Press Room

Atlanta, GA (May 2010)
Global Health Director Receives John Holt Medal for Distinguished Service

Dr Adrian Hopkins received the 2010 John Holt Medal, awarded to distinguished alumni of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s (LSTM) Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. Dr Hopkins’ career has taken him from a Mission Society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) to the Directorship of the Mectizan Donation Program, a program of the Task Force for Global Health. Dr Hopkins was awarded the medal for his career dedicated to researching and helping to eliminate tropical diseases in Africa.

Dr. Hopkins joined the Task Force for Global Health in 2008, as Director of the Mectizan Donation Program.  In this role, Dr. Hopkins draws upon his experience in the field to provide policy direction for the Task Force’s Mectizan Donation Program.   Dr. Hopkins continues his collaboration with LSTM via his links with the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases (CNTD).

Graduating from St Andrew’s University in 1971, Dr. Hopkins undertook a number of internships and residencies in the UK.  In 1975, he studied the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene at LSTM and he used this knowledge to work in countries throughout Africa over the following 34 years. Dr Hopkins’ first post was as a Medical Officer with the Baptist Missionary Society in Zaire in 1974. He was based at a mission hospital in Pimu, a remote village in tropical rainforest serving a population of 150,000. During his time in Pimu, Dr Hopkins developed an interest in ophthalmology and he expanded a surgical outreach service when a new airstrip for the region was built.

Dr. Hopkins worked with the Christian Blind Mission based in the Central African Republic between 1992 and 2007. Initially he was the Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Health to set up the National Program for Onchocerciasis Control and Blindness Prevention. The Technical Advisor’s role was to plan and manage the National Program. Despite a period of civil war and ongoing civil unrest from 1996 through 1999, Dr. Hopkins was able to increase the number of Mectizan treatments from zero to almost 1 million patients. 

The John Holt Medal
Named for an early supporter of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), the John Holt Medal is awarded to distinguished alumni of the School’s Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. LSTM has been engaged in the fight against infectious, debilitating and disabling diseases for more than a hundred years and continues that tradition today. LSTM is an acknowledged leader in global health research and its teaching program attracts students from over 70 countries. For more information about the School and its programs, visit their website www.liv.ac.uk/lstm

About the Task Force for Global Health
The Task Force for Global Health (The Task Force) is a not-for-profit, public health organization with a 25-year history of using collaboration to save and improve the lives of millions of people around the world each year.  Based in Atlanta, the Task Force is recognized for its expertise and experience in cultivating partnerships with organizations, experts, and communities focused on both international and domestic health and human development.  Partnering with leading experts in various fields, the Task Force brings people together to improve the way health information is used and solve problems through meaningful exchange. Task Force initiatives focus on neglected tropical diseases, immunizations, and health systems strengthening. For more information about the Task Force, including the Mectizan Donation Program, visit www.taskforce.org.