Rambam Health Care Campus is proud and honored to bestow the 2017 Rambam Award upon Professor Richard Horton in recognition of his pursuit for truth and equality in global public health, including for Israel and her neighbors; with appreciation for his support of Israel and the Rambam Mission; and with esteem for his commitment to social responsibility in academic publication at all levels— evidenced by his outstanding collaboration with Rambam Health Care Campus.
Born in London, Horton is of British and Norwegian ancestry. Hence, from childhood he has had an international perspective of the world and how society and culture impact humankind. This understanding has become an integral aspect of his approach to medicine—and to life.
Horton qualified in physiology and medicine from the University of Birmingham in 1986 and received honorary doctorates in medicine from the University of Birmingham, UK, and the University of Umea, Sweden. He is an avid writer, having contributed two important reports to the Royal College of Physicians of London: Doctors in Society (2005) and Innovating for Health (2009), and writes regularly for The New York Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement. His passion and concern regarding the impact of society and global trends on medicine is reflected in his 2003 book, Second Opinion: Doctors, Diseases, and Decisions in Modern Medicine.
As the Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet (since 1995) he is deeply committed to the progressive achievement of the highest attainable health standards for all people, everywhere. He not only believes in the power of science and medicine to shape and change the future—he himself seeks to live this out through his actions. In 2014, following publication of a controversial letter in The Lancet, Professor Horton acted on his lifelong commitment to open communication, by accepting an invitation from Rambam Health Care Campus to visit Israel and gain a first-hand perspective—a perspective whereby The Lancet continues to influence the world by relating the remarkable story of human health in Israel.
In acknowledgement of all the aforesaid, the Honorary Awards Committee has found Professor Richard Horton deserving of the 2017 Rambam Award.