Lydia Mosi, an Associate Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana, has received a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the Anesvad Foundation for her decades of research into Buruli ulcer and other neglected tropical skin diseases.

The honour was announced at the foundation’s 11th annual awards ceremony held in Spain on Thursday. The awards recognise individuals and organisations working to combat neglected tropical diseases, which affect more than one billion people globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Prof. Mosi, who teaches at the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, was recognised for a career that includes more than 50 high-impact scientific publications on neglected tropical diseases, influence on health policy, and securing over $20 million in research funding.

Each award comes with a €15,000 prize to support the recipient’s work.

Speaking after receiving the award, Prof. Mosi said her journey began as an undergraduate student when she encountered her first Buruli ulcer patient.

“I started this journey out of curiosity as an undergraduate student when I saw my first Buruli ulcer patient with a huge lesion that was painless,” she said.

“To be recognised for work in neglected tropical skin diseases and my work in Buruli ulcer is especially meaningful because these conditions have, for far too long, reflected a deeper neglect, not only of diseases, but of the people who live with them.”

She dedicated the award to the memory of her late mother, whom she said was “most certain that I will get this far.”

Prof. Mosi also used the occasion to highlight the social and economic impact of neglected tropical skin diseases.

“Neglected tropical skin diseases are more than medical conditions. They affect education, livelihoods, mental health, and social inclusion,” she said.

“Behind every statistic is a child excluded from school, a parent unable to work, or an individual facing stigma and isolation.”

She further urged young scientists to “challenge indifference, strengthen local leadership, and ensure that no disease and no person is considered too neglected to matter.”

Ghana also secured another honour at the ceremony, with the Ark Development Organisation receiving an award for its work on the environmental, social and economic determinants of neglected tropical diseases with cutaneous manifestations.

The organisation was recognised for integrating mental health and stigma reduction into its work. Its director, Emmanuel Kwafo Mintah, accepted the award on behalf of the organisation.

The third award went to the National Podoconiosis Action Network in Ethiopia for communication efforts aimed at influencing policy on cutaneous neglected tropical diseases.

Since the awards were launched in 2015, the Anesvad Foundation has supported 48 projects and professional careers across more than a dozen African countries, with total funding reaching €865,000.