the precise assist, early sufficient, restoration just isn’t solely attainable – it’s possible,” mentioned Dr Merete Nordentoft.
United Arab Emirates Well being Basis Prize
Dr. Jožica Maučec Zakotnik from Slovenia Gained the 2025 United Arab Emirates Well being Basis Prize
The United Arab Emirates Well being Basis Prize is awarded for an excellent contribution to well being growth to an individual or individuals, an establishment or establishments, or a nongovernmental group or organizations.
The Government Board awarded the 2025 Prize to Dr Jožica Maučec Zakotnik from Slovenia for her excellent contribution to well being growth.
Dr Jožica Maučec Zakotnik has made distinctive contributions to the promotion of wholesome existence and to making sure equal entry to preventive providers in well being take care of all. She co-developed an modern mannequin of multidisciplinary, free-of-charge well being promotion centres that embrace entry to psychological well being providers, breaking entry obstacles for essentially the most susceptible by means of collaboration with social providers and faculties.
She additionally led the institution in 2005 of the MURA Well being and Improvement Centre, meant to deal with social determinants of well being in an impoverished area, that grew to become a WHO collaborating centre in 2009 for cross-sectoral approaches to well being and growth. On the Nationwide Public Well being Institute, Dr Zakotnik collaborated with firefighting associations to extend consciousness of colorectal most cancers screening amongst males. As a State Secretary (2001–2004 and 2017–2018), she helped to scale up profitable pilot programmes on the nationwide stage, together with for the primary nationwide programme on vitamin, the technique for promotion of health-enhancing bodily exercise and the MURA psychological well being programme.
“Collectively we will make an enduring distinction within the lives of numerous people – at dwelling and past,” mentioned Dr Jožica Maučec Zakotnik.
Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize for Analysis in Well being Take care of the Aged and in Well being Promotion
Professor Huali Wang (China) and the Geriatric Healthcare Directorate of the Ministry of Well being (State of Kuwait) are the 2025 winners of the Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize for Analysis in Well being Take care of the Aged and in Well being Promotion
His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize for the Promotion of Wholesome Ageing is awarded to an individual or individuals, an establishment or establishments, or a nongovernmental group or organizations who’ve made an excellent contribution to analysis, well being promotion, coverage and/or programmes on wholesome ageing.
The Government Board awarded the 2025 Prize collectively to Professor Huali Wang (China) and the Geriatric Healthcare Directorate of the Ministry of Well being (State of Kuwait) for his or her excellent contributions to wholesome ageing.
Professor Huali Wang has made vital contributions to wholesome ageing on the nationwide and international ranges. She helped form China’s nationwide wholesome ageing strategic plan and nationwide dementia motion plan, growing a complete method for psychological care. The method, now lively throughout 27 areas, has resulted in dementia screenings for over 100 000 older adults, in addition to well being training campaigns and interdisciplinary, community-based service fashions that combine skilled and household assist. Professor Wang additionally pioneered the event of dementia caregiver assist teams, establishing in 2000 China’s first Reminiscence Café, which promotes group involvement and has since turn into a nationwide mannequin. Professor Wang has championed cognitive stimulation remedy coaching and implementation in over 20 provinces. Professor Wang has collaborated with WHO on international dementia tips and on the iSupport on-line course, serving to to increase caregiver assist worldwide. The social prescribing pilot programme that Professor Wang initiated in Shangrao has acquired international recognition.
“This award isn’t just a recognition of our previous work however a name to motion for future endeavours – collectively, we will make a distinction within the lives of many,” mentioned Professor Huali Wang.
The Geriatric Healthcare Directorate on the Ministry of Well being, Kuwait, has designed a multifaceted and complete method to wholesome ageing. It developed a Nationwide Well being Technique for Older Adults (2024–2030) that gives a transparent framework for the supply of accessible, high-quality built-in care and the promotion of lively and wholesome ageing. The implementation of the Kuwait Older Adults Well being Survey has helped to tell insurance policies and enhance service supply. Revolutionary cellular vaccination campaigns have benefited an extra 1000 older adults and caregivers. Complete coaching programmes on wholesome ageing, benefiting over 1000 caregivers, physicians, pharmacists and nurses are reported to have improved health-care supply and protection for older adults by 40%. The Directorate carries out group engagement initiatives to create inclusive and accessible environments which are aware of the wants of older folks and it additionally collaborates with nongovernmental organizations to foster group assist.
“This recognition just isn’t solely a mirrored image of our efforts, however a renewed accountability to proceed striving for excellence in aged care, preserving dignity and honouring their lifelong contributions,” mentioned Dr Fatemah Bendhafari from the UAE Geriatric Healthcare Companies Directorate of Kuwait’s Ministry of Well being.
Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Well being
Professor Helen Rees from South Africa is the 2025 winner of the Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Well being
The Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Well being is awarded to an individual or individuals, an establishment or establishments, a governmental or nongovernmental group or organizations, who’ve made an excellent contribution to public well being.
The WHO Government Board awarded the 2025 Prize to Professor Helen Rees (South Africa) for her excellent contribution to public well being on the native, nationwide, regional and international ranges.
Professor Helen Rees based the Wits Reproductive Well being and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) in 1994, which has handled over 650 000 folks residing with HIV and which operates in 52 websites throughout South Africa with regional partnerships in 23 international locations. In 2004, she created the Hillbrow Well being Precinct, an modern mannequin that integrates city regeneration, medical analysis and community-based well being providers, equivalent to take care of adolescents residing with HIV and vaccination providers, and that gives important well being providers to a few of Johannesburg’s most marginalized residents. Professor Rees has additionally made main analysis contributions overlaying HIV prevention, vaccines in opposition to human papillomavirus and COVID-19 and her analysis on HIV prevention, together with pre-exposure prophylaxis and long-acting injectable remedies, has reworked HIV-prevention methods for susceptible populations.
“Public well being and human rights are intertwined, pushed by the social determinants of well being and the entry folks must care – allow us to proceed the wrestle for well being for all,” mentioned Professor Helen Rees.
Nelson Mandela Award for Well being Promotion
Dr Majed zemm from tunisia is the winner of the 2025 Nelson Mandela award for well being promotion
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The Nelson Mandela Award for Well being Promotion is awarded to an individual or individuals, an establishment or establishments, a governmental or nongovernmental group or organizations, who or which has/have made a big contribution to well being promotion.
The chief Board Awarded the 2025 Award to Dr Majed zemn (Tunisia) for his excellent contribution to well being promotion.
Dr Majed Zemni has made in depth and impactful contributions to well being promotion, notably in his roles as President of the Tunisian Affiliation of Forensic Drugs and Legal Sciences and as President of the Nationwide Workplace of Household and Inhabitants (ONFP) of Tunisia. He helped concern key authorized devices, equivalent to tips for forensic drugs and laws regarding sufferers’ rights and medical legal responsibility. As a part of the Nationwide Committee of Medical Ethics, he contributed to the event of protocols for managing the deceased that ensured human dignity in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. He labored on the Psychological Help Centre for Girls and Kids Victims of Violence. He additionally maintained the ONFP’s Worldwide Coaching and Analysis Centre as a WHO collaborating centre. His efforts have helped reorient well being providers with a patient-centred method, with explicit consideration to folks residing with HIV and individuals disadvantaged of their liberty, and thru multisectoral engagement involving different ministries and stakeholders within the growth and implementation of programmes.
“Well being is a standard denominator for all humanity, no matter borders, races or insurance policies,” mentioned Dr Majed Zemni. “We should all try to ascertain well being safety and a more healthy future for all.”
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The decision for nominations of candidates for every prize is shipped out every year after closure of the World Well being Meeting. Nominations might be made by nationwide well being administrations of a WHO Member State and by any former recipient of the prizes. At its 156th session in February 2025, the Government Board designated the 2025 winners of the prizes, primarily based on proposals made by a range panels composed of Government Board Members, and dealing independently for every prize.
See extra on public well being prizes and awards internet web page.
Learn detailed details about the general public well being prizes and awards course of.
Full data might be discovered on this 78th World Well being Meeting doc (A78/INF./1).
