Public health prizes and awards Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health
The Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health was established in 2008 in honour of Dr LEE Jong-wook, the sixth WHO Director-General, who dedicated his life to the underprivileged.
The Prize is awarded to individuals, institutions, and/or governmental or nongovernmental organizations whose contributions to the improvement of public health should reflect the will of Dr LEE Jong-wook, the sixth WHO Director General who dedicated his life to the underprivileged, as per the Statutes and the Guidelines for the Prize. The Prize aims at rewarding work that has extended far beyond the call of normal duties.
It consists of a plaque from the Founder and a sum of money which will not exceed US$ 100 000.
The Prize is awarded at a special ceremony during a plenary of the World Health Assembly. It is presented by the President of the World Health Assembly, together with the Director-General of the WHO and a representative of the foundation.
WHO/Pierre Albouy
Dr Jorge Francisco Meneses (Guatemala) receiving the Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health
Procedure for the proposal and selection of candidates
Any national health administration as well as any former recipient of the Prize may nominate a candidate for the award. Current and former staff members of the World Health Organization and current members of the Executive Board are ineligible to receive the award.
The guidelines including the selection criteria (paragraph 4) and adequate documentation (paragraph 6), should be read carefully before the application form is completed.
The application form should include a description of the candidate’s achievements relating to the area of focus of the Prize, emphasize how the candidature meets the selection criteria that are included in the Guidelines for the Prize, and indicate how the award funds would be used.
Based on applications received, proposals are made to the Director-General, who submits them to the Foundation Selection Panel together with his/her technical comments. The Selection Panel meets to decide on the recommendation to be made to the Executive Board, which designates the recipient (or recipients) of the Prize.
