Inspirational global health leader Dr Nduku Kilonzo has been awarded an honorary degree by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Dr Kilonzo was recognised for her work across two decades for a variety of government agencies and NGOs, blending research and policy expertise with leadership and action to deliver meaningful change to health systems that support some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
She received her honorary degree alongside LSTM’s graduating class of 2025 at a celebratory event in the historic St George’s Hall in Liverpool.
The event marked a return to Liverpool for Dr Kilonzo, who received her PhD from LSTM in 2007. She has since chaired and served on more than 15 global panels and commissions, including UN/Lancet Commissions, and for the World Health Organization UNAIDS and the Global Fund, and is currently the co-Chairperson of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition. She has mobilised and contributed to raising over US$1 billion for health initiatives throughout her career.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Dr Kilonzo said: “I am deeply, immensely grateful and humbled to accept this award from LSTM, my alma mater.”
Reflecting on her own career and personal journey, she passed on advice for the graduating students, especially in a changing global health eco-system with emerging public health challenges and opportunities.
She said: “Whatever you do and whatever you choose to pursue, you must be willing to go beyond your comfort zone.”
Concluding her remarks, she said: “Stretch yourself and apply your energy and talent with opportunity everywhere. Find courage to change the things you can. Embrace being human, but keep working. Practice gratitude. And above all, leave this world a better place. I wish you a fulfilling and purposeful tomorrow.”
Dr Kilonzo’s honorary degree recognises her particularly transformative impact in Kenya. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she advised the Cabinet Secretary of Health and chaired key national committees, driving a tenfold increase in oxygen production, from 3 million to 35 million litres per day, through innovative public-private reforms. As CEO of the National AIDS Control Council, she led the development of Kenya’s HIV Prevention Roadmap, which shaped global HIV programming. Under her leadership, HIV incidence fell by 51% and treatment coverage rose by 60%.
Professor Miriam Taegtmeyer introduced Dr Kilonzo, having first worked alongside her in Kilifi on the Kenyan coast in 2001. She praised her advocacy for gender equity and transformative impact on health systems.
She said: “Nduku exemplifies the qualities of a true global health leader: courageous, bold, decisive, and deeply compassionate. Through every step of her career, Nduku has always championed equity, rigour and impact.
“Our mission at LSTM is to deliver research and education that benefits the world’s most disadvantaged populations. We, as an LSTM community, are immensely privileged to be able to award an honorary degree to you, as someone who brings practical meaning to our mission through your focus on health and social impacts at the highest level.”