Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as the representative of His Majesty the King, recently presided over the presentation ceremony of the Prince Mahidol Award 2014 at the Chakri Throne Hall, The Grand Palace.
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) was a proud sponsor of this prestigious occasion, bringing award selection committee members and award recipients to the Kingdom of Thailand.
This year’s laureate in the field of medicine was Professor Dr. Akira Endo, President of Biopharm Research Laboratories, Inc. and distinguished Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. His pioneering work in the discovery of Statin has been recognized as a major milestone in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease and other major vascular diseases, saving millions of lives worldwide.
In the field of public health, the award was presented to Dr. Donald A. Henderson, Distinguished Scholar at the Center for Health Security at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Henderson is also the Dean Emeritus at Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. His work in heading the WHO Smallpox Eradication Unit from 1966 to 1977, led to its successful conclusion in 1977 when the last case was reported in Somalia, and with the WHO declaring the end of smallpox had been achieved globally.
The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, of which Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the president, was established on 1 January 1992 to commemorate the centennial birthday of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla. The Prince Mahidol Award is conferred annually to individuals or institutions which have demonstrated outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of medical and public health services for humanity throughout the world. Award recipients are presented with a medal and certificate of achievement, along with US$100,000.
