Comlan A. A. Quenum (10 January 1926 - 15 August 1984) was a

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

ois physician, diplomat, and official. He was the first African to serve as the Regional Director for Africa for the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO). The Government of Cameroon established the

Dr Comlan A.A. Quenum Prize for Public Health World Health Organization (WHO) public health prizes and awards are given to recognise major achievements in public health. The candidates are nominated and recommended by each prize and award selection panel. The WHO Executive Board selects the w ...

in 1987 in his memory.

Life and career

Early life and education

Comlan Alfred Auguste Quenum was born on 10 January 1926 in

Ouidah Ouidah (English: ; French: ) or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch), and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on t ...

, Benin. Quenum obtained a Diploma from the École nationale de médecine et pharmacie in Dakar, Senegal (1948-1952), a

Bachelor of Medicine A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

from the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (, ) is a public research university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Talence. There are al ...

(1954–1955), and a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

from the Medical Faculty at the University of Bordeaux (1954–1957). He also earned several certificates, including Zoology (1958), Biology (1959), and Animal Physiology (1960), and became an Agrégé in

Histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

and

Embryology Embryology (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logy, -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the Prenatal development (biology), prenatal development of gametes (sex ...

in 1962.

Career

Quenum was the Chief Physician at the Infirmary in Senegal from 1953 to 1954. In addition, Quenum also served as the Chief of Histology Study at the Joint Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, Senegal, from 1959, and as a professor of Embryology and Histology at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Dakar from 1959 to 1963. Quenum also served as a professor at the Joint Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the

University of Dakar Cheikh Anta Diop University (), also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60, ...

in 1963–1964. Quenum was an active member of the

(WHO) Expert Committee on Professional & Technical Education of Medicine and Auxiliary Personnel from 1964 to 1965. This committee played an essential role in formulating guidelines for training healthcare professionals in Africa. He then became the Regional Director for Africa at the WHO from 1965. He was also the first African to hold this position and the second African to become a Regional Director after

Aly Tewfik Shousha Sir Aly Tewfik Shousha, Pasha (; 17 August 1891 – 31 May 1964) was an Egyptian doctor and a founding member of the World Health Organization. Early life and education Aly Tewfik Shousha was born in Cairo, on 17 August 1891. He graduated fro ...

, who was the Regional Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region since the WHO inception on 1 July 1949. Quenum, until his sudden death, played a crucial role in the implementation of various health programs across Africa. As the Regional Director for Africa at the WHO, he had to engage with various governments and organizations to promote public health policies including

tabaco Tabaco, officially the City of Tabaco (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,961 p ...

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

onchocerciasis Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm ''Onchocerca volvulus''. Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. It is the second-most common cause of blindne ...

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, and

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

. Quenum was one of the 124 founders of the

World Cultural Council The World Cultural Council is an international organization whose goals are to promote cultural values, goodwill and philanthropy among individuals. The organization founded in 1982 and based in Mexico, has held a yearly award ceremony since 198 ...

in 1981. Quenum died on 15 August 1984 in

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

, Congo.

Awards and honours

Quenum was also recognized for his diplomatic work, having received honors such as the Commander of the National Order of the Republic from Ivory Coast, the Order of the Equatorial Star from Gabon, and the Order of Merit of ,

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, and

. He was awarded

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from the

University of Abidjan A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

in the Ivory Coast and the

National University of Zaire The National University of Zaire (, or UNAZA) was a federated university in Zaire (the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) which existed between 1971 and 1981. UNAZA was established in August 1971 when the country's three existing u ...

as well. After his death, the Government of Cameroon established the

in 1987 in his memory. This prize is awarded by the WHO to recognize individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to public health in Africa. The prize was awarded every two years until it was discontinued in 2000.

References

{{Authority control 1926 births 1984 deaths Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Benin Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Senegal Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of the Republic of the Congo Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Gabon Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ivory Coast 20th-century physicians Beninese physicians University of Bordeaux alumni Cheikh Anta Diop University alumni