Global Achievement Award 2014
John S. Butler, Ed '07
John Butler was born in Liberia, but due to political conflict left when he was thirteen years old. John lived in Maryland until joining the U.S. Marine Corps, serving others in need throughout the world which included Panama, the Philippines, and the Persian Gulf. After separating from the Marines, John earned a triple major bachelors’ degree from the University of Baltimore in Government/Public Policy, History, and Management. Later, as a firefighter with Howard County Fire Department, he earned his Master of Science in Management from the Johns Hopkins School of Education’s Public Safety Leadership program. John has ascended the ranks within the Howard County Fire Department and is currently the Deputy Fire Chief, the second in command. John has committed to “paying it forward” by returning to Liberia to help rebuild that country’s fire department. Among the many challenges that the country still faces due to a fourteen year long civil war is having just one working fire engine and no gear or equipment owned by the Fire Service. John has recruited other firefighters to join him to deliver equipment and training materials to Liberia, and in November of 2013 the team traveled back with a 40-foot container that included donated firefighting gear, tools, an ambulance, radios, and other safety equipment, and a slightly used fire engine.
Mirai Chatterjee, SPH '85
For the past 30 years Mirai Chatterjee has been at the forefront of improving the health and financial security of millions of women working in India’s informal sector. Ms. Chatterjee joined the Self-Employed Women’s Association in 1984 while completing her Master’s degree at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She became responsible for SEWA’s Health Care, Child Care and Insurance programs, and was later named General Secretary when its founder stepped down. SEWA is a union of nearly 2 million women workers in the informal economy in 13 states in India (www.sewa.org). In this capacity Ms. Chatterjee has been instrumental in steering both national (Indian) and global policies so that they better focus upon the health of poor people, particularly women, and so that they address not only health and financial needs, but also the social determinants of health. Ms. Chatterjee serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Public Health Foundation of India and Friends of Women's World Banking. She also serves on government advisory committees, including a committee to develop universal health coverage, set up by the Planning Commission of India. She is a member of the National Advisory Council, appointed by the Prime Minister of India and chaired by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. At the global level, Ms. Chatterjee was a Commissioner in WHO's Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008). She was named a social entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation, and was profiled in the Lancet. Ms. Chatterjee has written several papers on women's health and development, social protection, child care, microinsurance and organizing women for collective action.
Mark Cudek, Peab '82
Mark Cudek (MM '82, lute) exemplifies the multifaceted musical artist for which the Johns Hopkins University has become known. A complete musician, Mark has been lauded around the world for his endeavors as a performer, teacher, entrepreneur, and scholar. He has performed with countless early music groups at festivals from Boston to Germany, and from Italy to Panama. His impact is local, as well—Mark is a founding member of the Baltimore and Peabody Consorts. Recognized for his impact and ability in the early music world, he was recently named Artistic Director of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, the oldest continual presenter of early music in the United States. Presenting music accessible to the world, Mark has been heard on NPR, Voice of America, Deutschland Radio Berlin, CBC, BBC, and CNN. His 25 recordings can be heard on various labels, as well as two motion picture soundtracks. A multi-instrumentalist who excels in the cittern, percussion, and guitar, Mark’s primary work is on the lute, for which he has published transcriptions and entabulations. As the recipient of the Thomas Binkley Award by Early Music America, as well as founder of the high school early music program at Interlochen Arts Camp, Mark is a passionate and committed teacher. As such, his impact extends far beyond his own travels, with former students all over the world. Mark demonstrates the kind of humanistic musicianship so often found in the Renaissance and Baroque musicians he studies, but with a global perspective of the twenty-first century.
Hector H. Garcia, SPH '02
Hector H. “Hugo” Garcia, MD, PhD ‘02, joined the Hopkins family as a doctoral student in the Department of International Health. He graduated in 2002. Now based in Lima, Peru, Hugo is a full professor at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. He was named the first Senior Fellows in Public Health and Tropical Medicine from the Wellcome Trust in 2010. Hugo was awarded the Institut de France’s Prix Christophe Merieux Prize in 2011. The prize, one that is globally renowned for honoring scientific research leaders and groundbreakers, is intended to encourage and support research on infectious diseases in developing countries. Hugo received the award for his “considerable contribution to public health in Peru and particularly for his work in cysticerosis.” In 2012, Hugo became an adjunct professor at JHBSPH. His work on cysticerosis began in 1987. Recognized internationally as the expert on cysticerosis, Hugo has since authored more than 150 papers, multiple book chapters, and two books on the subject. He has led teams of researchers and scientists, and engaged with partners from a variety of fields to tackle this problem from every angle. Hugo has moved the international agenda on infectious diseases forward. He has exceeded as a researcher, teacher, partner, and colleague on a global scale in a way that embodies the Hopkins tradition of excellence. He is a worthy candidate for the Global Achievement Award.
Chih-Ming Ho, Engr '74
Chih-Ming Ho was born in mainland China, grew up in Taiwan, and attended National Taiwan University. Dr. Ho studied at the Department of Mechanics and Material science from 1968 thru 1974. Upon completion of his doctoral degree, Dr. Ho was recruited to a faculty position at University of Southern California. In 1991, he was recruited across town to UCLA where he established the school’s micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) program and served as the founding Director of the Center for Micro Systems, a highly- ranked program. From 2001 thru 2005, Dr. Ho served as Vice Chancellor for Research. Currently, Dr. Ho is the Ben Rich-Lockheed Martin Chair Professor at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, works in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and the Department of Bio Engineering. He now devotes virtually all his time advancing the phenotypic personalized medicine and optimization of combinatorial drugs. Dr. Ho’s innovative works in the area of microfluidics and control of bio complex systems have had a significant impact at a global level. In 1997, Dr. Ho was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In the next year, he was elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica which honors scholars of Chinese origin with exceptional achievements in liberal arts and sciences.
Leroy E. Hood, Med '64
Dr. Leroy E. Hood graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1964. His career began at Caltech, where he and his colleagues developed the DNA gene sequencer and synthesizer, and the protein synthesizer and sequencer–four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping of the human genome. A pillar in the biotechnology field, Dr. Hood has played a role in founding more than fifteen biotechnology companies. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Of the 6,000+ scientists world-wide who belong to one or more of these academies, Dr. Hood is one of only fifteen people accepted to all three. Dr. Hood has co-authored numerous textbooks in biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology and genetics, as well as a popular book on the human genome project, The Code of Codes. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the Lasker Award for Studies of Immune Diversity, the Kyoto Prize in advanced technology, the Heinz Award for pioneering work in Systems Biology, and the coveted NAE 2011 Fritz J. and Delores H. Russ Prize. In addition to having received 17 honorary degrees from prestigious universities in the U.S. and abroad, Dr. Hood has published over 750 peer reviewed articles and currently holds 36 patents. In 2013, he received the National Medal of Science from President Obama.
Alice M. Kiger, Nurs '64
Dr. Alice Kiger, now retired from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland faculty, was a member of the Class of 1964 of the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing. Alice began teaching clinical nursing early in her career, even as she pursued an education in French and European history. This interest in other cultures translated into the commitment to acquiring the necessary credentials to share her clinical interests and skills with students in the United Kingdom, culminating with a PhD in Nursing from the University of Edinburgh. During her career she has collaborated with nursing researchers and faculty in Hungary and France in particular but also in emerging countries of Eastern Europe. She has mentored doctoral level students from the UK, Canada, and the USA; and was a member of working groups for the European Federation of Nurse Educators. She has been a part-time associate professor at a nursing college in Slovenia since 2006, and is an honorary member of staff at University of Aberdeen, where she still teaches and is working on an educational research project about midwifery training in Malawi. One of the highlights of her career was her role in setting up the Centre for Advanced Studies in Nursing at the University of Aberdeen. As its Director, Alice’s focus was the advancement of nursing research, enhancing the integration of research into nursing practice, and the preparation of PhD level nurse researchers in the UK. As an internationally recognized expert in nursing education, research and delivery of nursing care, published author and journal reviewer, Dr. Kiger has superbly represented the mission of the School of Nursing to “improve the health of individuals and diverse communities locally and globally through leadership and excellence in nursing education, research, practice, and service.”
Aviva Ron, SPH '68, '71
Dr. Aviva Ron has made immeasurable contributions to the field of public health since completing her Sc. D. at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1970. She has amassed a body of work and accomplishments that illustrate her commitment and passion to the field. In addition to her full time work in the national administration of the major Health Fund in Israel, she was senior lecturer on Community Medicine, Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies in Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel. In 1990, Dr. Ron was recruited to work on social health insurance, first by the International Labor Organization and then the World Health Organization in Geneva, and retired from WHO as Director, Health Sector Development, Western Pacific Regional Office. She worked on 32 different projects in 27 countries. The main areas of technical assistance include analysis of health care financing options; health insurance legislation, development of social health insurance towards universal coverage, quality assurance programs in health insurance systems, poverty alleviation and the reduction of inequities in access to health care. Since retirement from WHO, Dr. Ron has been a resource person in social health protection at the International Training Centre of the International Labor Organization in Turin, Italy. She continues to consult for organizations including the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization and the World Bank. She has served on multiple boards and committees has had major roles in the development of local and national hospitals and health programs, chief among them is the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, which provides tertiary care to children from the entire region. Her publications include four books, six monographs, and twenty-six papers published in journals, where she is the first author in sixteen of the papers. She presented over 40 papers at international conferences. She continues to contribute as a lecturer and consultant and volunteers providing expertise in planning to the Ziv Medical Center, Safed, Israel, the Home Care Hospice of Upper Galilee, Israel and serves as honorary chairperson, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Israel.
Shobha Singh, A&S '57
After earning a Ph.D. in physics at JHU, Dr. Shobha Singh worked for Bell Laboratories during a seminal time in that organization's history. He was instrumental in the birth and refinement of fiber optics as we know the field, driving and participating in research that has yielded hundreds of patents which touch on devices such as optical switches, optical communications systems, semiconductor devices and wafers, and the green laser and its applications in surgery. His work, and that of his colleagues, has revolutionized the world we live in today, and his impact in the field cannot be overestimated. In addition, he has not forgotten his roots in India and has worked tirelessly to continue social reform, participating in organizations and publications which serve as a voice for the "depressed" classes. Indira Gandhi praised Dr. Singh’s efforts and commitment to justice.
Bert Vogelstein, Med '74
Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a 1974 graduate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was the first scientist to elucidate the molecular basis of a common human cancer. He and his colleagues have demonstrated that colorectal tumors result from the gradual accumulation of genetic alterations in specific oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. His group's discovery and analysis of these genes and their functions represent a landmark in the application of molecular biology to the study of human disease. His work on colorectal cancers forms the paradigm for much of modern cancer research, with profound implications for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the future. His team has cracked the genetic codes of more than 10 different forms of cancer, more than any other research team in the world. According to the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia, Vogelstein is currently the most highly cited scientist in the world. Currently, he is the director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Clayton Professor of Oncology and Pathology at Hopkins. His work has been honored with numerous international awards; he is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the European Molecular Biology Organization. In addition, Dr. Vogelstein was named a 2013 recipient of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.