On 31 January 2002, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej graciously presided over the Presentation Ceremony of the Prince Mahidol Award 2001 at the Chakri Throne Hall of the Royal Grand Palace. Since 1992, two Prince Mahidol Awards have been conferred annually upon individuals or institutions that have demonstrated outstanding contributions in the fields of Medicine and Public Health. They are named in honor of H.R.H. Prince Mahidol of Songkla, the namesake of Mahidol University and a medical pioneer widely known as the 'Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health in Thailand'.

This year's winner in the field of Medicine was Sir David J. Weatherall, Regius Professor of Medicine, Emeritus at the University of Oxford, UK. Sir David was honored for his pioneering research in molecular genetics, haematology, pathology and clinical medicine. The results of his laboratory and clinical research on thalassemias have helped to explain the molecular pathophysiology and causes of phenotypic variability of these disorders. His discoveries have provided the basis for antenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling aimed at preventing these abnormalities and have improved the clinical management of inherited blood disorders.

Dr. Barry J. Marshall and Prof. Lam Sai Kit jointly received the award in the field of Public Health. Dr. Marshall, a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Western Australia, was recognized for his discoveries of the identification and culture characteristics on a novel microorganism that was found to colonize the human gastric, central and upper duodenal mucosa in cases of gastritis and gastric/duodenal ulcer. His self-infection experiment proved that the new bacterium, later identified as Helicobacter pylori, caused acute gastritis. This led to the development of diagnostic tests for both detection and eradication of the organism, developments that have had a momentous beneficial effect on prophylactic vaccine research.

Prof. Lam is one of the most renowned figures in Medical Virology in Southeast Asia, whose research in dengue is recognized internationally. He was recognized for his discovery of new viruses in the region, most notably the Nipah encephalitis virus, which is transmitted from fruit bats to pigs and caused outbreaks in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999-2000. The outbreaks caused the death of pig handlers and the collapse of a very important and profitable industry in Malaysia. His team's discovery of the virus thus had a significant impact in the management of patients, and in prevention and control of the disease.

Following the Presentation Ceremony, and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Prince Mahidol Award, the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, along with the Ministry of Public Health of the Royal Thai Government, the World Health Organization and Mahidol University, jointly organized a Congress entitled 'Medicine and Public Health in the Postgenomic Era'. The event was held on 1-3 February, 2002, in Bangkok, graciously presided over by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Renowned academics both from within Thailand and abroad were welcomed to exchange their views and experiences in the Congress. A distinguished body of renowned scientists and researchers presented papers on topics related to the 'genomic revolution', including such areas as pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics, and control of tropical diseases. The Congress proved a resounding success and a fitting tribute to the ongoing success of the Prince Mahidol Award program in encouraging scientific advancement.