Professor Kevin Marsh

Professor Kevin Marsh has been conferred the Prince Mahidol Award for ''outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of the world's medical and public health services.''

Professor Marsh was awarded for his exceptional contribution to the understanding of immune epidemiology of malaria. The award recognises the work of Professor Marsh and colleagues in understanding the malaria disease process, the different strain variations and effects of treatment.

The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation was established in Thailand on 1st January, 1992 in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Prince Mahidol of Songkla. The Foundation annually confers Prince Mahidol Awards upon individual(s) or institution(s), which have demonstrated outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of the world's medical and public health services.

Professor Nick White of the Wellcome Trust-Southern Asian Tropical Medicine Research Unit, was also a co-recipient of the award for his work on the malaria treatment and particularly the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies for the disease. The other 2010 Prince Mahidol Awardees are Professor Ananda Prasad, Professor Kenneth Brown and Professor Robert Black, who were all honored for their pioneering and outstanding work on zinc supplementation.

The Awards will be presented at the end of January 2011 in a ceremony presided over by the King and Queen of Thailand. Each award winner will receive US $50,000 (1.5 million baht), a medal and a certificate from the foundation. Professor Marsh intends to donate the award money towards capacity building within the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme.