Miriam K. Were

Professor Miriam K. Were, a medical doctor, public health specialist, teacher and publisher was born on April 12, 1940. She is currently the Chairman of Kenya’s National AIDS Control Council (NACC) and the Board of AMREF (Africa Medical and Research Foundation) and on numerous other Boards. Professor Were started out as a High School biology and chemistry teacher in 1965. She later enrolled in Medical School due to frustration from lack of health services for sick students and children. In 1973, she graduated as a Medical Doctor from the University of Nairobi, being awarded the Best All-Round Graduating Medical Student Prizes. She worked in the Ministry of Health before joining the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Nairobi on her journey to teaching Public Health. She holds both Masters (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (Dr PH) degrees from the John Hopkins University of USA. Between 1976 and 1982, while teaching Public Health, she was the Director of the National Pilot Project on Community Based Health Care (CBHC), in the pre Alma Ata period that addressed community participation in the improvement of their health. She has remained engaged in PHC work ever since. Between 1985 - 2000, Miriam Were worked in agencies of the United Nations; UNICEF, WHO and the United Nations Population Fund retiring at the level of D2. Professor Miriam K. Were has received many honours and awards in her professional life. These include receiving National honors from the President of Kenya in 2005 for distinguished service to the nation, The Trail Blazer Award of the Women in Leadership Group by the Global Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in 2007. She was also selected from the entire Commonwealth for the 2007 Queen Elizabeth II Gold Medal for Outstanding contributions to International Public Health and Supporting the Health Needs of Disadvantaged people. She finds her engagement in the work of the Global Health Workforce Alliance the crowning experience of her professional life.