SANTHE Programme Director nets 2023 KT Jeang Retrovirology

SANTHE Programme Director Thumbi Ndung’u, based at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in Durban, South Africa, was recently awarded the prestigious 2023 Leadership Award in Public Health Practice by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA. The award was given in recognition of Ndung’u’s impressive dedication to research and public health over his decades-long career. “I was elated to receive this award because it’s a recognition of my efforts and leadership, and also the effectiveness of the partnerships and collaborations that I have worked within,” he said.

The Leadership Award in Public Health Practice honours a Chan School graduate who has been an outstanding example of effective leadership in the practice of public health, in the public or private sphere. Ndung’u was presented with his award, surrounded by family and close colleagues, during this year’s Alumni Weekend, which took place September 28-30 in the Kresge building on the Harvard Chan School campus. “I think a lot of what I have accomplished is as a result of team effort and partnerships with people,” he said. “Collectively, we have worked hard to promote African science, and we are seeing the fruits of those efforts.” Beyond recognising this work, he said the award was also important for promoting the growth of African science on a broad scale and the great leaps it has made in recent years.

Each year the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association honours a distinguished group of alumni recognising achievements in various arenas of public health by awarding them with an Alumni Award of Merit. They are selected for their awards by their peers through a nomination and voting process. It is the highest honour presented to an alumna/us of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Since 1992, over 100 Harvard Chan School’s highly accomplished alumni have received this honour.