Recognition award for head of WHO European NCD Office

On 7th April 2018, during the celebration of World Health Day, Dr João Breda, Head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office) and Programme Manager for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at WHO/Europe, was awarded a gold medal by the Portuguese Ministry of Health for outstanding services in the field of health promotion. The award ceremony took place at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.

Dr Breda emphasized how much the award meant to him as recognition of his personal professional success since joining the National Health Service at the age of 23, but also as recognition of the valuable role WHO/Europe and the NCD Office play in the regional public health arena in general and the work done by the Organization in the areas of nutrition and physical activity in particular.

These annual awards by the Portuguese Ministry of Health aim to distinguish the most relevant and outstanding professionals and organizations in all subfields of health sciences, including promotion, prevention and health care, and reward individuals that have unequivocally contributed to the achievement of health goals.