The University of Michigan has awarded the Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health to World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The Francis Medal recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of global health and is named in honor of Thomas Francis, Jr., the University of Michigan virologist who performed the clinical trials in 1950 that confirmed the safety and efficacy of the original polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk. Tedros—as he prefers to be addressed—will receive the medal during a ceremony in the spring of 2023. The award, which includes a $50,000 prize, is regarded as one of the university’s highest honors, having previously been awarded only three times since it was established in 2005.

The first African to lead WHO, Tedros was born in Eritrea, holds degrees in immunology and public health, and served as Ethiopia’s minister of health for more than a decade before his election as WHO director-general in 2017. Before leading WHO, Tedros chaired the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Board (now the RBM Partnership to End Malaria), and WHO’s Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. At WHO Tedros has prioritized improving the health of underserved people worldwide, even while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and managing ongoing public health challenges from tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria to the resurgence of polio and the global spread of monkeypox.

“In an increasingly interconnected and global society, a global approach to public health is critical to our ability to anticipate threats, prevent disease, and improve health and equity across populations,” said DuBois Bowman, dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health and chair of the medal selection committee. “Tedros exemplifies this approach, and his innovation, leadership, and fervent commitment to health equity have positively impacted the lives of countless people around the world.”

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