On World TB Day, the U.S. Agency for International Development honors Champions in the Global Fight Against Tuberculosis (TB) to highlight and celebrate the achievements and contributions of individuals and organizations and their commitment to ending TB. Listed below are the current and past recipients of this honor:

World TB Day 2016 Champions

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of South Africa

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of South Africa is being recognized for outstanding leadership in combating the epidemic of TB in South Africa, with its most devastating forms of drug-resistant TB and TB-HIV; for implementing innovative approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat TB; and for embracing and scaling-up new diagnostics and adoption of new drugs to more rapidly identify and cure MDR-TB.

 

 

Partners in Health

Partners in Health is being honored for more than two decades of exceptional leadership in combating MDR-TB by pioneering successful, community-based models to create a paradigm shift in national and global policies; and for expanding life-saving TB and MDR-TB services to the world's poorest and most vulnerable populations.

 

 

The Pakistan Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination

The Pakistan Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination is being recognized for its outstanding political commitment to combating TB and MDR-TB in Pakistan through improved case detection and treatment services; for a six-fold increase in the number of MDR-TB patients enrolled in treatment over the last five years; and for achieving MDR-TB treatment success rates that are among the highest in the world.

 

World TB Day 2015 Champions

 

Joanne Carter

Dr. Joanne Carter was honored for her contributions to the global fight against TB as the executive director of RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund. She has also served as the project leader for Advocacy to Control TB Internationally (ACTION) to mobilize increased financial resources and overcome key policy constraints for the expansion of effective TB treatment.  Learn more about Joanne Carter.

 

 

The Republic of the Philippines Department of Health

The Republic of the Philippines Department of Health was recognized for extraordinary progress in TB diagnosis, treatment and care in the country and for reaching its Millennium Development Goal target of cutting in half TB mortality and prevalence prior to 2015.

 

World TB Day 2014 Champions

 

Senator Sherrod Brown

Senator Sherrod Brown was recognized for his vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to the fight against tuberculosis and for tirelessly raising awareness of the disease and amplifying the far-reaching implications of tuberculosis for the health of all countries, including the United States. Learn more about Sen. Sherrod Brown.

 

 

Representative Eliot Engel

Representative Eliot Engel was honored for his vision and steadfast commitment to the fight against tuberculosis and his leadership as the founding co-chair of the Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus. Learn more about Rep. Eliot Engel.

 

 

Representative Kay Granger

Representative Kay Granger was honored for her leadership in saving lives around the world by supporting global health initiatives, including tuberculosis programs and initiatives focused on women and children. Learn more about Rep. Kay Granger.

 

 

Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia

The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia was recognized for its strong political commitment to reducing TB prevalence and mortality by more than 40 percent through the adoption of proven TB strategies, including public-private mix, community TB care, and drug quality assurance.

 

 

Rear Admiral Kenneth Castro

Rear Admiral Kenneth Castro, M.D. was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award to honor his longtime commitment to fighting tuberculosis during more than 30 years of exemplary service to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including more than 20 years as director of the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, and his success in bringing together other TB champions through his roles as co-chair of the Federal Tuberculosis Task Force, and founding member of the Stop TB Partnership. Learn more about Rear Admiral Kenneth Castro. [PDF, 147KB]

 

 

Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS and TB Epidemic (CREATE)

The Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS and TB Epidemic (CREATE) was honored for its leadership in furthering research that addresses the dual epidemics of HIV and TB in high-risk populations and settings, for providing critical insights regarding TB-HIV approaches at the household level in Zambia and the potential for mass preventive therapy among mineworkers in South Africa. Dr. Richard E. Chaisson, Director of CREATE, accepted the award on behalf of the Consortium. Learn more about CREATE.

 

World TB Day 2013 Champions

 

Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia was recognized as a leader in the fight against TB. The country has made great progress in this battle, having met the TB targets of the Stop TB Partnership and the Millennium Development Goal's.

 

 

Treatment Action Group Xpert MTB/RIF "Discovery" Team

The Xpert MTB/RIF "Discovery" Team, made up of a public-private partnership between the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Cepheid, Inc. and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, was honored for the development of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. This Xpert assay is a fully automated molecular diagnostic test for TB. It can simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA and mutations associated with rifampicin resistance (a reliable proxy for MDR-TB) directly from sputum specimens in fewer than 2 hours, and it minimizes staff manipulation and biosafety risk.