On 29 September 2023, Ms. Chuliepote Isarankura Na Ayudhaya, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, hosted a dinner in honor of the 2022 Prince Mahidol Award Laureates residing in the United States, namely, Professor Dr. Ralph A. DeFronzo, Doctor Douglas R. Lowy, and Doctor John T. Schiller, on behalf of the Ambassador of Thailand. Mrs. Cholatip Kambhu Sangrat, Ambassador’s spouse, Royal Thai Embassy officials, as well as the Laureates’ families and friends were also in attendance.

Professor Dr. Ralph A. DeFronzo, 2022 Prince Mahidol Award Laureate in the field of Medicine, is recognized for his prominent work in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D). He has helped define that obesity, especially central obesity, causes the biochemical and molecular disturbances responsible for insulin resistance in T2D. He also proposed the personalized treatment of T2D by choosing the appropriate medication according to the pathophysiology of diabetes. This concept has been recognized and adopted into current medical practice worldwide and saved millions of T2D patients from chronic diabetic complications.

Doctor Douglas R. Lowy and Doctor John T. Schiller, 2022 Prince Mahidol Award Laureates in the field of Public Health, are recognized for their significant contributions to the treatment of human papillomaviruses. They worked together at the National Cancer Institute and discovered that the major virion protein of human papillomaviruses (HPV) could self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) and the VLPs could strongly induce a protective immune response against the viruses. This helped develop VLP production processes from recombinant proteins and led to the development of HPV vaccines using VLPs, which prevented HPV infection, cervical cancer, and other HPV-related cancers.

On 26 January 2023, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, represented His Majesty the King, presented the Prince Mahidol Award for the year 2022 in the field of Public Health to the 2022 Prince Mahidol Award Laureates, at the Chakri Throne Hall, in the Grand Palace.

The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation under the Royal Patronage was established to commemorate the centenary of the Birth of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla, on 1 January 1992. With HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as President, the Foundation annually confers two Prince Mahidol Awards on individual(s) or institution(s) that have demonstrated outstanding and exemplary contributions to the advancement of the world’s medical and public health services. Each Award consists of a medal, a certificate, and a prize of $100,000.