The director-general of the World Health Organisation is being awarded an honorary degree by a university for his “exceptional impact” on improving global health.
The University of Glasgow is to honour Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has led the organisation since 2017.
Dr Ghebreyesus has received wide recognition for his services to healthcare, having previously been chairman of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
He has been chairman of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board.
He also served as Ethiopia’s minister for health and minister of foreign affairs.
He was the first non-American to receive the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award in 2001.
In 2020, he was named among Time Magazine’s top 100 influential people and was also crowned African of the Year by the African Leadership Magazine.
He will receive the honorary degree at a ceremony in the university’s Bute Hall on March 5.
He said: “I am deeply honoured to be recognised by the University of Glasgow, a storied institution and leading research university with a long history of important contributions to science, medicine and global health.”
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal and vice-chancellor at the university, said: “I’m really delighted to welcome Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to Glasgow and to hear his keynote speech on the future global health challenges we might face.
“In awarding this honorary degree, we are recognising the exceptional impact Dr Tedros has made as director-general of the World Health Organisation in improving global health, expanding universal health coverage and responding to global health emergencies.
“We are also proud to celebrate the impact he has made throughout his career to promote community health initiatives and tackle the prevalence of infectious and non-communicable diseases.
“Glasgow has been at the cutting-edge of innovation in medicine, life sciences and public health for centuries – from the invention of beta blockers and ultrasound in medicine, to our rapid response to Covid-19 which saw the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab process over 31 million cumulative tests throughout the pandemic.
“It is therefore fitting that we confer this honorary degree upon Dr Tedros in recognition of his role as a global health visionary and welcome him to our community of world changers.”
Tickets to the ceremony can be booked at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/honorary-graduation-and-public-talk-dr-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-tickets-825196513987.
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