Dr. Paul Farmer Selected as 2011 Pro Bono Humanum Honoree by Prix Galien USA

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prix Galien USA Committee, responsible for awarding the most prestigious prize in biopharmaceutical research and development, announced today that Dr. Paul Farmer will be awarded the 2011 Pro Bono Humanum Award during the 5th Annual Prix Galien USA Award Ceremony.  The annual award presentation accompanies a series of other awards honoring companies who have made innovative contributions to biopharmaceutical and medical technology research and development.  The black tie ceremony will take place at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on September 27, 2011.

The Prix Galien USA Award committee selected Dr. Farmer as this year's honoree for his work advancing community-based strategies for treating AIDS and tuberculosis among populations living in extreme poverty, as well as for mobilizing relief efforts after destructive and devastating events such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Dr. Farmer is a Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard University and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and co-founder of Partners In Health (PIH). He also serves as UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti, under Special Envoy Bill Clinton.

"The pioneering work that Dr. Farmer has accomplished throughout his career has left a permanent mark in the development of healthcare community-based strategies in underserved populations," said Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate and Prix Galien USA committee member. "As evidenced by his 30 years of compassionate and unyielding dedication in Haiti, Dr. Farmer exemplifies the spirit of The Pro Bono Humanum Award."

Each year, the Prix Galien USA Award committee awards a special Pro Bono Humanum Award to an exemplary individual, company, academic institution or a non-governmental agency that has made innovative efforts to improve the human condition. Previous winners of the award include:

2010:  President Bill Clinton and Phillipe Douste-Blazy, President of UNITAID

2009:  Dr. Barry Bloom with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs for their efforts with the Harvard School Public Health/Earth Institute to eradicate disease by understanding the immune responses to infectious diseases.

2008:  Dr. Sheldon Segal and the Population Council for their role in developing implantable hormone delivery systems

2007:  Former Merck CEO Dr. Roy Vagelos for his campaign to eradicate river blindness

The Prix Galien recognizes the technical, scientific and clinical research skills necessary to develop innovative medicines and devices, and is considered the industry's highest accolade. Prix Galien was first established in 1970 by French pharmacist Roland Mehl and was inaugurated in the United States in September 2007. The Prix Galien USA Award committee comprises 11 individuals including Nobel Laureates, founders of major biotech companies and editors of world-renowned biology journals. For details about the Prix Galien USA Award and Committee, or to learn more about the Awards Gala, visit www.prix-galien-usa.com.

CONTACT:
Mary Heather
Porter Novelli for Prix Galien USA
+1-212-601-8153
[email protected]

SOURCE Prix Galien USA