John Dirks Award

On 11th April 2024, Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Director of Global Health at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, became the first Indian woman to receive the esteemed John Dirks Award in global health.

The award, presented by the Gairdner Foundation in Canada, recognizes Dr. Kang's significant contributions to global health, particularly in the field of childhood diarrhoea disease and vaccine research.
As the first Indian woman to receive this accolade, Dr. Kang considers it a tremendous honor for her work, especially during her tenure at Christian Medical College, Vellore.
Dr. Kang's research focus on rotavirus, conducted over three decades, has been instrumental in the development and widespread adoption of rotavirus vaccines, saving millions of lives worldwide.
The Gairdner Foundation, established in 1958 by philanthropist James A Gairdner, awards six prizes annually for breakthrough research in biomedical science, with recipients receiving $100,000 each.