Volume 22, No. 1                           April 1997

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) awarded former President Jimmy Carter, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and Nobel Laureate Joshua Lederberg, PhD, with its prestigious awards at the NFID Awards Dinner on February 13, 1997.

The black-tie affair, which was held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, honors individuals on an annual basis whose outstanding efforts and achievements have contributed significantly to improving health worldwide.

The Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, which is presented to a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding of infectious diseases or public health, was presented to Dr. Lederberg. President Carter and Mrs. Carter received the first Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind. This award is given to individuals whose outstanding humanitarian efforts and achievements have contributed significantly to improving the health of people all over the globe.

The Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement is named for the late Maxwell Finland, MD, a distinguished scholar, scientist, and teacher. Dr. Finland did pioneering work in the diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology of bacterial infections; the evaluation of antimicrobials; and the demonstration of the evolving problem of antimicrobial resistance. He was a driving force in shaping infectious diseases training programs in the United States and in defining the discipline of infectious diseases as we know it today. He was particularly noted for his training of young infectious diseases physicians who then went on to head infectious diseases programs throughout the country. Dr. Finland was a member of the NFID Board of Directors. Dr. Lederberg said while accepting the award, "I can't tell you what a deep pleasure and honor it is for me to commemorate the memory of Maxwell Finland. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has been playing a wonderful role in public education on these matters, and I congratulate it and all of you for your part in helping make life a bit healthier, happier, and safer."

NFID President Leon G. Smith, MD, and Susan J. Rehm, MD, NFID vice president, presented Dr. Lederberg with the award for his outstanding research career, his leadership in determining infectious disease threats, and his commitment to educating both the public and policy makers about infectious diseases.

"You are truly a remarkable individual," said Dr. Smith, "and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases is proud to honor you with its 1997 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement."

Trained as a research geneticist, Dr. Lederberg explored the genetic structure of microorganisms, which led him to discover genetic recombination in bacteria. It was this research and his subsequent work in bacterial genetics that earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine at age 33. In addition to his research, Dr. Lederberg has been active on numerous health-related advisory committees and has served on the President's Cancer Panel. For his continued scientific success, Dr. Lederberg was awarded the National Medal of Science one of the nation's most distinguished scientific awards in 1989. He has also been diligent in educating the public about infectious diseases through numerous scientific articles and newspaper columns, and providing expert advice to many federal and health-related agencies.

In accepting the award, Dr. Lederberg mentioned how his research into the reproductive life of bacteria was not well-respected. "When I was first working on this 45 years ago, it was an excellent candidate for mockery with what was then called the golden fleece award in the pursuit of frivolous curiosity in the laboratory. Now we know that all bacterial life is a complex network of information transfer--a literal world wide web with the movement of these bits of genetic material, these plasmids, from one organism to another," he said.

Dr. Lederberg applauded efforts toward reducing disease throughout the 20th century; however, he warned that epidemics such as the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic could recur in the future. "There's no need for pessimism about this," he said. "If we simply use our social intelligence . . . and mobilize the tools that both science and cooperative society can bring, we can deal with the matter. Complacency is our main enemy."

The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind is named for President and Mrs. Carter, who as outstanding humanitarians have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for people worldwide.

They are co-founders of The Carter Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta and dedicated to improving the quality of life for people. Through their work at The Carter Center, President and Mrs. Carter have worked to resolve conflict peacefully, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent and eradicate disease.

The Honorable Paul G. Rogers, the 1996 Maxwell Finland Award winner and chairman of the NFID Board of Trustees, and Dr. Smith presented President and Mrs. Carter with the award.

Dr. Smith said, "As outstanding humanitarians, you both have worked hard to improve the quality of life for people. Since leaving the White House, you continue to push for peaceful conflict resolution, improved health, human rights protection, and the empowerment of urban communities. It is in recognition of these efforts that the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases is honoring you with this new award."

In accepting the award on behalf of himself and Mrs. Carter, President Carter stressed that although he was grateful for the award, it is "not because of any particular leadership or dedication on the part of me and Rosalynn." He stated that most of the success of The Carter Center comes from teamwork because "we provide a forum within which a lot of people who have similar commitments to the alleviation of suffering among human beings can work together.

"What Rosalynn and I generally do . . . is go into a country and meet with the heads of state, president, or king of the country, and marshal their support for addressing this particular disease, of which they have rarely even heard," he said.

For example, in 1987 President and Mrs. Carter went to Pakistan on behalf of The Carter Center to learn about dracunculiasis or Guinea worm disease and how to eradicate it. They then turned to major corporations for donations of filter cloths and insecticides. That first year, The Carter Center had counted 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm, not counting Sudan. "At the end of last year, we had reduced the 3.5 million down to 36,000," President Carter said, "and we now know almost every person on earth and certainly every village where Guinea worm exists." However, President Carter added, "It was with a combination of close cooperation among many people that made this possible." Some of the people that made it possible included the King of Saudi Arabia and the governments of Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, and Canada.

President Carter said that a few years ago, the chief executive officer of Merck & Co., Inc. and the 1991 recipient of the Maxwell Finland Award, P. Roy Vagelos, MD, approached The Carter Center with the discovery that a veterinary medicine that prevented heartworm in dogs also prevented river blindness in humans. Merck agreed to provide this drug in quantity to The Carter Center free of charge to use in all of the African villages where inhabitants have the disease. "Last year, 18.5 million people were treated for river blindness. The disease will not go any further," he said.

"Glaxo Wellcome has just promised us a million treatments per year with a new medicine . . . that will be used in Kenya to see if a combination of a vaccine and treatment might deal with the highly resistant strains of malaria," President Carter added.

President Carter also recognized the work that his wife and Betty F. Bumpers, co-recipient of the 1995 Maxwell Finland Award, had accomplished with the "Every Child by Two" immunization campaign. He said that they have visited 46 states recruiting the spouse of the governor to persuade them to undertake the challenge of immunizing all the kids before they are two years of age.

Through The Task Force for Disease Eradication, The Carter Center has targeted two diseases for eradication--polio and Guinea worm. Other diseases that they are targeting for potential eradication are measles, Rubella, river blindness, yaws, and malaria.

In closing, President Carter said, "We are very grateful to you for this award, and we hope that it will, in the future, be an inspiration to others to join with us and you in helping people have a better life."

Past recipients of the Maxwell Finland Award are the Hon. Paul G. Rogers, former congressman from Florida; the Honorable Dale Bumpers, senator from Arkansas, and Mrs. Betty F. Bumpers, co-founder of "Every Child by Two"; the Honorable Elizabeth Hanford Dole, president of the American Red Cross; Arthur Ashe, Jr., champion tennis player and humanitarian; Michael E. DeBakey, MD, chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine and renowned surgeon; Mrs. Albert Lasker, president of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation; P. Roy Vagelos, MD, former chief executive officer of Merck & Co., Inc.; Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH); and C. Everett Koop, MD, former US surgeon general.

The honorary co-chairs for the occasion were President Bill Clinton and Mrs. Clinton and former President Gerald R. Ford and Mrs. Ford. The Hon. Paul G. Rogers served as the master of ceremonies and co-chair of the gala with Dr. Rehm. The dinner was preceded by a reception sponsored by Hoechst Marion Roussel, Inc.

The festive evening opened with the presentation of the colors by the US Armed Forces Color Guard, followed by the singing of "The National Anthem" by Lt. Chris Burch of the Georgetown University Concert Choir.

A unique feature of this year's program was the presentation of two videos about the awards. Both of the videos described each award and were sponsored by an unrestricted grant from Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical.

After dinner, members of the Georgetown University Concert Choir performed selections from Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.

"Warm greetings to everyone gathered in our nation's capital for the annual awards dinner of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. As Honorary Co-Chairs, Hillary and I are delighted to join you in paying tribute to this year's honorees, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and Dr. Joshua Lederberg, for all they have done to save lives and alleviate suffering.

"Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter are renowned for their compassionate aid to the people of this nation and the world, especially our children. Through The Carter Center's Interfaith Health Program, they have inspired faith groups around the country to join the battle against preventable disease within their own neighborhoods and communities. And they have brought together health professionals, government officials, business leaders, and others in dynamic partnerships to help the world's poorest people overcome the devastating effects of disease and malnutrition. It is most appropriate that you have chosen them as the first recipients of the special award you have named in their honor.

"Nobel Laureate Joshua Lederberg, winner of NFID's 1997 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, has made extraordinary contributions to the prevention and cure of infectious diseases. His pioneering research in the field of bacterial genetics has led to tremendous advances in public health. Dr. Lederberg is also responsible for bolstering our preparedness against the threat of bioterrorism. He embodies the ideals of dedication to the knowledge, education, and service to others.

"Americans have always been in the vanguard in the fight against disease, and we have won important battles against polio, smallpox, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. But we cannot afford to let our past successes make us complacent. Our enemy is strong and deadly but, by working together and emulating the commitment and compassion of your honorees, we can ensure a healthier future for our nation and our world.

"Best wishes for a wonderful evening."

Bill Clinton