Dr Krishna Ella, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, has been awarded the prestigious Dean's medal by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Hyderabad-based pharma company said on Friday.
The award was presented to him by Dean Ellen J MacKenzie during the Bloomberg School's Convocation Ceremony held on May 22 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr Ella received the award for his exceptional leadership, enduring vision and contribution to improving public health, the firm said in a statement.
"John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health acknowledges Dr Ella's pioneering work, remarkable influence, and determination to develop an indigenous, innovative, and safe vaccine focused on global public health," the statement said.
This is the school's highest honour, reserved for outstanding public health researchers and practitioners who demonstrate exceptional leadership in safeguarding and improving public health.
"I acknowledge this medal as a global recognition of India's scientific excellence and dedicate this medal to Bharat, which has shown remarkable success by advancing science and research and development, our exemplary team of scientists, and the results of our strong commitment to public," Dr Ella was quoted in the statement.
Among many other accomplishments, Dr Ella's contributions to shaping India's policies on science, research and innovation have made possible the development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, including Covaxin -- India's own COVID-19 vaccine -- which has saved countless lives, the statement said.
Under Dr Ella's guidance, Bharat Biotech manufactured the first indigenous rotavirus vaccine (Rotavac), the first WHO-prequalified Typhoid conjugate vaccine (Tybar TCV) and Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine, JENVAC, it said.
These vaccines were made available to the poorest countries at low cost, saving thousands of lives of the poorest children worldwide, the statement claimed.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin, indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in a record time, conducting the largest-ever human clinical trials and peer-reviewed by world-leading medical journals, it stated.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Massive Crowd of Army Aspirants Causes Chaos in Pithoragarh During Recruitment Drive
"Proud To Have Contributed": Bharat Biotech On 1 Billion Covid Jab Feat Russia's Firing Of ICBM On Ukraine Is Weapon's 1st Combat Use In History 2 More Exit Polls Predict Landslide For NDA In Maharashtra This Asian City Is Emerging As Sex Tourism Hub. It's Not Where You Think "Have Right To Strike...": Putin's Veiled Warning To US, UK 47 Survivors Of 1984 Anti Sikh Riots Handed Out Job Letters JEE Main 2025 Jan Session Registration Closes On Nov 22, Check Key Details Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.