Whoseжlegacyжwillжreadersж Celebrateжthisжyear?
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BMJ GROUP AWARDS •ЖReviewЖtheЖshortlistsЖforЖallЖcategoriesЖatЖhttp://bit.ly/aUWoE5 Sir George Alleyne •ЖListenЖtoЖtheЖawardsЖlaunchЖpodcastЖatЖbmj.com/podcasts A highly respected figure in global health, George Alleyne has played LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD a large part in tackling HIV and non-communicable disease and WhoseЖlegacyЖwillЖreadersЖ is an energetic promoter of health equality across the world. Currently the chancellor of the University celebrateЖthisЖyear? of the West Indies, Sir George is also the former director of the Pan Annabel FerrimanЖintroducesЖthisЖyear’sЖawardЖandЖ American Health Organization. Adrian O’DowdЖrevealsЖtheЖshortlistedЖcandidates Born in Barbados, he graduated in medicine from the University When Belgian senator Marleen Temmerman called on women in Belgium of the West Indies in 1957 and to refuse to have sex with their partners until the country’s politicians continued his postgraduate ended eight months of wrangling and formed a government, few people studies in the United Kingdom and effect on national economies. in the UK had heard of her. But readers of the BMJ were in the know and the United States. During more Sir George has served on various unsurprised. than a decade of original research, committees including the For Professor Temmerman, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, had he produced 144 publications in scientific and technical advisory won the BMJ Group’s Lifetime Achievement Award last April. In that case, scientific journals, which qualified committee of the World Health it was not for suggesting a “crossed leg strike” to end political deadlock him at just 40 years of age to be Organization Tropical Research (a solution advocated by the women of Greece in Aristophanes’ play appointed professor of medicine Programme and the Institute of Lysistrata) but for her services to women’s health in Belgium and Kenya. in 1972 at the University of the Medicine committee on scientific She was an impressive winner and stunned the audience with her West Indies, where he was made investigation in developing passionate acceptance speech. chancellor in 2003. countries. Now it is time for readers of the BMJ to choose another health champion Through many speeches, by voting for one of this year’s shortlist. The award is for someone He has played a large addresses, and presentations, who, through a working lifetime, has made a unique and substantial role in tackling HIV and he has helped focus attention contribution to improving healthcare. It is the only award where readers of non-communicable on issues such as equity in the journal and members of the public are able to vote. From a total of 88 entries, the science broadcaster Geoff Watts, and I disease and is an health, health and development, (AF), as champion of the award, whittled down the nominees to a shortlist energetic promoter of problems in healthcare in the of 10, which was presented to the judging panel in early February. health equality Caribbean, and international The judging panel consisted of Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of the BMJ; cooperation in health. Maureen Bisognano, president and chief executive officer of the Institute Sir George joined the Pan Sir George retired in 2003 of Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Iain Chalmers, American Health Organization but remains as chancellor of the one of the founders of the Cochrane Collaboration and editor of the James in 1981 as chief of research University of the West Indies and Lind Library; Andy Haines, professor of public health and primary care promotion and coordination and serves on the Task Force on Health and former dean of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; subsequently held several posts Care in the Caribbean. and Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology and public health at before serving as its director from His influence is still strong University College London and president of the BMA. 1995 to 2003—the first Caribbean and has helped to persuade the In choosing their shortlist of three, the judges considered not only person to hold this title. United Nations to hold a high level the nominees’ academic achievements but also their contribution to He was appointed by the United meeting on non-communicable the improvement of international health. Voting is open and will close Nations Secretary General in 2003 diseases in September with on 9 April. Please go to bmj.com to register your vote. The winner will be to serve as his special envoy for the aim of mobilising a serious announced at the awards dinner in London on 18 May. HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region, response to the pandemic of these The first winner, preceding Professor Temmerman, was Judith Mackay, a post he held until last year. diseases sweeping through the director of Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control and senior adviser to the Knowing many of the heads of developing world. World Lung Foundation, whose life has been spent combating the tobacco state in the Caribbean region, he He has also received numerous industry. We are sure that this year’s winner will be as worthy of the title. has also encouraged joint working awards, including the Pelican AnnabelЖFerrimanЖisЖnewsЖeditor,ЖBMJЖ[email protected] on non-communicable diseases, Award from the University of the Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d1062 realising the need for action across West Indies, the Centenary Medal governments and not just health in Jamaica, and degrees honoris departments to achieve effective causa from various universities • Vote on bmj.com results. including the University of the In 2003, he was appointed West Indies. by the Caribbean Community In 1990, Sir George was made Secretariat as the head of a new Knight Bachelor by the Queen for commission to examine health his services to medicine and in issues confronting the region, 2001 was awarded the Order of including HIV/AIDS, and their the Caribbean Community. 468 BMJ | 26 FEBRUARY 2011 | VOLUME 342 BMJ GROUP AWARDS Professor Sir Richard Peto Dr John Wennberg Richard Peto, epidemiologist and A true patient champion, John statistician, has contributed much Wennberg is known as the to the decrease in neoplastic, world’s leading medical care vascular, and respiratory mortality epidemiologist and has spent from smoking, both in the UK and decades helping to transform our elsewhere. understanding of what goes on Currently codirector of the Clinical in healthcare systems and the Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological reasons for health inequalities. Studies Unit (CTSU) at the University of Dr Wennberg, the Peggy Y Oxford, Professor Peto demonstrated Thomson professor emeritus in (in collaboration with Richard Doll) the evaluative clinical sciences at the extraordinary extent to which Dartmouth Medical School in the the hazards of persistent cigarette US, has spent more than 40 years smoking exceed those from the studying and documenting large aggregate of all other known causes During the 1980s they introduced variations in healthcare delivery variation in healthcare and how to of cancer. large simple trials, meta-analyses across the US and concluding tackle it. He also showed that for those of trials, and correction of that the amount of medical care a For individual patients, it who manage to stop smoking before epidemiological studies for regression patient receives is determined by showed that in populations in age 30 or 40, the eventual long term dilution bias, which showed that the where they live. which there were high rates of benefits of cessation are far greater real importance of blood pressure and activity, some people might be than had previously been thought blood cholesterol concentrations had A true patient champion, receiving treatments that other and thus has effectively argued the been underestimated. Dr John Wennberg is clinicians and patients would importance of cessation in the UK A substantial part of Professor known as the world’s regard as unnecessary and of no and many other countries. This has Peto’s epidemiological work has leading medical care additional value, and that patients had, and continues to have, a direct been, and still is, in China (where epidemiologist would not want if they were fully influence on public policy and adult he led a study that interviewed the informed about the risks and mortality in many countries. families of one million people who He has been a professor in the benefits of the treatment choices. After gaining a BA in natural had died during the 1980s, assessing department of community and This led him and Albert Mulley sciences from the University of their smoking habits), India (using family medicine since 1980 and to co-found the Foundation Cambridge in 1965 and an MSc similar methods), and Russia (where in the department of medicine for Informed Medical Decision in statistics from the University of his large studies with David Zaridze since 1989. Dr Wennberg is a Making in 1989, a non-profit London in 1967, Professor Peto confirming the massive mortality from graduate of Stanford University corporation providing objective began to work on chronic disease alcohol have recently helped lead to and the McGill University Faculty scientific information to patients epidemiology with Professor Doll and effective controls). of Medicine. His postgraduate about their treatment choices to Charles Fletcher. During the 1970s, Professor training was in internal medicine promote patient involvement in In 1976, 1994, and 2004, Peto introduced the logrank test and nephrology at Johns medical care decisions. Professors