Sir Patrick Manson Medal

The Sir Patrick Manson Medal is RSTMH’s highest mark of distinction and is awarded to the living person whose contribution to any branch of tropical medicine or hygiene is considered by the Board of Trustees to be most deserving. It is awarded every three years and is for senior experts in their field.

This Award is now closed for nominations. The deadline was 30 May 2025.

Thank you for all the nominations. These are being reviewed by our committees and the winner will be announced at the RSTMH Annual Meeting in September.

Eligibility and nominations

  • Nominations are every three years
  • The Manson Medal is the Society's highest mark of distinction
  • The Manson Medal is awarded to the living person whose contribution to any branch of tropical medicine or hygiene is considered to merit the honour most by the Board of Trustees
  • Nominations should come from RSTMH members and Fellows ONLY
  • Self-nominations are not accepted for this Medal 
  • Nominees should be RSTMH members and Fellows ONLY

  • For any enquiries regarding this award, please contact Sarah [dot] Stickland [at] RSTMH [dot] org

History and prize

Sir Patrick Manson

At the outset of the twentieth century, Sir Patrick Manson, GCMG, FRS, (3 October 1844 – 9 April 1922) was the most eminent figure in the field of tropical medicine.

Distinguished by his own research, and with a reputation as an outstanding teacher and administrator, he established the scientific basis of tropical medicine. In his own lifetime, he was hailed by Raphael Blanchard of Paris as the "Father of Tropical Medicine".

He made important discoveries in parasitology, including that mosquitoes carry filariasis and that the embryonic filariae only appear in the patient's peripheral bloodstream at night when mosquitoes feed.

Sir Patrick was the first President of RSTMH and remained closely associated with the Society until the end of his life. He also founded the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

In 1921 his friends and admirers from all parts of the world subscribed to a Portrait Fund as a mark of their esteem for him and his work. After the portrait, which hangs in the Board Room of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, had been executed, it was decided to use the surplus of the fund to found a medal for outstanding contributions to tropical medicine and hygiene. RSTMH accepted responsibility for administering the award.

The Manson Medal is the Society's highest mark of distinction and is awarded to the living person whose contribution to any branch of tropical medicine or hygiene is considered by the Board of Trustees to merit the honour most.

This bronze medal bears the likeness of Sir Patrick in profile on the obverse, and on the reverse a garland of oak leaves surrounds the words "Tropical Medicine. A.D. 1922", the year in which Sir Patrick died.

2025 Sir Patrick Manson Medal recipient: Professor Kevin Marsh

The Manson Medal was awarded in 2025 to Professor Kevin Marsh.

Professor Kevin Marsh is a malariologist who qualified in medicine at the University of Liverpool in 1978 and began his research career at the MRC Unit in The Gambia. Professor Marsh’s research interests are broad, with an emphasis on the development of immunity and its influence on the clinical epidemiology of malaria. He has a particular interest in developing and strengthening research capacity and scientific leadership in Africa.   

"It is an incredible honour to be awarded the Sir Patrick Manson medal. It actually gives me a sense of unreality to see my name added to the list of previous awardees, which embodies  so much of the history of the whole field of Tropical Medicine and Global Health. Of course this is a landscape that has changed enormously since Manson's time, perhaps most importantly in recognising the urgency of shifting the centre of gravity of decision making and leadership to the countries and communities that face the greatest global health challenges. I am delighted that this is a shift that the RSTMH has wholeheartedly embraced and this makes it particularly special to receive the societies highest honour," says Professor Marsh.

Professor Mash was nominated by Professor Jimmy Whitworth, who said: "Kevin Marsh is an outstanding leader in  Global Health who has made enormous contributions to research, policy and scientific capacity building. Kevin has made seminal contributions to our understanding of human malaria and particularly the relationship between transmission intensity, immunity and clinical disease."