TEHRAN — Iranian researcher Golaleh Asghari, PhD in Nutritional Sciences, won Dr. Shousha Foundation Prize, IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

The Dr. A.T. Shousha Foundation was established in 1966 in memory of Dr. Aly Tewfik Shousha, first WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. The prize, consisting of a sum in the order of CHF 2500 and a bronze medal, is awarded to a person who has made the most significant contribution to improving health in the Eastern Mediterranean, the geographical area in which Dr. A.T. Shousha served the Organization.

Asghari, researcher at Endocrine Research Center affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, is mainly collaborating in Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study figuring out methods to decrease the burden of non-communicable diseases with regard to nutritional balance.

In addition to the prize Dr. A.T. Shousha Foundation Fellowship was established to enable health professionals from the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to obtain a postgraduate diploma or a master's degree in public health. The Fellowship, amounting to US$ 15,000, is awarded whenever accumulated interest is sufficient, in principle about every six years.

The prize, awarded not more than once a year, is presented at a special ceremony during a session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Any national health administration in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and any former recipient of the prize may propose, at the invitation of the Regional Director, the name of a candidate who, in their opinion, qualifies for the prize; the nomination must be accompanied by a written justification.

A similar procedure applies to the proposal for the fellowship. In this case the proposal must be accompanied by the necessary background information and a statement that the qualifications obtained by the candidate will be used for the benefit of the countries in the area mentioned above.

The Regional Director submits the nominations received to the Foundation Committee, which meets during the sessions of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean to consider the candidatures. The Foundation Committee makes its recommendation to the Executive Board, which designates the recipients of the prize and fellowship.

MQ/MG