On 23 April 2018, H.E. Mr. Virachai Plasai, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States, hosted a reception in honour of the Prince Mahidol Award Laureate 2017 at the St. Regis Hotel, Washington D.C. The award in the field of Medicine was granted to the Human Genome Project, with Dr. Eric D. Green, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, as representative of the Human Genome Project. In the field of Public Health, the award was granted to Professor Porter W. Anderson, Jr., Dr. John B. Robbins, Dr. Rachel Schneerson, and Professor Mathuram Santosham from the United States of America. On this occasion, a total of 50 distinguished guests were in attendance to congratulate the Prince Mahidol Laureates comprising high-ranking officials from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), professors from the Department of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Patrick Murphy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thai physicians, the recipients of the Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Scholarship, and local media.

          On this occasion, Ambassador Virachai delivered remarks honouring His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla, the ‘The Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health of Thailand.’ He further congratulated the Prince Mahidol Award Laureates and remarked on their outstanding contributions which have helped to save and improve millions of patients’ lives worldwide, especially among children. Furthermore, the Laureates expressed their gratitude to be awarded and the high-ranking officials from the NIH conveyed their admiration for Thailand’s strong medical workforce and high-level of public health as well as expressed their readiness to develop closer cooperation.

          The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, under the Royal Patronage, was established in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla, on 1 January 1992. The Foundation is under the Royal Patronage, with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as President. The Foundation annually confers two Prince Mahidol Awards upon individual(s) or institution(s), which have demonstrated outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of the world’s medical and public health services.