MMV presents Lifetime Achievement Awards to three longstanding collaborators
On Sunday 10 November at the opening reception of MMV’s 20th anniversary event, three MMV Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to two MMV Board members, Ms Joy Phumaphi and Dr Winston Gutteridge as well as a member of MMV’s Expert Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC), Sir Simon Campbell.
Ms Phumaphi was awarded for outstanding work in global public health and malaria. She is a Botswana national and has served as Minister of Health where she implemented a multisectoral plan to combat HIV/AIDS. Ms Phumaphi later joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as Assistant Director General for Family and Community Health. She also spent time at the World Bank Group where she oversaw several initiatives, including the introduction of health results-based funding. Ms Phumaphi is currently the Executive Secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), an alliance of 49 African Heads of State and Government. In her role as Co-Chair of the Independent Accountability Panel, for Every Woman Every Child, she reports annually to the United Nations Secretary General on developing country-level progress on women’s and children’s health. She has served on MMV’s Board of Directors since 2014.
An award for outstanding work in malaria drug research was presented to Dr Winston Gutteridge. At Wellcome plc, a multinational pharmaceutical company, Dr Gutteridge co-discovered the activity of atovaquone against Pneumocystis, a fungal infection, and the antimalarial synergy between atovaquone and proguanil. He was a senior member of the team responsible for the development and registration of this drug combination which became, and indeed still is, a key medicine for the treatment and especially the prevention of malaria. Dr Gutteridge is former Chief of Product R&D for the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) at the WHO. He was a founding member of MMV, served on its Board of Directors from 1999-2003, was the Chair of its Expert Scientific Advisory Committee from 2003-2009, and served again on its Board of Directors from March 2009 to date.
Sir Simon Campbell was awarded for outstanding innovations in drug discovery. Sir Simon was the first Chair of MMV’s ESAC from 1999–2003. He later rejoined ESAC as a member from 2008–2014, and then again from 2017 to date. Prior to his time with MMV, in 1972, Sir Simon joined Pfizer Central Research, Sandwich, UK, as a medicinal chemist. Innovative research by Sir Simon and his teams led to the discovery of Norvasc, Viagra and Cardura, which all became world leaders in their therapeutic classes. In October 1998, he retired as Pfizer’s Senior Vice President for Worldwide Discovery and Medicinals R&D Europe and in 1999 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society – an honour rare for scientists in industry. In addition, he received a knighthood for services to chemistry in 2015.
“As MMV celebrates its 20th year we wish to thank Joy, Winston and Simon for a lifetime of commitment to public health and malaria research as well as their unwavering support for MMV and its mission over the years,” said Dr David Reddy, CEO of MMV. “MMV has come a long way since 1999 with over two million lives saved and this has been made possible only with the support of committed collaborators like Joy, Winston and Simon.”
→ Go to an interview with Sir Simon Campbell to learn more about his contributions to drug discovery and the beginnings of MMV. Read interviews with our Board Members to learn more about their views on the evolution of MMV over the past 20 years and their vision for its future.