Brian Greenwood

Brian M. Greenwood CBE FRCP FRS (1938– ) is a British physician, biomedical research scientist, academic, and recipient of the first Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize.

Greenwood is the Manson Professor of Clinical Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Greenwood, Brian. [http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7439/534?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&andorexacttitle=and&andorexac "Editorial: Treating Malaria in Africa,"] "British Medical Journal" - BMJ 2004;328:534-535 (6 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7439.534.]

Malaria research and mitigation

Greenwood's career has focused on mitigating the effects of malaria and research. [see above] ] In his ten years experience working in Nigeria, and his fifteen years as the head of the Medical Research Council Laboratories in the Gambia, his main research interests were malaria and infections caused by capsulated bacteria such as the meningococcus ("Neissera meningitidis"). [Dawood, Richard M. (20003). [http://books.google.com/books?id=LWTibZ1fRbsC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=Brian+M.+Greenwood&source=web&ots=0eUrHRESKJ&sig=OjOJIOXkbF6P2o5nzfuqv_cD4hg&hl=en "Travellers' Health: How to Stay Healthy Abroad," p. 110.] ]

Malaria's stubborn resistance to control and treatment has been demonstrated in his West African clinical experience. [Greenwood, Brian M. (1992). [http://books.google.com/books?id=pCzdWxcE4REC&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=Brian+M.+Greenwood&source=web&ots=l8GLrDvSe6&sig=PraEiR07wDrDnVG_UZY0vX7p9dg&hl=en "Malaria chemoprophylaxis in endemic regions," "Malaria: Waiting for the Vaccine," pp. 83] -101.] Setbacks in a series of promising drug treatments have proven frustrating. [French, Howard W. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E1DE173AF931A1575AC0A962958260 "Scientist Says Tests Show New Vaccine May Prevent Malaria,"] "New York Times." September 22, 1994; French, Howard W. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E7DF133AF936A1575AC0A962958260 "Hope in Africa; Anti-Malarial Vaccine May Be Breakthrough,"] "New York Times." September 15, 1994.]

Although successes in research for a reliable vaccine have continued to prove elusive, Dr. Greenwood has also persisted in promoting a simpler preventive approach. He has been in the forefront of those who are encouraging the use of chemically treated mosquito nets to shield sleeping villagers from attack by the malaria-infected insects. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7D9113CF935A25754C0A967958260 "Nets Cut Malaria Deaths, Study Says,"] "New York Times." July 16, 1991.]

Honours

* 1977 - Chalmers Medal, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH). [http://www.rstmh.org/winners.asp RSTMH, Chalmers Medal.] ]
* 1991 - McKay Prize, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.US/National Institutes of Health: [http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/03_18_2003/story02.htm Gorgas Lecture (2003)] ]
* 1995 - Adesuyi Prize, West African Health Community (1995). [see above] ]
* 2001 - Manson Medal, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. [see above] ]

Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize

The Japanese Government established the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize in July 2006 as a new international medical research and services award. The announcement of tentative plans for the prize were timed to mark the official visit to by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Africa in May 2006. The announcement also marked the 80th anniversary of Dr. Noguchi’s death. [Japan Science and Technology Agency: [http://sciencelinks.jp/content/blogcategory/30/246/ " Comemorative Lecture: The First Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize,"] Science Links Japan web site.] The Prize aims to honour individuals with outstanding achievements in combating various infectious diseases in Africa or in establishing innovative medical service systems. [Rockefeller Foundation: [http://www.rockfound.org/about_us/news/2006/072506noguchi.shtml Noguchi Prize, history] ]

The inaugural presentation ceremony and the initial laureate lectures coincide with the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which was held in Yokohama in late April 2008. [Japan, Cabinet Office: [http://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/keii-e.html Noguchi Prize, chronology] ] This year's conference venue was moved from Tokyo to Yokohama as another way of honoring the man after whom the prize was named. In 1899, Dr. Noguchi worked at the Yokohama Port Quarantine Office as an assistant quarantine doctor. [Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum: [http://www.town.inawashiro.fukushima.jp/eng/main_eng_noguchi.html Noguchi, life events] ]

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda made the actual award presentation; and the Emperor and Empress were present at the 2008 ceremony along with a large number of African heads of state. [ [http://uzimafoundation.org/main/2008/05/29/mama-miriam-receives-the-hideyo-noguchi-prize/ "Mama Miriam receives the Hideyo Noguchi Prize,"] UZIMA Foundation News. May 29, 2008; [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5irVga8h6hn421DTP4i63b5ejJzFw "Japan awards Kenyan, Briton new Africa health prize"] (Agence France Press). May 28, 2008.]

Greenwood was honored in the Medical Research category; and his announced laureate lecture topic was "Malaria elimination – Is it possible?"Japan, Cabinet Office: [http://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/gaiyo-e.html Noguchi Prize, fact sheet.] ]

The first awards of this international prize -- consisting of a citation, a medal and an honorarium of 100 million yen (US$843,668) were only intended to be the first in a continuing series; and subsequently the Prize is expected to be awarded every five years. [World Health Organization: [http://www.afro.who.int/press/2007/pr20070430.html Noguchi Prize, WHO/AFRO involved] ] The prize as been made possible through a combination of government funding and private donations. [ [http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080330TDY03103.htm "Noguchi Africa Prize short by 70% of fund target,"] "Yomiuri Shimbun" (Tokyo). March 30, 2008.]

Notes

References

* Greenwood, Brian M. (1992). [http://books.google.com/books?id=pCzdWxcE4REC&dq=Brian+M.+Greenwood&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 "Malaria chemoprophylaxis in endemic regions,"] "Malaria: Waiting for the Vaccine," G.A.T. Target, ed. London: John Wiley and Sons. 13-ISBN 0-471-93100-4
* __________________. [http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/5/08-053348/en/index.html "A global action plan for the prevention and control of pneumonia,] "Bulletin of the World Health Organization." Vol. 86, No. 5, May 2008, 321-416.

External links

* Audio interview: [http://www.audiomedica.com/global-health-issues/lshtm/tropical-health-research-london-scientist-honored/ Dr. Greenwood discusses Noguchi Prize and his research background in Africa]
* Japanese Government Internet TV: [http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1143.html streaming video, "Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize," 2007/04/26 (5 mins.)]
* Development Gateway Foundation: [http://topics.developmentgateway.org/poverty/news/showNewsItemDetails.do?activeNewsItem=36810&foo= Noguchi Prize, Greenwood bio]
* Gates Malaria Partnership: [http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/gmp/staff.htm Greenwood, director]
* Malaria Advisory Group (MAG): [http://www.madnessagainstmalaria.com/en/aboutus_mag.aspx Greenwood, adviser]
* Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: [http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-noguchiafrica/index.html Purpose and Description of the Noguchi Prize]
* University of London, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: [http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/news/2008/hideyo-noguchiPrize.html Noguchi prize announcement]