Health Communicator of the Year winners' showcase

Dr Val Curtis, Director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Saving lives is at the heart of the impressive work of Val Curtis who has managed to get a simple message out across the world – hand washing can save your life. The judges noted that Dr Curtis has reached a global audience with her message on hand washing, culminating in the first ever Global Handwash Day in October last year.

Today there are 20 countries with national hand washing programmes – a huge step forward in developing countries.