Westchester - Dr. Rolande Hodel, founder and president of AIDSfreeAFRICA, a non-profit based in Ossining, NY is the recipient of the 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award. This award is sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and carries a $30,000 prize as well as the honor to speak at the 238th National Meeting and Exposition of ACS at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Hodel will be speaking on August 16th on the subject of generic drug production in Africa and the challenges designing and implementing an emerging pharmaceutical infrastructure in Africa. Her lecture is part of the Astellas USA Award lecture series, "The Impact of Pharmaceutical Chemistry on Global Human Health."
The Astellas USA Foundation Awards were established to identify individuals or teams who exemplify the criterion of having significantly contributed to scientific research that improved public health through their contributions in the chemical and related sciences. Through its awards program, ACS encourages the advancement of chemistry in all its branches and the promotion of research in chemical sciences. Dr. Hodel was chosen as the recipient because, as Dr. Eric Bigham, chair of the ACS Board Committee stated, "The American Chemical Society is proud to recognize you for your pioneering work to help establish facilities for the production of pharmaceuticals, in particular generic drugs for the African continent. I am personally delighted to add my congratulations."
AIDSfreeAFRICA and Dr. Hodel’s work is imperative for sub-Saharan Africa because of the desperate need to collaborate on and have reliable drug production. In that area of the world, there is a lack of access to necessary drugs, issues with the pricing of drugs, and regulations barring the importing and selling of pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hodel’s innovative approach, specifically in Cameroon and soon in Uganda and Ghana, focuses on economic development in developing countries by transferring chemical and practical technology to progress towards production of generic pharmaceuticals.
