PAKISTAN – Aga Khan University has awarded Dr Zulfiqar A. Bhutta the Prestigious Virchow Prize 2025 for Lifelong Leadership in Global Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health

Dr Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Founding Director of the Institute for Global Health and Development at the Aga Khan University (AKU), has been bestowed with the esteemed Virchow Prize 2025.

This major international award recognises his pioneering, lifelong leadership in advancing maternal, newborn, and child health equity through community-centred, evidence-based research. Dr Bhutta shares this year’s prize with co-laureate Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim from South Africa.

The Virchow Prize, awarded by the Virchow Foundation, celebrates outstanding achievements in global health aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards “Health for All.” It is considered one of the highest awards in global health, underscoring the critical importance of addressing health disparities and fostering structural change.

The independent Virchow Prize Committee highlighted Dr Bhutta’s exceptionally impressive and outstanding contributions, noting his decades of transformative policy influence. His work has redefined global health architecture by focusing on those marginalised and historically excluded from mainstream health systems and scientific discourse.

“Dr Bhutta’s work has been instrumental in shaping global health guidelines and influencing and influencing national policies for maternal, child health and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries,” stated the Virchow Prize Committee in their rationale. “He has championed community-based primary care models, large-scale randomised trials, and implementation research within vulnerable communities and fragile settings.”

With over 1,400 scientific publications and active advisory roles in organisations like WHO, UNICEF, and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), Dr Bhutta’s contributions exemplify scientific excellence that translates into life-saving policies and equitable health systems.

His work has significantly advanced strategies to reduce maternal and child mortality in South-Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and diverse humanitarian settings.

Dr Bhutta said, “This award is a recognition of the ongoing contribution by numerous collaborators, students and trainees who have worked tirelessly to address some of the world’s most challenging problems affecting its women and children; to them I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude for being part of this ongoing journey!”

This recognition is a monumental achievement for Aga Khan University and a source of immense pride for Pakistan. It underscores AKU’s commitment to impactful, globally relevant research and its role in addressing critical health challenges in the developing world.

“As President of Aga Khan University, it is a personal privilege to congratulate Dr Bhutta on receiving the Virchow Prize 2025 – an honour both profound and richly deserved,” said Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, AKU President.

“It is a moment of great pride for both me and the University to have him as part of our community.

His lifelong dedication to improving maternal, newborn, and child health in underserved communities speaks directly to the heart of our mission and reaffirms AKU’s commitment to advancing global health equity and driving meaningful, lasting change.”