(This is a first-hand account of the Luther L. Terry Awards ceremony held on the evening of Day Four of the conference, March 11, from Tom Glynn, PhD, Director, Cancer Science and Trends and Director, International Cancer Control. Photos from the ceremony can be found below.)
The 2009 Luther L. Terry Awards for excellence in tobacco control were held this evening in Mumbai, on the last full evening of the 14th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health. This is the fourth time the triennial Luther L. Terry Awards have been given by the American Cancer Society, beginning with the 11th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health in Chicago in 2000. Tonight's awards ceremony was superbly produced by the American Cancer Society's Susan Herrington, national vice president, Strategic Governance and Corporate Affairs, and Judy Shope, strategic director, Constituent Management and Planning. In addition, Catherine Jo, manager, International Tobacco Control, and Carys Horgan, program assistant, Cancer Control Sciences and International Affairs, have done a terrific job of handling the selection process.
As with the previous ceremonies, this one was conducted in front of more than one thousand conference participants and the feeling in the hall was both exciting and wistful, as past achievements were honored and future plans applauded. As in the three previous iterations of the Luther L. Terry Awards, the honorees for tonight’s 2009 awards are exceptionally accomplished and recognized worldwide for their contributions to tobacco control. They are:
• The United States’ Stanton Arnold Glantz, PhD: Recipient of the Distinguished Career Award.
• The Ministry of Health of the Government of Uruguay: Recipient of the Award for Exemplary Leadership by a Government Ministry.
• The United States’ Ronald M. Davis, MD, and India’s K. Srinath Reddy, MD, DM, MSc, FAMS: Recipients of the Award for Outstanding Individual Leadership.
• The InterAmerican Heart Foundation: Recipient of the Outstanding Organization Award.
• K. Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, of the United States: Recipient of the Award for Outstanding Research Contribution.
• The United States’ Dileep G. Bal, MD, MPH, MS, and Thailand’s Hatai Chitanondh, MD, FICS, FRCS (T): Recipients of the Award for Outstanding Community Service.
The ceremony was opened by John Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, and introductory remarks were made by Douglas Bettcher, MD, MPH, director of the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Free Initiative. The awards were given by Terry Fontham, MPH, DrPH, president, American Cancer Society, and Van Wolf, chair, National Board of Directors, American Cancer Society. There were very few dry eyes in the hall when Dr. Sharon Milberger accepted Dr. Ron Davis' award posthumously. Dr. Davis passed away from pancreatic cancer only three days after being told of his Luther L. Terry Award. But Dr. Milberger reminded everyone that Dr. Davis lives on through his influence on a generation of tobacco control advocates.
A highlight of the award ceremony came when Maria Julia Muñoz, MD, the Health Minister of Uruguay, accepted the Award for Exemplary Leadership by a Government Ministry and commented on the astounding progress in tobacco control – and its attendant disease and death – that has been made in her country, in Latin America, and throughout the world.
It was particularly moving to see Luther L. Terry’s family represented at the ceremony by his son Michael, Michael’s wife Joan, his grandson Luther Terry, and granddaughters Agnes Terry and Paige Kollock. Following the ceremony, a celebratory dinner was held.
Dr. K. Srinath Reddy from India (second from left) receiving his award from American Cancer Society leaders.
Maria Julia Muñoz, MD, the Health Minister of Uruguay, speaking at the Luther L. Terry Awards.
Representatives of the Luther L. Terry family
