RSTMH Medals and Awards Winners 2025
RSTMH has today announced the winners of the 2025 Medals and Awards programme at the RSTMH Annual Meeting, held in London on 25 – 26 September 2025.
Every year RSTMH gives out a number of medals and awards in recognition of excellence. This year, nominations were open for four individual medal and awards. These medals and awards recognise success in a variety of global health areas and for a range of career stages.
"The RSTMH Medals and Awards Programme is a great way to recognise success in our area of work, from those starting out in their careers and demonstrating commitment to others behind them in the journey, to recognising career achievements. I am so delighted to be announcing the winners of our 2025 Medals and Awards and I hope this inspires you to consider others who are deserving of this recognition,” said Tamar Ghosh, RSTMH Chief Executive.
Emerging Leaders Award
The Emerging Leaders Award was established in 2016 to recognise significant contributions in leadership and service, including mentoring and other forms of capacity building, to the fields of tropical medicine and global health.
This year’s Emerging Leader Award has been presented to Dr Cassandra Akinde. Dr Akinde is a Research Consultant for the EmpowerHer Health Fellowship Research for Gender Equity Stream with Women in Global Health, Nigeria.
Dr Akinde is a multi-award-winning public health physician and social entrepreneur with over eight years of experience in advancing health equity and strengthening systems for underserved populations across Africa and beyond. With a career spanning global development and public health, she has successfully implemented and evaluated multiple social impact-driven projects that have reached over 40,000 beneficiaries in Nigeria.
"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. To the RSTMH Board of Trustees, thank you for selecting me among such an exceptional group of candidates,” Dr Cassandra Akinde.
Dr Akinde was nominated by Justin Nwofe, who said: “I have followed her journey from her time as a Chevening Scholar at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to her emergence as one of the most dynamic young leaders working at the intersection of tropical medicine, research, and health system strengthening across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Her contributions span implementation research, public health, capacity building, mentorship and social entrepreneurship, and she embodies the very essence of this prestigious award.”
Chalmers Medal
The winner of this year’s Chalmers Medal is Professor Joel Tarning, who was nominated by Professor Nick Day. The Chalmers Medal recognises researchers in tropical medicine or global health who demonstrate evidence of mentoring and professional development of junior investigators, and other forms of capacity building.
Professor Tarning’s work on antimalarial pharmacometrics has underpinned many of the current WHO malaria treatment guidelines, ensuring that children and pregnant women now receive the correct treatment for this deadly disease. This is just one example of his sustained contribution to global health and the overall scientific community.
“I am deeply honoured to receive the RSTMH Chalmers Medal. This recognition is not only a personal accolade but also a tribute to the many colleagues, collaborators, communities, and patients who have contributed to this work. I accept this award with great humility, standing alongside the many giants in the field of global health who have received this award in the past,” Professor Joel Tarning.
Professor Nick Day added: “I nominated Joel Tarning because of his phenomenal record in training pharmacometricians from all over the world - collaborating with researchers across Africa, Asia and South America, getting samples, helping with analyses and sharing the data. Joel is an extraordinarily innovative scientist whose work on antimalarial pharmacometrics has underpinned many of the current WHO malaria treatment guidelines, ensuring that children and pregnant women in particular now receive the correct treatment for this deadly disease.”
Hemingway Award
The winner of this year’s award is Professor Giancarlo Biagini, Dean of Research and Innovation at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Professor Biagini’s career spans over 25 years and his fundamental work has contributed to the understanding of mechanisms of drug action, major resistance mechanisms in malaria and the validation of novel targets for chemotherapy in both malaria and TB.
“I’m very grateful to RSTMH for the Hemingway Medal. Translational research is a collective team effort, and this recognition reflects the guidance of mentors and the commitment of colleagues and students to advancing translational research for disadvantaged populations,” Professor Giancarlo Biagini.
Professor Steve Ward, Walter Myers Professor of Parasitology at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine nominated, who Professor Biagini for this award, said: “his career exemplifies what the Hemingway Award seeks to reward: transformational research, institutional leadership, and the sustained development of people and platforms that shape the future of translational research. He has turned molecular insights into candidate therapies. He has built environments where translational science can thrive, and he has empowered the next generation to have real-world impact.”
Sir Patrick Manson Medal
Our most prestigious award, the Sir Patrick Manson Medal, is being given this year to Professor Kevin Marsh, a malariologist. Professor Marsh is the Director of the Africa Oxford Initiative and Senior Adviser Science for Africa Foundation at the University of Oxford.
His major research interests focus on immunity to and pathogenesis of malaria and has a particular interest in supporting science and scientific leadership across 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."
Presidents’ Fund Awardees
The Presidents’ Fund aims to support RSTMH membership for three years for residents of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) who are unable to renew their membership or join due to financial difficulties. This year we’re delighted to announce four awardees for the President’s Fund – Dr Arohi Chauhan, Dr Dominic Inaido, Vivian Philemon Mushi and Peace Oregbesan.