Dear MTN Friends and Members of the MTN Family,
Please join us in congratulating Salim Abdool Karim on being awarded the prestigious 2008 TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences.
Formerly known as the Third World Academy of Sciences, TWAS is an autonomous international organization that promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development in the South. Its members are internationally renowned scientists who are elected by their peers. TWAS Prizes are awarded to individual scientists in developing countries in recognition of outstanding contributions to knowledge in eight fields of science: biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, agricultural sciences, earth sciences, engineering sciences and medical sciences. Each winner receives U.S. $15,000.
Slim was awarded the prize on October 20, 2009, at the opening ceremonies of the TWAS 11th General Conference and 20th General Meeting in Durban. On Thursday, October 22, 2009, Slim gave a special lecture titled, "Prevention of HIV in Young Women in South Africa: The Path to a New Female-Initiated HIV Prevention Technology."
Slim was selected for this prestigious award "for his exceptional and distinguished contributions in medicine and public health, specifically for HIV prevention." There's little question why Slim is deserving. He's a man we admire for his unwavering determination, compassionate drive, keen intellect, and skillful leadership. He endears us to him and yet we are enriched in return. How fortunate we are to have Slim be a part of the MTN family.
As most of you know, Slim is protocol chair of HPTN 035, a study that provided the first indication that a microbicide gel can at least partially reduce women’s risk of HIV. In Slim's words, the results of HPTN 035 meant "a glimmer of hope" for at-risk women throughout the world, especially young women in Africa. Salim S. Abdool Karim, MBChB, Ph.D., is a clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist whose main current research interests are in microbicides and vaccines to prevent HIV infection and implementing antiretroviral therapy in resource-constrained settings. He is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa; Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University; and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He is Director of CAPRISA - Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.
Again, please join us in congratulating Slim on this much deserved award.
Warmest regards,
Sharon Hillier and Ian McGowan
On behalf of the MTN