“Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health 2025 awarded during the World Health Assembly”

The Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health, one of the most important awards in public health, this year honours Helen Rees, a physician, a public health specialist and one of the most recognised voices for equity in global health. The prize established in honour of Dr LEE Jong-wook, former Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), was awarded at the Palais des Nations on 23 May during the World Health Assembly, by the President of the Assembly and the WHO Director-General. The Laureate Lecture and Dialogue were held later that day as part of the Geneva Health Forum.

Helen Rees, a medical doctor and public health specialist, is currently Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and Chair of the Board of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. She also chairs and provides strategic expertise to various international bodies, including the WHO, the International Vaccine Initiative and MedAccess, the latter two being not for profit global entities aimed at increasing access to vaccines and to health products for LMICs.  She has held senior positions on the Boards of Gavi, CEPI and IAVI and received numerous awards including national awards from South Africa, France and the UK.

"In presenting her with this award, we wish to highlight her unwavering commitment to health equity, her pursuit of scientific innovation for the benefit of the most disadvantaged and her dedication to the sustainable improvement of health systems," says Dr Il-Soo Ha, President of KOFIH. "Her research and tireless advocacy embody the values of solidarity, excellence and justice - the very ideals that have defined Dr LEE Jong-wook's legacy."

For over thirty years, Prof Rees has dedicated her work to improving the health of populations, particularly in the areas of vaccine preventable diseases, HIV and STIs, sexual and reproductive health, and response to epidemics. She has played a major role in the response to major contemporary health crises, including the Ebola, COVID-19 and monkeypox epidemics. At the WHO, she chairs and participates in several expert scientific committees responsible for informing global vaccine policy and preparing for health emergencies. Her research and policy work has focused on communities and populations with the greatest health needs.

"Her work has had a profound influence on public health policy, both nationally and internationally," says Professor Alexandra Calmy, Vice-Dean of the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and HIV/AIDS specialist at Geneva University Hospitals. "Her scientific rigour and ability to unite stakeholders around innovative and sustainable solutions make her one of the leading figures in global health."

Established in 2008 by the World Health Organization with the financial and operational support of KOFIH, the Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health continues to honour individuals and organisations that champion equity in global health, perpetuating Dr LEE's vision of a world where no one is left behind. "Geneva is at the centre of global health," adds Professor Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and President of the Geneva Health Forum. "Today we are bringing together all the players in global health. At a time when multilateralism is the target of increasingly virulent attacks, it is more important than ever to recall the essential role of people like Helen, who is committed to helping the most vulnerable. The UNIGE is committed to working alongside her to highlight the importance of scientific research as an essential basis for effective and equitable public policies.”

A Step Further - an Interview with Professor Helen Rees

What does the Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health mean to you?

The Dr Lee Jong-wook Public Health award is wonderful recognition of my life’s work and I am hugely honoured. The “Inverse Care Law” shows us that those most in need have the least invested in their health, and the discipline of public health seeks to address this in a myriad of ways. The importance of combining health provision with human rights and equitable access, underpins the philosophy of this global award.  The work I have done in service delivery, research and policy, has been undertaken with teams of multi-skilled colleagues, and this award is a recognition of all those committed to uplifting the health of individuals and communities, often in challenging circumstances.  

At a time when efforts to improve global health are dwindling, what role do you see for the various stakeholders - IOs, universities, donors, politicians?

Over the past few years and most dramatically in 2025, we have witnessed a change in political thinking that has diminished the priority given to Official Development Assistance (ODA) for health service delivery and research. Unless addressed through new investments and innovation, years of progress and many achievements in global health will be reversed. It is the responsibility of those of us involved in global health to frame the arguments for ongoing investment and innovation. These arguments must be based on two tenants. Firstly, we must frame data-driven and evidence-based arguments that persuade policymakers and governments to invest in health and research. We need to develop the transactional arguments that persuade decision makers that global health investments are good for the world and for their own constituencies. 

The mutual benefit of strategies that address pandemic threats, communicable and non-communicable diseases are clear. Uplifting the development of poor countries through other global health interventions such maternal health programmes and food security, needs to be argued from the perspective that health is core to global and regional development and stability.  

Secondly, we must make the moral arguments about our global and collective responsibility to address the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. The world’s respect does not go out to warmongers or corrupt officials, but to people like Dr Lee Jong-wook, whose life was dedicated to equity and the upliftment of the poor. These are core principles for IOs, donors and many global leaders and we must continue to applaud these values as we rethink the global health ecosystem.  

What is your vision for the future of public health?

At this inflection point in global health, international health governance needs to be re-examined. Business as usual is not an option and the roles and responsibilities of global agencies must be urgently reviewed and reconfigured.  Innovative health financing that builds on existing global initiatives must be expanded to address health product pricing and access. Health service delivery must be rethought and streamlined, focusing on more efficient patient-centred services that utilise leapfrogging interventions. These must include AI driven technologies that empower patient’s self-care, improve clinical management, relieve work pressure for health care workers, and utilise big data gathered from clinic facilities and beyond for improved surveillance and health programme management.  The overnight dismantling of research ecosystems requires new ideas on how we conduct research and how we sustain resources. Investment in a prioritised research agenda needs global discussion between funders and researchers, and not just a funder driven agenda. Research priorities should include appropriate technologies and utilise AI tools to develop new medicines and therapeutics that address priority diseases and improve adherence and effectiveness. Community engagement must be more than a tick box, with interventions that create real exchanges and trust between communities, policymakers, clinicians and scientists.  

As we re-envisage global health in the context of turmoil, I remain optimistic. Worldwide, millions of health practitioners and researchers are committed to the ambition of a healthier more equitable world. Medicine is the art and science of healing and caring and as long as these principles drive an ongoing global health agenda, our achievements will continue to grow.

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