Sir Peter Karel, Baron Piot, (born 17 February 1949)
is a Belgian-British microbiologist known for his research into
Ebola
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
and
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
.
After helping discover the Ebola virus in 1976 and leading efforts to contain the first-ever recorded Ebola epidemic that same year, Piot became a pioneering researcher into AIDS. He has held key positions in the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
and
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
involving AIDS research and management. He has also served as a professor at several universities worldwide. He is the author of 16 books and over 600 scientific articles.
Early life and education
Piot was born in
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
, Belgium.
His father was a civil servant who worked with agricultural exports and his mother ran a construction company. Piot is the oldest of two brothers and a sister.
After beginning in the school of engineering and physics at
Ghent University
Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium.
Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when th ...
studying physics, Piot changed to medicine. During medical school, Piot received a
Diploma in Tropical Medicine (DTM) from the
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp in Antwerp. In 1974, he received an
MD degree from Ghent University.
In 1980, Piot received a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
degree in clinical
microbiology
Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, ...
from the
University of Antwerp
The University of Antwerp ( nl, Universiteit Antwerpen) is a major Belgian university located in the city of Antwerp. The official abbreviation is ''UA'', but ''UAntwerpen'' is more recently used. The University of Antwerp has about 20,000 stud ...
.
Career
In 1976, while working at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Piot was part of a team that observed a Marburg-like virus in a sample of blood taken from a sick nun working in
Zaire
Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
.
[ ][ ] Piot and his colleagues subsequently traveled to Zaire as part of an International Commission set up by the Government of Zaire to help quell the outbreak.
The International Commission made key discoveries into how the virus spread, and traveled from village to village, spreading information and putting the ill and those who had come into contact with them into quarantine. The epidemic was already waning when the International Commission arrived, thanks to measures taken by local and national authorities, and it finally stopped in three months, after it had killed almost 300 people.
[ ] The events were dramatised by
Mike Walker on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
in December 2014 in a production by
David Morley. Piot narrated the programme.
Piot has received the majority of the credit for discovering Ebola, since in 1976, it was claimed he was the one to receive blood samples while working in a lab at the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.
The samples were once claimed to be originally sent by Dr.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, a Congolese doctor who obtained the blood samples from those sickened with a mysterious disease in then-Zaire, later discovered to be Ebola. In 2012, Piot published a memoir entitled ''No Time to Lose'' which chronicles his professional work, including the discovery of the Ebolavirus; he mentions Muyembe in passing rather than as a co-discoverer.
In a 2016 Journal of Infectious Disease article, co-signed by most of the actors from that first outbreak, including Peter Piot and Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the claims by both Piot and Muyembe to have played a significant role in the early discovery of Ebola have been refuted.
[ ] Piot stated in 2019 that "my book was not an attempt to write the history of Ebola, but more my personal experience".
In the 1980s, Piot participated in a series of collaborative projects in Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zaire. Project SIDA in Kinshasa, Zaire was the first international project on
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
in Africa and is widely acknowledged as having provided the foundations of science's understanding of
HIV infection in Africa. He was a professor of
microbiology
Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, ...
, and of
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
at the
Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , and at the
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi. It is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent univer ...
,
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish government. listof all ...
, the
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
, and a visiting professor at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 milli ...
. He was also a senior fellow at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...
in Seattle, a scholar in residence at the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
, and a senior fellow at the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
.
From 1991 to 1994, Piot was president of the
International AIDS Society. In 1992, he became assistant director of the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
's Global Programme on HIV/AIDS. On 12 December 1994, he was appointed executive director of the
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) (, ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/ AIDS pandemic.
The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ...
(UNAIDS) and Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
[ ]
From 2009 to 2010, Piot served as director of the Institute for Global Health at
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
In October 2010, Piot became the director of the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine.
The inst ...
.
In addition to his work at LSHTM, Piot is a member of the
Institute of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Eng ...
of the
National Academy of Sciences of the United States and the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, a Fellow of the
Royal College of Physicians of London
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
, UK and a Fellow of the
Academy of Medical Sciences
The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.
Its mission is to adv ...
. In 2011,
Amy Gutmann
Amy Gutmann (born November 19, 1949) is an American academic and diplomat who is the United States Ambassador to Germany. She was the eighth president of the University of Pennsylvania. In November 2016, the school announced that her contract ...
appointed him to serve on the International Research Panel at the
Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the Bioethics Commission) was created by on November 24, 2009. Executive Order 13521 - ''Establishing the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues'', November ...
.
In 2014, in the face of an unprecedented
Ebola epidemic in western Africa, Piot and other scientists called for the emergency release of the experimental
ZMapp vaccine for use on humans before it had undergone clinical testing on humans.
That year, he was appointed by Director General
Margaret Chan to the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
's Advisory Group on the Ebola Virus Disease Response, co-chaired by
Sam Zaramba and
David L. Heymann.
He also chaired an independent panel convened by Harvard Global Health Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine into the national and international response to the epidemic, which sharply criticised the response of the WHO and put forward ten recommendations for the body's reorganisation. In February 2020, he criticised the delay in declaring the
2019–20 novel coronavirus outbreak focused on
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...
, China, a
Public Health Emergency of International Concern
A public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) is a formal declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the internatio ...
, and advocated a five-point scale for outbreaks, rather the current binary (emergency/no emergency) system.
In 2020, Piot was appointed to the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
’s advisory panel on
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
, co-chaired by
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; Albrecht, born 8 October 1958) is a German politician who has been serving as the president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding suc ...
and
Stella Kyriakides
Stella Kyriakides ( el, Στέλλα Κυριακίδου, ; born 10 March 1956) is a Cypriot psychologist and politician of the conservative Democratic Rally party who has been serving as European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety since 201 ...
. In the preparations for the Global Health Summit hosted by the European Commission and the
G20 in May 2021, Piot co-chaired the event's High Level Scientific Panel.
Personal life
In May 2020, Piot disclosed that he had had
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
.
Piot is fluent in English, French, and Dutch.
He is married to the American anthropologist
Heidi Larson
Heidi J. Larson is an American anthropologist and the founding director of the Vaccine Confidence Project. Larson headed Global Immunisation Communication at UNICEF and she is the author of '' Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start and Why They Don't G ...
.
Other activities
* Africa Europe Foundation (AEF), Member of the Strategy Group on Health (since 2020)
* Centre for International Health Protection (ZIG),
Robert Koch Institute
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is a German federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention. It is located in Berlin and Wernigerode. As an upper federal agency, it is subordinate to the Federa ...
(RKI), member of the scientific advisory board (since 2020)
* Exemplars in Global Health, member of the senior advisory board (since 2020)
*
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), member of the board (since 2018)
* ''
The Lancet Public Health'', member of the editorial advisory board (since 2016)
* Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), chair of the board of directors (since 2017)
* UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR), chair of the Strategic Coherence of ODA-funded Research (since 2017)
* Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF), member of the advisory panel (since 2015)
*
Novartis Foundation
The Novartis Foundation (formerly known as the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development) is a non-profit organization and part of the corporate responsibility portfolio of Novartis in Basel, Switzerland. The foundation conducts projects to ...
, member of the board of trustees (since 2015)
*
Antwerp Management School, member of the international advisory board
* Centre Virchow-Villermé, member of the international advisory board
*
Global Health Corps, member of the board of advisors
*
Global Health Innovative Technology Fund
The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), headquartered in Japan, is an international public-private partnership between the Government of Japan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), 16 pharmaceu ...
(GHIT), member of the board of directors
* ''
The Lancet
''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823.
The journal publishes original research articles ...
'', member of the international advisory board
*
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...
, External Member of the advisory board at the Department of Global Health
*
World Health Summit
The World Health Summit is an international conference that has been held in Berlin every October since 2009. It has developed into one of the world's leading global health conferences. It was held for the first time on the occasion of the 300th a ...
, member of the council
Awards
* 2003:
Calderone Prize
* 2004:
Vlerick Award Vlerick is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* André Vlerick (1919–1990), Belgian politician, businessman and academic
* Philippe Vlerick (born 1955), Belgian businessman, nephew of André
See also
* Vlerick Leuven Gent Manage ...
* 2008: America-Flanders Award
* 2013:
Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize The honors men and women "with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services to combat infectious and other diseases in Africa, thus contributing to the health and welfare of the African people and of all humankind ...
* 2013: Prince Mahidol Award
* 2015: Prix International de l’INSERM
* 2015:
Canada Gairdner Global Health Award
The John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award is given by the Gairdner Foundation to recognize the world's top scientists who have made outstanding achievements in Global Health Research. Since its inception, the Global Health Award has grow ...
* 2016:
Manson Medal
* 2018: Member of the
German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founde ...
.
Honours
*:
**Ennobled with the title of ''
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...
'' for life in the
Nobility of Belgium by King
Albert II of Belgium
, house = Belgium
, father = Leopold III of Belgium
, mother = Astrid of Sweden
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
, death_date =
, death_place =
, signature = Albert II of Belgium Signat ...
(1995)
*:
**
Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...
(2018)
*:
**
Officer of the
National Order of the Lion
*:
** Honorary Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
(2016)
** Substantive Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
(2019)
*:
**
Officer of the
National Order of the Leopard (1976)
Selected filmography
* 2002: ''
Jonathan Dimbleby
Jonathan Dimbleby (born 31 July 1944) is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, author and historian. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of television presenter David Dimbleby.
...
'' (TV series) – episode: "The AIDS Crisis in Africa"
* 2006: ''
Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
'' (TV series documentary) – episode: "The Age of AIDS"
* 2006: ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...
'' (TV series documentary) – episode: "The New Space Race/Fighting AIDS/Immortality"
* 2009: ''House of Numbers: Anatomy of an Epidemic'' (Documentary)
* 2014: ''Horizon: Ebola: The Search for a Cure'' (TV series documentary)
* 2017: ''Heart of the Matter'' (documentary short)
* 2017: ''Unseen Enemy'' (documentary)
Selected works and publications
Selected works
*
*
Selected publications
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
Further reading
* Peter Piot – Biography (UNAIDS.org)
EnglishFrançaisEspañol
Русский
Arabic
Peter Piot - Latest Speeches
No Time to Lose Official Website
BBC Radio 4 ''The Life Scientific'' programme about Peter Piot and his work on ebola and HIV AIDS, February 2016
External links
Peter Piotat
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine.
The inst ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piot, Peter
1949 births
Living people
Barons of Belgium
Belgian microbiologists
HIV/AIDS researchers
HIV/AIDS activists
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Belgian officials of the United Nations
Members of the National Academy of Medicine
University of Antwerp alumni
Ghent University alumni
Academic staff of the University of Antwerp
Academics of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Manson medal winners
Physicians from Leuven
Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun
Ebola researchers
Members of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina