Award winners of the FIGO Distinguished Medal and FIGO Award for Non-Obstretrician/Gynecologists 2023
At the Welcome Ceremony of the XXIII FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Paris, FIGO recognised five outstanding professionals for their lifelong commitment to improving global women’s health.
FIGO Distinguished Merit Award winners
The FIGO Distinguished Merit Award honours outstanding contributions to the ideals and vision of FIGO and the promotion and support of women’s health worldwide.
This year's joint winners of this prestigious award are:
Dr Willy Davila
Dr Willy Davila is a specialist in urogynecology and vaginal surgery. He has spent his professional career as academic urogynecologist, clinician, surgeon, teacher, researcher and thought leader. He is currently Director of Women and Children’s Services at Holy Cross Medical Group and Holy Cross Healthspital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Dr Bo Jacobsson
Professor Bo Jacobsson is the Head of the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Pediatrics at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the Head of Perinatal Research Laboratory at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden and Senior Researcher at Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. He is also FIGO Division Director of Maternal and Neonatal Health 2021-2025 and collaborated different international organizations on maternal and neonatal health for more than 20 years.
FIGO Recognition Award
The FIGO Recognition recognises highly distinguished individuals outside the OBGYN profession who have performed an exceptional service to women’s health.
The 2023 winners are:
Professor Pascale Allotey
Professor Pascale Allotey is a Ghanaian public health researcher and the Director of the World Health Organization SRH/HRP. She has more than three decades of experience as a global public health researcher across four continents. Her work has covered health equity, health and human rights, gender and social determinants of health, forced migration and marginalization, infectious diseases, and non-communicable disease
Dr Anshu Banerjee
Dr Anshu Banerjee is the Director for the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the World Health Organization (WHO). He has more than 30 years of experience in public health. He has worked as the WHO representative in Albania and Sudan and was seconded at the request of the UN Secretary-General to serve as UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response’s Director of Emergency Operations.
Dr Barbara Demeneix
Barbara Demeneix is an internationally recognised biologist and endocrinologist. She is Emeritus Professor of Physiology and Endocrinology at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. She is a leading expert on thyroid function and endocrine disruption and has authored more than 200 scientific publications.