Celebrating our global community through the RSTMH Medals and Awards

There is now just one week to go until nominations close for RSTMH’s 2026 Medals and Awards. This year, we are accepting nominations for three of our awards: the Chalmers Medal, Emerging Leaders Award, and George Macdonald Medal. For the full information about the awards open this year, read more here. 

We have been reflecting on the purpose of our medals and awards. Since the Patrick Manson Medal first launched in 1923, RSTMH has used our medals and awards to commend those who have made outstanding contributions to the fields of tropical medicine and global health. As our membership has diversified and globalised over time, our goal has been to celebrate and showcase the exceptional work done by members of our international community. With this in mind, we are reflecting on the nominees for, and winners of, our medals and awards in recent years, to consider how we can best represent our worldwide community. 

Gender 

Since 2018, there have been 29 opportunities for our members to nominate themselves or others to win one of our medals or awards. In 10 of these medal and awards rounds, we have seen at least 50% female nominees; for the remaining 19 opportunities, there have been fewer than 50% female nominees. There is a difference in gender representation across the different awards. For the Chalmers Medal, Patrick Manson Medal, Donald McKay Medal, and Emerging Leaders Award, fewer than a third of nominations overall were for women. 

However, an analysis of recent winners also reveals a positive message for gender representation. After adjusting for the number of nominees, women were equally likely as men to be selected as winners by RSTMH’s Grants and Awards Committee, who determine the winners for our medals and awards. This reaffirms that applications from women are just as valued, competitive and well-received as those from men.  

One of the awards open this year is the Emerging Leaders Award, which was won last year by Dr Cassandra Akinde, nominated by Justin Nwofe. 

Dr Akinde is a multi-award-winning public health physician and social entrepreneur with over 8 years’ experience of driving health equity and strengthening systems for underserved populations across Africa and beyond. She has led and managed high-impact projects that have focused, amongst other areas, on health issues affecting women, such as maternal health and adolescent sexual and reproductive health. 

"I am extremely grateful and humbled to receive this prestigious global health award. Being recognised for my work in underserved communities means the world to me. I give all glory to God, whose grace guides every step of my career. I am grateful to my family, friends, and to Justin Nwofe for his nomination. His confidence in my work, impact and leadership means more than words can express.” - Dr Cassandra Akinde.  

Low- and Middle-Income Countries 

Each year, we run the Emerging Leaders Award, which is aimed specifically at researchers and practitioners from, and based in, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This award allows us to spotlight the phenomenal work done by members of the global health sector who might otherwise be underrepresented in professional prizes. We are delighted to have run the Emerging Leaders since 2016, recognising ten exceptional global health leaders from LMICs so far. 

Nonetheless, it is important to reiterate that residents of LMICs are eligible for all of our awards and are encouraged to nominate themselves and their peers where applicable. Across all our awards since 2018 (excepting the Emerging Leaders Award), 55 nominees were based in LMICs, compared to a total of 116 nominees. This is a rate of just 47%, whereas 54% of our members – and an estimated 81% of the global population – are based in LMICs. As with the discrepancy in gender, it appears that residents of LMICs are less likely to nominate themselves, or be nominated for, our awards. 

Again, the analysis of the winners of our awards since 2018 shows a more positive message. When adjusted for the discrepancy in nominees, residents of LMICs were equally likely to be selected as awardees, compared to residents of high-income countries.  

In 2023, the Chalmers Medal was awarded to Professor Faith Hope Among’in Osier. Professor Osier trained as a paediatrician in Kenya, specialized in immunology in Liverpool, and obtained a PhD from the Open University. She is Chair of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London where she also serves as the Co-Director of the Institute of Infection.  

“I am thoroughly delighted to receive this award and acknowledge the support of all my colleagues, research funders and host institutions, without whom this would not have been possible. This award raises the profile of female African scientists in global health and will inspire others to be the change we want to see.” - Professor Faith Hope Among’in Osier 

Our 2026 Medals and Awards 

We are delighted to have received nominees from a range of countries, disease specialisms, genders, and institutions for our awards this year. All members and Fellows of our global community are encouraged to nominate individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of tropical medicine and global health, so that we can celebrate and represent our global community to our fullest ability. 

Speaking about RSTMH’s medals and awards, Tamar Ghosh, CEO of RSTMH, said: 

"The medals and awards season is one of the highlights of the RSTMH calendar. Each year, it’s a true pleasure to hear about the phenomenal leaders in our community, and to celebrate their dedication to Tropical Medicine and Global Health. Based on our findings, I would really love to see more nominations this year and in the future for women and for those based in low and middle income countries."

If you, or one of your peers, has made a significant contribution to the fields of tropical medicine and global health, submit a nomination today. The wider a variety of people that are nominated for our awards, the better we can represent and celebrate our global community.  

Eligible individuals can nominate themselves or their peers for our Medals and Awards programme. To submit a nomination: 

• For the Chalmers Medal, click here
• For the Emerging Leaders Award, click here
• For the George Macdonald Medal, click here. 

About the Author

Megan Lee is Team and Office Assistant at RSTMH.