Two Leading academics and global leaders in public health were honoured by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) autumn graduation ceremony one with the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal and the other an honorary doctorate, respectively, for sterling service to humanity.

The visionary Prof Carel IJsselmuiden was given the Chancellor’s Award on 5^th May in recognition of his seminal contribution to the formation of the School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) in 1999 after he was appointed professor and head of the Department of Community Health at UP in 1995.

A week later 12^th May, the former World Health Organization (WHO), Executive Director, Dr David Nabarro, and ex-Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General, received an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his work and his cross-cutting impact in the fields of Human Health, Food Security, Good governance, sustainability, participation and inclusion, among other fields.

Respected and recognised internationally as a physician, epidemiologist, public health practitioner, academic and social entrepreneur, the Chancellor’s Award acknowledges Prof IJsselmuiden’s continued work in ensuring equity in research through initiatives such as the Global Health Partnership, the Research Fairness Initiative and his current role as Executive Director at the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED).

Prof IJsselmuiden established the SHSPH as part of the School of Medicine at UP with a vision to achieve greater national and continental relevance and international excellence. The SHSPH has 27 full-time and part-time staff who offer 90 different modules to more than 250 postgraduate students. He has published extensively on implementation programs in immunisation, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, urban health and research ethics and held the post of founding director until he was appointed Executive Director at COHRED in Geneva in 2004.

More recently, his focus has been on fairness in research partnerships as a critical requirement for systematic research and innovation system growth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Research Fairness Initiative (RFI) is a key instrument in this work. Through his work at COHRED and the RFI, Prof IJsselmuiden is addressing global inequalities in health research.

In 2009, the Global Forum for Health realised that more than 90% of the $130 billion spent on health research was spent on diseases that cause only 10% of the world’s mortality, thus highlighting the infamous “10/90 Gap”.

After spending the first ten years of his research career in rural medicine, Prof IJsselmuiden moved to peri-urban and urban health care and environmental health services management before switching to academic public health research, education and research ethics training. He has worked and lived in Africa, Europe, the United States and the Caribbean.

The Chancellor’s Medal is an honorary award that recognises an individual’s achievements and contributions to society in fields other than those exclusively within the academic sphere.

Authorised by the UP Council, no more than two Chancellor’s Medals are presented in an academic year.

Previous winners include television and stage actress Sandra Prinsloo, who was awarded it during the spring graduation of September 2011, and Actom’s Chairman, Andries Mthethwa, who was honoured in April 2021 in recognition of his contribution to the industry, society and UP’s EBIT Faculty.

The award itself is a gilded medal accompanied by a scroll. UP’s ceremonial coat of arms and the words “Chancellor’s Medal” appear on one side of the medal, with the recipient's name and the date of the award engraved on the other side.

Regarding policy influencing and impact, Dr Nabarro has displayed exceptional impact through multiple networks involving researchers and practitioners, contributing to policy choices and implications of efforts by governments, local authorities and other stakeholders globally.

The citation describes Dr Nabarro as a strong advocate and practitioner of transdisciplinary research, as demonstrated by his cross-cutting impact in the fields of Human Health, Food Security, Good governance, Sustainability, participation and inclusion, among other fields.

Dr Nabarro has contributed to the development of others as all his work benefits from stimulating and encouraging applied transdisciplinary research linked to policy and implementation and involves collective action by multiple stakeholders in policy influencing and impact.

“Dr Nabarro has displayed exceptional impact through multiple networks involving researchers and practitioners, contributing to policy choices and impact of efforts by governments, local authorities and other stakeholders globally,” the citation reads.

“As a leading research-intensive university, we are delighted to recognise the contributions of two great individuals for their sterling work in contributing to a better world,” says UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe.

Prof Kupe notes that Prof IJsselmuiden’s contributions have had an impact on a national or international scale and be of the type that signifies a creative spirit and intellect. “The Chancellor’s Award is clear that it is not only about having a successful career; the recipient’s public profile should be aligned with UP’s vision, mission, values, strategic goals and objectives. We are proud that Prof IJsselmuiden more than meets the requirements of this prestigious award,” says Prof Kupe.

Responding to the honorary doctorate conferred on him, Dr Nabarro, says he was full of gratitude to UP for the recognition, believing that such an accolade is by no means an indication that one’s work is finished as the challenges facing the world vast and in urgent need of willing minds and able bodies to roll-up-their sleeves and contribute to a better planet.

“I appreciate the considered citation, am over-awed by the generous recognition of what you describe as service to humanity and wish to let you know that this inspires me to continue the partnership with institutions, like UP and on a global scale to create the world we desire.

“Finally, this honour inspires me to press on, drawing on the words of probably the world’s greatest statesman, Nelson Mandela, who once said: “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb”.