Wexford doctor receives distinguished award for global contribution to health

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) awards the inaugural Cecilia Grierson Medal to Professor William Howlett, a physician and neurologist from Wexford, recognising his exceptional contribution to global health and his lifelong commitment to improving neurological care in East Africa.

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, reaffirming RCPI’s commitment to international collaboration, global equity in healthcare, and medical leadership worldwide.

Professor Howlett studied medicine at University College Dublin. Following residency training in New York, he returned to Ireland to work as a registrar and tutor at University Hospital Galway and Mercer’s Hospital Dublin.

An avid sports fan, William played Gaelic football for St James GAA club and later represented Wexford County Senior team for two years. Professor Howlett is originally from Shielbaggan, Arthurstown, County Wexford, born in 1946. He went to Primary school in Shielbaggan and Ramsgrange and Secondary school at Good Counsel College, New Ross. He graduated from UCD in Medicine in 1970.

Professor Howlett 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, he has played a pivotal role in strengthening medical services, researching emerging diseases, and training generations of doctors in East Africa.

He 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 seminal textbook, Neurology in Africa, has become a cornerstone of neurological training across the continent, supporting clinicians working in resource-limited environments.

Professor Howlett was joined at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s ceremony by his son, Dr Patrick Howlett, who recently completed training in Pulmonary Medicine in London.

Dr Howlett, who celebrated his eightieth birthday earlier this year, travelled to Dublin from Zimbabwe where he continues to actively contribute to healthcare training and leadership.

When asked what the Cecilia Grierson Medal means to him, he spoke of a strength of spirit drawn from his mother, and the importance of continuous learning and sharing of knowledge.

“It’s interesting that the strength that I have in Africa actually comes from my background. 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 said.

His mother was originally from Galway and married his father from Wexford, where they raised nine children. He describes an engaging family dynamic where each sibling had a job on the farm, gaining an early understanding of hard work and collaboration. This would inform his work ethic and approach to innovation and learning.

“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 the 16 March and…look at this lovely suit. Everything you see was bought for me by my medical students in Africa when they heard I was coming here to receive this award.”

Speaking at the award presentation, Dr Diarmuid O’Shea, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, said:

“Professor William Howlett’s career represents the very best of Irish medicine in action on the global stage. 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.”

The medal is named in honour of Cecilia Grierson, the first woman physician in Argentina and the daughter of an Irish mother from County Offaly. A pioneering doctor, educator, and reformer, Grierson dedicated her life to advancing equitable access to healthcare and education. Her legacy of courage, service, and advocacy for social justice forms the inspiration for this new RCPI award.

In awarding the inaugural Cecilia Grierson Medal to Professor Howlett, RCPI celebrates a physician whose life’s work exemplifies sustained service, scientific integrity, and an unwavering commitment to global health.