City of Chicago
On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, Alderman Michele Smith honored Dr. Hopkins with a resolution from the City of Chicago commending him for his work in health, including Guinea worm eradication.
WHEREAS, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins has faithfully served as the Vice President of Health Programs for The Carter Center, the renowned non-governmental not-for-profit organization whose mission it is to advance human rights and alleviate suffering for all; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins received his Bachelors Degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, his Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Chicago, his Masters in Public Health from Harvard University, all world-class educational institutes; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins has received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the prestigious Harvard University, as well as honorary degrees from Morehouse College, Emory University and Morehouse School of Medicine, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at University of Massachusetts-Lowell; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins is noted for his exceptional work in Sierra Leone fighting smallpox using innovative techniques. Contrary to conventional wisdom at the time, Dr. Hopkins raced to new outbreaks and vaccinated those unaffected in the area, in larger and larger circles, until he had eliminated the outbreak. The success of Dr. Hopkins' strategy is testified by its acceptance as best practice by immunologists throughout the world; and by the eradication of smallpox, the first and only human disease to be eradicated; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins has been a top crusader for the fight in eradicating Guinea worm disease, incredibly bringing down the number of reported cases from 3.5 million per year in 1986 to fewer than 150 in 2013. Dr. Hopkins has reported that he is increasingly confident that the disease will not outlive him; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins has authored a multitude of books and scholarly papers on the subject of disease eradication including the book "Princes and Peasants: Smallpox in History" which was nominated in 1983 for a Pulitzer Prize; and
WHEREAS, The MacArthur Foundation, a renowned Chicago institution, awarded Dr. Donald R. Hopkins a MacArthur Fellows Grant in 1995, a "Genius Grant" whereby the recipient receives a large investment and is given full autonomy in its use, this grant is given to those who the foundation believes can make a great impact on the world; and
WHEREAS, From 1984 until 1987, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins served as Deputy Director and Acting Director at the Center of Disease Control and Prevention; and
WHEREAS, From 1989 until 2003, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins served on the Chicago Board of Health; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Michele Smith, the Alderman of the 43rd Ward which includes Lincoln Park, the neighborhood Dr. Donald R. Hopkins has chosen to make his home in for 24 years, wishes to apprise this august body of Dr. Donald R. Hopkins' significant contributions to the field of medicine and disease prevention; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council gathered together this 28th Day of May, 2014 AD, do hereby salute Dr. Donald R. Hopkins for nearly 40 years of disease prevention and eradication contributions that have made Chicago, the United States, and the world a safer place and saved countless lives, and express our heartfelt best wishes for his continued success in all his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Dr. Donald R. Hopkins.
Michele Smith
Alderman – 43rd Ward
May 28, 2014
Reprinted with permission.
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