-
The “Takeda Chair in Global Child Health” is the first Chair at
the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to be fully
endowed by a company -
Partnership will boost LSHTM’s innovative research into child
health and survival that helps policymakers to make evidence-based
decisions; the Chair’s continuous funding supports LSHTM to plan
strategically and sustainably to improve heath worldwide -
Demonstrates Takeda’s long-term commitment to the people and
cutting-edge science that help bring life-changing therapies and
vaccines to patients worldwide
OSAKA, Japan & LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK)
(“Takeda”) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
will announce today at the evening reception, hosted by the Embassy of
Japan in the United Kingdom, the establishment of the Takeda Chair in
Global Child Health, endowed by a £3 million donation by Takeda to
LSHTM. The School’s first fully endowed corporate chair, it will support
vital research into reducing 5.3 million child deaths in low and
middle-income countries.
Takeda’s donation will enable LSHTM to recruit a world-class researcher
and educator to join its innovative academic team as the first holder of
the Takeda Chair in Global Child Health. This post will play a critical
role in consolidating LSHTM’s child health research across more than 100
countries, accelerating change for one of the biggest global health
challenges, and further strengthening LSHTM’s position as a leader in
maternal, child and adolescent health.
Christophe Weber, President and CEO of Takeda, stated, “Takeda’s aim is
to thrive at the cutting edge of innovation that helps solve unmet
medical needs, both through our own R&D and in collaboration with
exceptional partners across the globe. We believe that global health
research and the training of new global healthcare professionals are
essential to the ongoing translation of science into life-changing
therapies for patients. This Chair does both. We are excited to partner
with LSHTM, renowned for its pioneering research and uniquely placed to
realize the full potential impact of the Chair, and in doing so directly
benefitting millions of children and their families.”
Through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, Takeda has
supported health worker training and capacity building, immunization
campaigns, health system strengthening and maternal, child and newborn
health in the developing world for over a decade. Additionally, Takeda
has a long history of supporting child health beyond CSR. For over 70
years, the company has supplied critical vaccines to the children of
Japan, and more recently is working to expand impact on global health
beyond Japan through a pipeline with the potential to transform the
global picture for several neglected diseases.
More than five million children under the age of five die each year,
half of whom die within the neonatal period (birth to one month old),
with the next largest number being due to childhood infections such as
pneumonia and diarrhea. While the vast majority of these deaths are
preventable, key research gaps remain. The Takeda Chair in Global Child
Health will enable a ‘rising star’ to bridge research, public policy,
and healthcare delivery by developing thought leadership in child
survival and health through innovative research, including vaccines,
neonatal care, under-nutrition, and infection diagnostics and treatments.
Professor Baron Peter Piot, Director of LSHTM, stated, “We are honored
to partner with Takeda to create this Professorial Chair, the first in
our School’s history to have been fully endowed through corporate
support. This donation is incredibly valuable, providing ongoing funding
and support for a Professorial Chair in Global Child Health – a pivotal
part of our continuing mission to improve health worldwide. We are
deeply thankful to Takeda for their generosity as we work together to
transform the health of future generations.”
Professor Joy Lawn, Director of LSHTM’s MARCH Centre (Maternal
Adolescent, Reproductive & Child Health Centre), said, “The Takeda Chair
will advance the evidence base for child survival and child health
around the world, enable innovations and drive an important emphasis on
the science and realities of healthcare implementation. This Chair will
be instrumental in linking evidence to action, especially in sub-Saharan
Africa and South Asia, where the majority of child deaths occur. We are
grateful for Takeda’s generous support which will advance child health
worldwide, and aligns with the mission of the London School of Hygiene &
Tropical Medicine and our school’s MARCH Centre.”
International recruitment for the Takeda Chair in Global Child Health
will begin in May. Due to the perpetual nature of this endowment, this
role will be awarded to generations of academics, enabling the best and
brightest academic minds to have the freedom to explore innovative ways
to improve global health.
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK)
is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader
headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a
Brighter Future to patients by translating science into
highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four
therapeutic areas: Oncology, Gastroenterology (GI), Rare Diseases and
Neuroscience. We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived
Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative
medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by
advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our
enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust,
modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving
quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health
care in approximately 80 countries and regions.
For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com
About the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world-leading
centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global
health, with 4,500 students and more than 3,000 staff working in over
100 countries. LSHTM is one of the highest-rated research institutions
in the UK, and among the world’s leading schools in public and global
health. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and
worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and
global health research, education and translation of knowledge into
policy and practice. For more information, visit www.lshtm.ac.uk
and https://march.lshtm.ac.uk/
Contacts
Media Inquiries:
The Press Office at LSHTM
press@lshtm.ac.uk
+44(0)207
927 2802
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
Kazumi Kobayashi
kazumi.kobayashi@takeda.com
+81
3 3278 2095