Dr. Chen Minzhang
Professor of Internal Medicine specializing in gastroenterology at the prestigious Peking Union Medical College, People’s Republic of China, and former Minister of Health of China. He served as Vice Minister of Health from 1985 to 1987, and as Minister of Health from 1987 onward, during the critical period of China’s transition from the barefoot doctor system to a modern health care system.
Dr. Chen has played a pivotal role in advancing national public health, particularly through his leadership in tobacco control. At a time when China had more than 300 million smokers, he spearheaded efforts that led to the enactment of the Public Health Law prohibiting smoking, which introduced landmark measures: regulation of carcinogenic chemicals in cigarettes, bans on smoking in public places, buses, and trains, restrictions on tobacco advertising across mass media, and health education for schoolchildren on the dangers of smoking.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to health promotion and tobacco control, Dr. Chen Minzhang was awarded the WHO Gold Medal for Health for All in 1992.