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Tributes to Dr. Alan Magill

24 September 2015

The Director of the Malaria Programme at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation passed away on 19 September in Seattle, USA.

 

 

 

Several names from the malaria and global health communities have expressed their condolences:

 

Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO and Trevor Mundel, President of the Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In his three years as Director of the Malaria Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Alan challenged his team to transform the vision of a malaria-free world into a reality. His death is a terrible loss, but we’re confident that his incredible moral and intellectual example will inspire others to work even harder to get the job done.

Bill and Melinda Gates

The scientific community has lost an amazing leader, and our foundation has lost a treasured friend and colleague. Although Alan led our foundation’s work on malaria, his influence went far beyond any single disease. He had a rare gift for bringing people together and helping them work toward a common goal. He also combined a deep knowledge of science with a hard-earned understanding of what happens out in the field. He knew that insights gained in the laboratory only matter if they improve people’s lives. Most importantly, Alan never gave up on the idea that humanity can wipe out terrible diseases. His optimism was contagious, to us and everyone else who was lucky enough to know him. When we talk about the kinds of leaders we want at the foundation, we simply say: We want more people like Alan Magill.

David Schellenberg, Director of the ACT Consortium

Alan was a calm, clear voice amidst the complexities and chaos of a world he was helping to move towards malaria eradication. We will sorely miss his clarity of thought, in-depth understanding and strategic thinking.

Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

Alan was a great friend and adviser to many colleagues here, and has given us much wisdom and support over many years. He was keenly engaged in our work, particularly on malaria and leishmaniasis, as well as being a global leader in the effort to control and eradicate malaria. He will be much missed and our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family.

The Malaria Education Scientific Alliance (MESA)

On behalf of the MESA Alliance, we wanted to share our heartfelt condolences for the loss of Alan Magill. Alan held a deep-rooted belief that humankind should and could defeat malaria. He made an extraordinary commitment towards realising this goal. Alan believed in team work and used the term the 'malaria eradication ecosystem' to illustrate the value of multiple different partners in pulling together to end malaria. This, together with his smartness, gentle good heartedness and humbleness made Alan a dear colleague for many of us. We remember his thoughtful remarks at ASTMH last fall. Full of praise for others, Alan applauded the selfless commitment of local and global health workers in the effort against the Ebola outbreak and the long-standing commitment of the U.S. Naval Services and personnel in combatting infectious diseases like malaria. And, touchingly Alan gave special thanks to his family for their unyielding support. Our thoughts are with his wife, daughters, family, colleagues and friends. With warm regards from the MESA Alliance

Regina Rabinovich, Chair of the Malaria Eradication Scientifica Alliance (MESA) Steering Committee

Alan held a deep-rooted belief that humankind should and could defeat malaria. He made an extraordinary commitment towards realising this goal. Alan believed in team work and used the term the 'malaria eradication ecosystem' to illustrate the value of multiple different partners in pulling together to end malaria. This, together with his smartness, gentle good heartedness and humbleness made Alan a dear colleague for many of us.

Malaria Word

Last week the world lost one of its prominent malariologists, Dr. Alan Magill, who served as the Director of the Malaria Programme at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Alan inspired numerous malaria professionals around the world to work relentlessly towards a world free of this disease. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts are with his family, colleagues, and friends. The best way to honour Alan is to proceed in his footsteps and complete his mission. 

Dr. Bart G.J. Knols, In2Care

It is with profound sadness that we took notice today of the untimely death of Dr. Alan Magill, who headed the malaria programme at the Gates Foundation in Seattle. I met Alan for the first time in Durban, South Africa, during the MIM meeting in 2013. This was not long after he had taken up his new position at the Gates Foundation. This was the man that everyone out of the 1500+ participants would like to talk to, and it was a great privilege that he took some time to sit down and chat with me. It struck me immediately how pleasant Alan was to interact with. Down-to-earth, direct, and above all with passion did he speak of his mission to free the world of malaria. And I vivdly remember his following words: 'Being with the Foundation now gives me the real opportunity to make a difference in this world'. The second time we met was when I visited the Foundation in January this year. As ever, Alan was pleasant and at the same time razor sharp. He needed two words to understand your full story. Over lunch his passion got hold of him when he stood up and expressed his frustration that we were all going too slow - that we needed to get new technology to the field quicker. Every live mattered, and waiting would only lead to unnecessary waste of lives. So true. The world has lost a great malariologist. It is now upon us to follow in his footsteps and end malaria.

 

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