Prof William Howlett received the inaugural Cecilia Grierson Medal for his four-decade career in clinical care, teaching, and research in Africa
A neurologist who has dedicated his career to helping patients in East Africa has been honoured for his contribution to global health at a recent Dublin ceremony.
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) awarded the inaugural Cecilia Grierson Medal to Prof William Howlett, a clinician from Wexford who has devoted more than four decades to clinical care, teaching, and research in Africa, particularly in Tanzania.
Internationally recognised for his work in tropical neurology and neurological conditions associated with poverty and malnutrition, Prof Howlett has played a pivotal role in strengthening medical services, researching emerging diseases, and training generations of doctors in the region.
“Prof William Howlett’s career represents the very best of Irish medicine in action on the global stage,” said RCPI president Dr Diarmuid O’Shea.
“His lifelong dedication to patient care, education, and research in East Africa reflects a deep sense of humanity and shared responsibility. Through the Cecilia Grierson Medal, RCPI is proud to recognise those whose work embodies our values and extends the impact of Irish medical leadership far beyond our borders.”
Prof Howlett first worked in Africa in 1980 during a period of severe famine and conflict in Uganda, where he helped restore medical services at a regional hospital. Shortly afterwards, he joined the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania, where he became a leading figure in neurological care and education.
Over the course of his career, he trained more than a thousand doctors and specialists and contributed significantly to research in HIV/AIDS and neurological diseases prevalent in African settings.
His textbook, Neurology in Africa, has become a cornerstone of neurological training across the continent, supporting clinicians working in resource-limited environments.
The Cecilia Grierson Medal was established to honour members and fellows of the Irish medical diaspora whose work has made a profound impact on healthcare around the world.
Prof Howlett travelled to Dublin to accept the award from Zimbabwe, where he continues to actively contribute to healthcare training and leadership.
“It’s interesting that the strength that I have in Africa actually comes from my background,” he said.
“My mother was a wonderful woman. She saved my life in Africa more than once. I would often think ‘My mother would have done something, so I did it’. I opened a hospital just remembering what she did. That ability to work every day and the rest follows,” he added.
“I never published a line before I went to Africa. I had to learn to publish. Africa, in some ways, taught me that when something is new somebody has to teach you.
“Then you learn it, then you practice it, and finally, the big teacher is experience, and I’ve been able to learn from those areas to continue it.
“I wrote a textbook in my field because there wasn’t one. I went back and trained as a specialist in neurology in my early 40s and 50s because they needed that in Africa.
“Teaching is huge and we now have a medical school with 240 students in each year. I have 60 residents in training. I was 80 on March 16 and…look at this lovely suit. Everything you see was bought for me by my medical students in Africa for my birthday when they heard I was coming here to receive this award.”
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