10 Nobel Laureates: Archbishop Desmond Tutu Signs the PCS

1984 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu signed the Philadelphia Consensus Statement on Thursday, joining the call for universities to take action. Tutu signed the PCS after meeting with University of after meeting with University of Michigan UAEM members.

You can read more about this important show of support below in the University of Michigan-UAEM press release.

Archbishop Tutu joins 9 other Nobel laureates in calling for change on our university campuses.

The Philadelphia Consensus Statement calls on universities to take action by adopting policies that:

• Promote equal access to research.
• Promote research and development for neglected diseases.
• Measure research success according to impact on human welfare.

You can join with thousands of students, professor, global health luminaries and Nobel laureates by adding your voice to the call for universities to take action. Sign on now to the Philadelphia Consensus Statement.

Nobel Prize winners who have joined in UAEM's call for university action:

Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Vice Chancellor for Science and Technology, James B. Duke Professor of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center

Kenneth Arrow, PhD, 1972 Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2004 National Medal of Science, Professor of Economics (Emeritus), Stanford University

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), 1999 Nobel Laureate in Peace, Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines

Craig Mello, PhD, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Professor of Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School

John Polanyi, PhD, DSc, 1986 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Professor, University of Toronto

Oliver Smithies, PhD, 2007 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Excellence Professor, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Jack Steinberger, PhD, 1988 Nobel Laureate in Physics

Sir John Sulston, PhD, FRS, 2002 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester

Harold Varmus, MD, 1989 Nobel Laureate in Medicine; Co-founder of Public Library of Science (PLoS); Chairman of the Scientific Board of Grand Challenges in Global Health, President and chief executive officer of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City

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University of Michigan- UAEM Press Release

October 30, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Susan Mead

University of Michigan UAEM member

(978) 257 2651

sfmead@umich.edu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Joins U of M Students in Support of Global Health Efforts

Ann Arbor, MI, October 30, 2008

Following his receipt of the University of Michigan's Wallenberg Medal, Archbishop Desmond Tutu met with several student groups dedicated to social action and justice, including representatives from the University of Michigan's UAEM chapter on Thursday, October 30, 2008.

UAEM member John Prensner presented the organization's mission to Archbishop Tutu, explaining that universities and their students are uniquely positioned to act to increase availability of life-saving medications in developing nations. In order to facilitate access to essential medicines, UAEM advocates for socially conscious licensing of drugs when they are transferred from universities to the private sector. This licensing would include provisions that would ensure that developing nations have access to drugs that would otherwise be outside their economic reach.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Archbishop Tutu signed the Philadelphia Consensus statement, a document that calls on universities to adopt policies that promote equal access to research, that promote research and development for neglected diseases, and that measure research success according to impact on human welfare. With his signature, Archbishop Tutu publicly demonstrated his belief in the necessity of global access to medicines and the important role that universities can play in ensuring that access. Archbishop Tutu joins other signatories of the Philadelphia Consensus Statement, including Nobel laureates, international luminaries, and distinguished professors.

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About UAEM

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) is a coalition of students at over 40 top research institutions across the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. UAEM's mission is to ensure that people in developing countries have access to medicines developed in universities and that university medical research addresses to the needs of the majority of the world's population. As an organization which values innovation, we work to empower students to find new ways to improve access to health throughout the world.