We are pleased to congratulate Catherine Cross of Sightsavers International, the 2008 recipient of the Merck Mectizan Award.
When informed of the award, Ms. Cross commented: “I am delighted to be nominated for this Award. It really celebrates the achievements of Sightsavers’ staff and partners over two decades. The award is in recognition of this.”
The Award was given to Ms. Cross during a reception held during the 20th Mectizan Expert Committee/Albendazole Coordination Meeting in London in October 2008. During her acceptance speech, she remarked:
“I am absolutely delighted to receive this award and in doing so I would like to pay tribute to my colleagues at Sightsavers—the programme staff in the oncho-endemic countries who work with the national programmes and also the fundraisers in the UK who motivate the British public to give generously to oncho control. This has made it possible for Sightsavers to support 20 million treatments annually in 13 countries in Africa. However none of this would be possible without the free drug and I would like to thank Merck and MDP for maintaining their commitment.
It is no secret that oncho has been my favourite programme in my 15 years with Sightsavers. This is in a large part thanks for the partnership and to the people in the partnership many of who are in this room. I hope not to lose touch completely but wish you all the best in the face of the future challenges—when to stop treatment and how to integrate with the other neglected tropical diseases. Thank you.”
Her achievements during her 15 years with Sightsavers are many. She was nominated for the Award by her peers in recognition of her leadership in the fight against onchocerciasis working with partners to distribute Mectizan in Sightsavers countries in Africa including Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. She played a key role in the development of global programs including the Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness (VISION 2020: The Right to Sight) and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC).
Ken Gustavsen, Director, Global Health Partnerships, Merck & Co., Inc.* commented: “We congratulate Catherine Cross on her selection for this award. Her unique vision and commitment are an example to all those dedicated to the success of the Mectizan donation program.”
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*Merck & Co., Inc. is known as MSD outside Canada and the United States.