Professor Sir Nicholas J White (1951 – 2026): a visionary infectious diseases clinician scientist and mentor par excellence
MARC SE-Africa joins the malaria and global health communities in mourning the passing of Professor Sir Nick White (BSc Pharmacology MD MA FRCP FMedSci FRS DSc OBE KCMG), who dedicated his life to reducing the burden of malaria and other poverty related infectious diseases. Millions of lives have been saved by these efforts.
He is most widely recognised for the pivotal role he played in transforming malaria treatment globally, moving from failing monotherapies like chloroquine to the much more effective artemisinin-based combination treatments. While based for 40 years at the Mahidol Oxford Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok, Thailand, and continuing his annual rotations as a consultant physician in the Oxford University Hospitals, UK, he was equally at home with patients in rudimentary rural health facilities in Africa. Together with his colleagues in Asia and Africa, he mapped a template for overcoming the perennial threat of drug-resistant malaria. His visionary acumen predicted which evidence would be needed to drive changes in malaria treatment policy and practice at national, regional, and global levels. He was highly regarded for the total integrity with which he engaged the many stakeholders (from national malaria programmes to the World Health Organisation, from pharma to international funders), who all needed to be aligned to turn this vision into reality, despite numerous scientific, economic and political obstacles. His openness, humility and wit proved a powerful combination.
He was also a mentor par excellence, spotting and believing in the potential of many dozens of researchers and encouraging them to grow into more than they believed possible. He generously shared his creative ideas, curiosity, and enthusiasm, and provided his mentees with ample opportunities and introductions to his network. The far-reaching sustainable impact is evident in many of his mentees, who have grown into leaders of their own research programmes.
Nick was a modest man, never self-promoting, always acknowledging the contributions of others. As described by John-Arne Røttingen, Wellcome’s chief executive:
“Nick White’s leadership, insight and humanity helped shape one of the most significant public health successes of the past 50 years. While he would be the first to credit others in the fight against malaria, his impact on global health – and on millions of people’s lives – is profound.”
It says a great deal about his leadership and eminence that he was the recipient not just of a knighthood* but a bucketload of awards, including the Canada Gairdner Foundation Global Health Prize, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Manson medal and the Prince Mahidol Prize for Medicine, as well as the intriguingly titled Worshipful Society of Apothecaries Galen Medal in Therapeutics.
In cricket, he was an all-rounder as he was in his exceptional life. Not only an extraordinary public intellectual and mentor, but also a keen and gifted sportsman, loyal and vociferous supporter of British rugby and cricket teams as well as Arsenal, enjoyed music (playing the guitar and harmonica in the MORU band), and was a devoted husband and father to his three daughters and the menagerie of unusual “pets” they adopted.
His presence in our lives is sorely missed.
*Prof NJ White became Professor Sir NJ White when he was appointed a ‘Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George’ in the British 2017 New Year Honours list, ‘for services to tropical medicine and global health’.
