Professor Lucy Gilson, head of the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Health Policy and Systems Division (HPSR), has been co-awarded the prestigious Virchow Prize 2024.
This recognition, under the high patronage of the President of the German Bundestag, comes with a total award of €500 000 and honours Gilson's holistic and systems-based approach to safeguarding human and planetary health.
The Virchow Prize is a major international award that recognises and celebrates outstanding achievements towards “health for all”, that are closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
Her work focuses on human well-being and sustainability and her efforts align with the Prize's values of human rights, solidarity and equity in attaining the UN 2030 SDGs.
Professor Gilson also serves as Professor of Health Policy and Systems at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom.
She advocates for people-centred health systems, and translates strategy into tangible improvements. Her work has significantly advanced universal health coverage and equitable access to quality healthcare.
“The Virchow Prize for global health is a very prestigious award. It is the only award of its kind in global health, and this will be only the third year it has been awarded. I am therefore very honoured to become a Virchow laureate, as a co-awardee with Professor Johan Rockström.
“I see the award as recognition of all of those who, like myself, work in the field of health policy and systems research (HPSR), an area within the broader terrain of public health,” said Gilson.
At HPSR, Gilson and her colleagues apply multi- and inter-disciplinary perspectives to understand and support systemic action to address complex health and wellbeing challenges. Health systems comprise all the institutions, organisations and resources dedicated to promoting, sustaining, or restoring health. They not only support the delivery of health care and public health interventions, but also address the wider social determinants of health.
“My work focuses on understanding the political, economic and other forces influencing health policy change, health systems and their impacts,” she added.
Gilson said the award also recognises UCT's School of Public Health as a research-intensive department, leading critically relevant work to understand health and wellbeing challenges and supporting action to address them. The school's work in South Africa and, in collaboration with many African partners, is critical in bringing African-led research into global health debates.
“Looking to the future, I aim to continue combining research, capacity strengthening and policy engagement activities in supporting purposeful health system strengthening towards health equity.
“It is particularly important to support the next generation of researchers and health system practitioners who will lead this area of work to address future challenges,” said Gilson.
Professor Gilson's advocacy for a holistic and systemic approach to health has influenced global policy. Her work demonstrates that significant progress can be achieved through interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research towards “Health for All”.
The Virchow Prize 2024 award ceremony will be held on October 12 in the Berlin City Hall, and will be live-streamed.