image: Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu
Credit: Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu
Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is delighted to announce that its 2024 Honorary Fellowship goes to Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who is Assistant Director General at the World Health Organization (WHO), leading the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.
AMI Honorary Fellowships are given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to or impact on the field of applied microbiology. Honorary Fellows of AMI are nominated and chosen each year by the organisation’s membership.
Chikwe Ihekweazu leads the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, Germany. Prior to this, he was the first Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and led the agency between 2016 and 2021.
Dr Ihekweazu trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist and has more than 25 years’ experience working in senior public health and leadership positions in several National Public Health Institutes, including NCDC, South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the UK's Health Protection Agency, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI). He has led several short-term engagements for the WHO, mainly in response to major infectious disease outbreaks around the world. He was part of the first WHO COVID-19 international mission to China, in February 2020.
“Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu's leadership in public health, particularly during the Ebola and COVID-19 crises, has been nothing short of exemplary,” said AMI director Dr Lucy Harper.
“His work at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) set a global benchmark for managing infectious diseases under challenging circumstances. By navigating these crises with effectiveness and foresight, Dr Ihekweazu not only protected millions, but also showcased the resilience of public health systems in Africa.
“His expertise continues to make a profound impact at the World Health Organization, and I can think of no one more deserving of this prestigious recognition.”
For more information on AMI's grants and awards, visit HERE.
About Applied Microbiology International
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Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is the oldest microbiology society in the UK and with more than half of its membership outside the UK, is truly global, serving microbiologists based in universities, private industry and research institutes around the world.
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AMI provides funding to encourage research and broad participation at its events and to ensure diverse voices are around the table working together to solve the sustainability development goals it has chosen to support.
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AMI publishes leading industry magazine, The Microbiologist, and in partnership with Oxford University Press, publishes three internationally acclaimed journals. It gives a voice to applied microbiologists around the world, amplifying their collective influence and informing international, evidence-based, decision making.