Miriam Were
Encyclopedia
Miriam K. Were is a Kenyan public health advocate, academic, and recipient of the first Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize
.
Were qualified as a medical doctor from the University of Nairobi
, and she rose to become head of the Department of Community Medicine at Nairobi's School of Medicine.
Were's studies at Johns Hopkins University
led to her 1981 doctorate in Public Health, Health Planning and Management. She has applied this training and academic background to programs focused on community-based empowerment. Her work aims to help others move towards implementing creative, effective, and self-sustaining programs. Her experiences have been marshaled in encouraging community-based initiatives.
Prof. Were is the current chairperson of the National AIDS Control Council (NACC) Kenya. From a position closely associated with the Office of the President, NACC coordinates the national HIV/AIDS response in Kenya. Dr. Were is also the serving Chairperson of the African Medical and Research Foundation
(AMREF) Board. In addition, she finds time to serve on the Advisory Board of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) as well as on the Board of Directors of Medical Assistance Programs (MAP
) International (US).
Were was Director of the United Nations Population Fund
Country Support Team (UNFPA/CST) for East and Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa, based in Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
. Prior to that she was the World Health Organization
(WHO) Representative and Chief of Mission in Ethiopia. Before WHO, she was Chief of Health and Nutrition in UNICEF, Ethiopia.
Dr. Were was recruited to UNICEF from the Department of Community Health in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nairobi where she had become head of that department. While teaching at the University in Nairobi, she initiated the Community-Based Health Care (CBHC) project in Kakamega
, in Western Kenya. Dr. Were was the Director of CBHC in the period from 1976 through 1982. This project won the UNICEF Maurice Pate Award of 1978, the first time any African institution had won this award.
in July 2006 as a new international medical research and services award. The first announcement of plans to create this prize was timed to mark the official visit to Africa by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
in May 2006. The timing also marked the 80th anniversary of Dr. Noguchi’s death. The Prize aims to honour individuals with outstanding achievements in combating various infectious diseases in Africa or in establishing innovative medical service systems.
The inaugural presentation ceremony and the initial laureate lectures coincided with the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development
(TICAD), which was held in Yokohama
in late-April 2008. This year's conference venue was moved from Tokyo to Yokohama as another way of honoring the man after whom the prize was named. In 1899, Dr. Noguchi worked at the Yokohama Port Quarantine Office as an assistant quarantine doctor.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
made the actual award presentation; and the Emperor and Empress were present at the 2008 ceremony along with a large number of African heads of state.
Were was honored in the Medical Services category; and her laureate lecture topic was "Potential for Improvement in Africa's Health Through Evidence and Persistence in the Spirit of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi?"
The first awards of this international prize—consisting of a citation, a medal and an honorarium of 100 million yen (US$843,668) were only intended to be the first in a continuing series; and subsequently the Prize is expected to be awarded every five years. The prize as been made possible through a combination of government funding and private donations.
Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize
The honors men and women "with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services to combat infectious and other diseases in Africa, thus contributing to the health and welfare of the African people and of all humankind." The prize, officially named "The Prize in...
.
Academic experience
With a degree in Natural Sciences and postgraduate Diploma in Education, Were taught high school chemistry and biology before medical studies.Were qualified as a medical doctor from the University of Nairobi
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: Makerere University in...
, and she rose to become head of the Department of Community Medicine at Nairobi's School of Medicine.
Were's studies at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
led to her 1981 doctorate in Public Health, Health Planning and Management. She has applied this training and academic background to programs focused on community-based empowerment. Her work aims to help others move towards implementing creative, effective, and self-sustaining programs. Her experiences have been marshaled in encouraging community-based initiatives.
Administrative experience
As a co-founder of the UZIMA Foundation and in her work with African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), Dr. Were sought to put her academic training to good use. She focused on the process of bringing basic medical services and health rights to women and children in the villages of East Africa.Prof. Were is the current chairperson of the National AIDS Control Council (NACC) Kenya. From a position closely associated with the Office of the President, NACC coordinates the national HIV/AIDS response in Kenya. Dr. Were is also the serving Chairperson of the African Medical and Research Foundation
African Medical and Research Foundation
The African Medical and Research Foundation was founded in 1957, by three surgeons as the Flying Doctors Service of East Africa. Three doctors – Sir Michael Wood, Archibald McIndoe and Tom Rees – drew up a groundbreaking plan to provide medical assistance to remote regions of East Africa, where...
(AMREF) Board. In addition, she finds time to serve on the Advisory Board of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) as well as on the Board of Directors of Medical Assistance Programs (MAP
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
) International (US).
Were was Director of the United Nations Population Fund
United Nations Population Fund
The United Nations Population Fund is a UN organization. The work of the UNFPA involves promotion of the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. This is done through major national and demographic surveys and with population censuses...
Country Support Team (UNFPA/CST) for East and Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa, based in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Prior to that she was the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) Representative and Chief of Mission in Ethiopia. Before WHO, she was Chief of Health and Nutrition in UNICEF, Ethiopia.
Dr. Were was recruited to UNICEF from the Department of Community Health in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Nairobi where she had become head of that department. While teaching at the University in Nairobi, she initiated the Community-Based Health Care (CBHC) project in Kakamega
Kakamega
Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 ....
, in Western Kenya. Dr. Were was the Director of CBHC in the period from 1976 through 1982. This project won the UNICEF Maurice Pate Award of 1978, the first time any African institution had won this award.
Selected works
- 2002 - "Kakamega, Kenya: A Promising Start Derailed," in Just and Lasting Change: When Communities Own Their Futures, Daniel Taylor-Ide and Carl E. Taylor, eds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. 10-ISBN 0-801-86825-4
- 1985 - "Extended Family Involvement of Urban Professional Women" (with Harriette MacAdoo), in Women in Africa and the African Diaspora, Rosalyn Terborg-Penn and Andrea Benton Rushing, eds. Washington, D.C." Howard University PressHoward University PressHoward University Press was a publisher that was part of Howard University, founded in 1972. It closed in 2011, and a majority of its titles were acquired by Black Classic Press....
. 10-ISBN 0-882-58194-5
Honors
- Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, Chevalier, 2008—France. - Queen Elizabeth II Gold Medal for Outstanding Contributions to International Public Health and Supporting the health needs of disadvantaged people, 2007 United Kingdom.
- Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS), 2005 - Kenya.
- Medal of the Italian Cabinet, 2006 - Italy.
Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize
The Japanese Government established the Hideyo Noguchi Africa PrizeHideyo Noguchi Africa Prize
The honors men and women "with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services to combat infectious and other diseases in Africa, thus contributing to the health and welfare of the African people and of all humankind." The prize, officially named "The Prize in...
in July 2006 as a new international medical research and services award. The first announcement of plans to create this prize was timed to mark the official visit to Africa by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
in May 2006. The timing also marked the 80th anniversary of Dr. Noguchi’s death. The Prize aims to honour individuals with outstanding achievements in combating various infectious diseases in Africa or in establishing innovative medical service systems.
The inaugural presentation ceremony and the initial laureate lectures coincided with the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development
Tokyo International Conference on African Development
is a conference held every five years in Tokyo, Japan, with the objective "to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners." Japan is a co-host of these conferences. Other co-organizers of TICAD are the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa...
(TICAD), which was held in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
in late-April 2008. This year's conference venue was moved from Tokyo to Yokohama as another way of honoring the man after whom the prize was named. In 1899, Dr. Noguchi worked at the Yokohama Port Quarantine Office as an assistant quarantine doctor.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
Yasuo Fukuda
was the 91st Prime Minister of Japan, serving from 2007 to 2008. He was previously the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving for three and a half years under Prime Ministers Yoshirō Mori and Junichiro Koizumi....
made the actual award presentation; and the Emperor and Empress were present at the 2008 ceremony along with a large number of African heads of state.
Were was honored in the Medical Services category; and her laureate lecture topic was "Potential for Improvement in Africa's Health Through Evidence and Persistence in the Spirit of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi?"
The first awards of this international prize—consisting of a citation, a medal and an honorarium of 100 million yen (US$843,668) were only intended to be the first in a continuing series; and subsequently the Prize is expected to be awarded every five years. The prize as been made possible through a combination of government funding and private donations.
External links
- Japanese Government Internet TV: streaming video, "Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize," 2007/04/26 (5 mins.)
- Development Gateway Foundation: Noguchi Prize, Were bio
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: Purpose and Description of the Noguchi Prize
- Canadian Health Services Foundation (CHSRF/FCRSS): Policy & Practice
- Japan, Cabinet Office: Were, CV
- Kenya, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Noguchi Prize, press release
- Global Health Council: AMREF
- African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF): AMREF Board member
- MAP International: Queen Elizabeth II Gold Medal