Mary Kingsley Award Ceremony

Mary Kingsley Award Ceremony Dr Kevin Marsh, Professor in Tropical Medicine at University of Oxford, will receive the 100th Mary Kingsley Medal for his contribution to the field of Tropical Medicine The award ceremony will take place after Professor Marsh’s lecture entitled ‘The global picture of malaria: is the glass half full or half empty’ Wednesday 30 September 2015 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Kevin Marsh Is a senior advisor at the Professor Marsh has a The global picture African Academy of Sciences broad interest in clinical, and Professor of Tropical epidemiological and of malaria: is the Medicine at the University immunological aspects of glass half full or of Oxford. He qualified in malaria and has authored medicine at the University or coauthored over 400 half empty? of Liverpool in 1978. After publications on different Malaria has historically been undertaking specialist training aspects of malaria. The one of the major threats to as a physician he took the research team he leads has populations living in the tropics DTM&H at LSTM before made major contributions around the world. Although beginning his research career across these fields and works eradication attempts in the at the Medical Research closely with national and 1950’s had major successes Council Unit in the Gambia international policy makers. in Europe and other sub- working on the immunology Professor Marsh has a tropical regions, in traditionally of malaria. From 1985-89 particular interest in developing highly endemic areas there he was at the Institute of and strengthening research was either a resurgence Molecular Medicine in Oxford capacity and scientific after initial gains or even and in 1989 established with leadership in Africa. no major effect. The global colleagues a series of research He is currently supporting strategy moved to one of projects on the clinical the development of a new simply controlling disease epidemiology and immunology platform for the acceleration of and this was subsequently of malaria in Kilifi on the science in Africa through the dramatically undermined by Kenyan coast. These have African Academy of Sciences. the development of resistance subsequently developed into He is chair of the WHO Malaria to all the available anti malarial an international programme Policy Advisory Committee drugs. By the late 1990’s (the KEMRI Wellcome Trust and is a member of a number malaria was accurately Research Programme) of international advisory described as a “global health involving around 800 staff committees relating to malaria disaster”. Since 2000 there working across a number and to global health research. have been remarkable gains, of countries in East Africa of He is a fellow of the Academy both in levels of international which he was director until of Medical Sciences and was investment in malaria control, August 2014 awarded the Prince Mahidol in the development of effective prize for Medicine in 2010. new approaches and in major reductions in the burden of disease and death. In 2015 the World Health Assembly Selected past recipients of the Mary Kingsley Medal unanimously adopted 1905: Sir Patrick Manson a new Global Technical Scottish physician, considered the founder of Tropical Medicine Strategy for accelerating and a pioneer in the field of parasitology &Robert Koch – towards elimination of German physician and microbiologist. Founder of modern malaria. However, despite bacteriology and identified the causative agents of tuberculosis, the encouraging gains cholera and anthrax. several major issues loom: 1910: Anton Breinl these include shortfalls in Austrian medical scientist whose ground-breaking work led to global investment and, most discoveries of drugs to cure sleeping sickness. worrying, the ever present 1938: Émile Brumpt spectre of drug and insecticide French parasitologist, credited with the discovery of the avian resistance. This has led some malarial parasite. to question whether we can maintain and build on recent 1949: Neil Hamilton Farley gains or whether we are Australian physician, instrumental in saving thousands of Allied already at a high point from Forces lives from Malaria during both World Wars. which we will slide back and 1958: Rupert Montgomery Gordon history repeat itself. Holder of the Dutton and Walter Myers Chair of Entomology and Parasitology, giving 39 years’ service to LSTM. 1973: Brian Gilmore Maegraith Pioneer in Tropical Medicine. LSTM’s longest serving Dean. (29 years) 1987: Adetokunbo O. Lucas Nigerian doctor and former Professor of International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. 1998: HRH The Princess Royal Patron of LSTM since 1990. 2005: David Alan Warrell Honorary Clinical Director at LSTM’s Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit and Emeritus Professor of Tropical Medicine & Infectious Disease, at the University of Oxford. A full list of recipients can be found on LSTM’s website. www.lstmed.ac.uk Mary Kingsley The medal Professor Marsh Kingsley demanded a wider receives is named after Mary understanding of African Kingsley. She was a self- social and legal systems and educated writer and traveller how they should be reflected who set sail from Liverpool in colonial commerce. It lead for West Africa on a boat of to the formation of the Fair the Elder Dempster Line of Commerce Party, The Congo shipping magnate Sir Alfred Reform Association and the Jones whose annual £350 African Society. It would be donation was instrumental in the ethos of equity, particularly founding LSTM. in relation to improving health that would continue to drive Her resulting book ‘Travels the work of LSTM. in West Africa’, published in 1897, became an instant Mary Kingsley died in 1900 in bestseller. Through her South Africa from suspected experiences she acquired a typhoid whilst tending to Boer detailed knowledge of African Prisoners of War, aged just 38. society and politics and was regarded as an expert in In honour of her achievements government circles. She was and passion, the Mary a personal friend of LSTM Kingsley Medal was instituted founders Sir Alfred Lewis by John Holt in 1903 and Jones and John Holt, with the was issued for the first time in latter acknowledging her role 1905 to Sir Patrick Manson, in ‘getting us to think on the by many seen as the founding right lines and to work for the father of the field of Tropical good of the African peoples.’ Medicine. For more information visit our website at www.lstmed.ac.uk or email [email protected] .

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