Professor Dr Samir Kumar Saha, a prominent Bangladeshi microbiologist of has been named as the winner of the UNESCO Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology in 2017.
His named was announced for the prize along with a Pakistani microbiologist Shahida Hasnain.
The prize will be handed over to him on November 6 during the 39th session of the General Conference of UNESCO where 195 member States will participate. The conference will be held from October 30 to November 14.
The award was created by UNESCO in 1977 with the initiative of the Government of Cuba for recognizing scientists with remarkable research on microbiology.
Samir Saha, head of the department of microbiology at the Dhaka Shishu Hospital, is the Executive Director of Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) in Bangladesh.
He is also a member of Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE) and heads the steering committee of the Coalition Against Typhoid (CAT).
Prof. Saha was awarded the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Award for Research on Clinical Microbiology in 2017.
He also renowned in his field for playing key role in the making of vaccines in Bangladesh against bacteria responsible for meningitis and pneumonia that directly impacted children’s health.
BDST: 1440 HRS, OCT 22, 2017
AP
