The Union presents these awards at the General Assembly of its worldwide membership, held each year at The Union World Conference on Lung Health. This year the conference took place at the Palais des Congrès in Paris from 30 October through 3 November. The World Conference is the largest annual conference addressing lung health in low- and middle-income countries and other limited-resource settings.
The Union Medal: Prof Donald A Enarson (Canada)
The Union Medal is The Union’s highest honour and is awarded to individuals in recognition of a distinguished career and outstanding contributions to tuberculosis control and lung health through their research, publications, teaching and work in the field.
Prof Donald A. Enarson, who served as The Union’s Director of Scientific Activities from 1991 to 2009, received The Union Medal in recognition of his central role in overseeing the expansion of The Union’s highly regarded TB technical assistance, education and research activities to include other major public health challenges, including HIV, tobacco control, asthma, and child lung health. Under his leadership, The Union TB clinical trials Study A and Study C were completed, and he fostered the growth of operational research as a means of finding local solutions to local problems.
One of the most distinguished researchers and consultants in the field of lung health over the past several decades, Prof Enarson continues to serve as Adjunct Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. He is also editor of The Union’s open access journal, Public Health Action, and has served as Associate Editor for the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease since 1997.
He is a prolific writer, having published more than 20 books on lung disease, specifically on issues such as tuberculosis, lung cancer and asthma. Prof Enarson also has contributed more than 35 chapters to medical works and over 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and other publications. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a Member through Distinction of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Royal Colleges of Physicians, UK and Fellow Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Honorary Member of The Union: Dr Thelma E Tupasi (Philippines)
The title of Honorary Member of The Union is granted to a person who has become distinguished through active participation in The Union's activities and the fulfillment of its goals.
Dr Tupasi is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading expert on infectious diseases. During her distinguished career, she founded the Tropical Disease Foundation in Manila in 1984 and led the creation of one of the first DOTS clinics in the Philippines (in partnership with the National TB Programme) in 1999. The clinic went on to gain approval from the Green Light Committee to become a DOTS-Plus (DOTS for multidrug-resistant TB) pilot project. The lessons learned from this pilot project and the subsequent works of Dr Tupasi and her colleagues are enabling the NTP to streamline DOTS Plus into the Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB (PMDT) nationwide.
She has published extensively on infectious diseases, including acute respiratory tract infections in children and tuberculosis, in international peer reviewed journals. She was named one of the Ten Outstanding Scientists (TOYS) in 1980 and one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 1983. She was awarded outstanding Researcher by the University of Philippine Alumni Society in 1990, Distinguished Researcher by the Philippine College of Physicians in 1993, and the Centennial Award for Research by the UP College of Medicine in 2005. She has served as chair or member of various committees of the World Health Organization and was chair of the National Infectious Disease Advisory Committee of the Philippines Department of Health.
“Since its inception in 1920, The Union has been at the centre of international efforts to fight TB, through the commitment and excellence of individuals such as today’s honorees,” said Jose Luis Castro, Interim Executive Director of The Union.
Photos: Jens Jeske