The Chong Kun Dang Kochon Foundation hosted the "17th Kochon Prize Award Ceremony" on September 20 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. The ceremony was streamed live around the world on the Stop TB Partnership YouTube and Facebook channels.
The Kochon Prize was established in 2005 by the Chong Kun Dang Kochon Foundation, founded in 1973 by the late Chong Kun Dang Chairman, and the Stop TB Partnership to recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to the global fight against tuberculosis and AIDS. To date, the prize has provided a total of 4.2 billion won in research grants to 12 scholars and 14 organizations.
This year's Kochon Prize, themed "Recognizing Healthcare Workers Who Refuse to Give Up on TB Treatment in Conflict Zones," honored two organizations and one individual, including the Public Medical Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Southern Kherson Pulmonary Tuberculosis Medical Center, and the Director of the Chernihiv Regional Medical Center, Ms. Zhanna Karpenko, for their efforts to establish TB treatment systems and protect patients in wartime.
"All Ukrainians are heroes and symbols of unity, and we are sincerely grateful to the international community and the Kochon Prize for recognizing our efforts on their behalf," said this year's winner, Dr. Yana Terleeva of the Public Medical Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
"This year's winners are true medical professionals who never gave up on their patients, even in the midst of a war that destroyed the healthcare system," said Kim Doo-hyun, President of the Chong Kun Dang Kochon Foundation. "We hope that this award will be a great support for the various medical and relief activities that organizations and individuals will carry out in the future."
