SEOUL, Republic of Korea, 19 March 2026 — The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), the only international organization devoted to the discovery, development, and delivery of vaccines for global health, and SK bioscience, a leading biotechnology company in the Republic of Korea, today announced the 2026 recipients of the IVI–SK bioscience Park MahnHoon Award: Prof. Walter A. Orenstein, a renowned global immunization leader, and the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN), a global alliance advancing vaccine access and manufacturing capacity in low‑ and middle‑income countries (LMICs).

The 2026 awardees are recognized for their transformative and complementary contributions to global immunization—Prof. Orenstein for decades of leadership in vaccine policy and program implementation, and DCVMN for expanding sustainable vaccine manufacturing, vaccine access, and equity for LMIC around the world.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, stated, “Together, the 2026 awardees represent two essential pillars of the global vaccine ecosystem: visionary leadership in immunization policy and strong, sustainable vaccine manufacturing capacity—particularly for LMICs. Prof. Walter Orenstein and DCVMN have each played a decisive role in providing low-cost, high-quality vaccines, critically enabling global immunization, protecting countless lives. Some Korean companies, through their commitment to vaccines for Global Health, have historically been a part of this important network.”

Prof. Orenstein is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern vaccinology. From 1988 to 2004, he served as Director of the U.S. Immunization Program, overseeing efforts that achieved record‑high childhood immunization coverage and record‑low incidence of vaccine‑preventable diseases nationwide. This period included the elimination of indigenous measles transmission in the United States, with reported measles cases declining by more than 99 percent compared with the pre‑vaccine era. Several other vaccine‑preventable diseases were reduced by over 90–99 percent, representing one of the most significant public health achievements of the late 20th century.

Prof. Orenstein later served as Deputy Director for Immunization Programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he helped guide major global investments supporting polio eradication, measles control, and the strengthening of routine immunization systems in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Throughout his career, he has advised the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on vaccine strategy and outbreak response. Dr. Orenstein has been a co-editor of the standard textbook on Vaccinology, Plotkin’s Vaccines for the last 6 editions. He is Professor Emeritus at Emory University, where he held senior leadership roles at the Emory Vaccine Center. Often described as a “legend in vaccinology,” his work has shaped how vaccines are developed, distributed, and trusted.

DCVMN stands out for its outstanding institutional contribution to global health through collaboration, innovation, and capacity building. Founded in 2000 and currently led by its CEO Mr. Rajinder Suri, DCVMN is a global alliance of 45 vaccine manufacturers across 17 developing countries, collectively supplying vaccines to up to 170 countries worldwide.

DCVMN members produce the majority of vaccines procured by UNICEF and Gavi‑supported countries, accounting for around 70 percent of global Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) vaccine supply, and manufacture over 6 billion vaccine doses annually, with more than 180 WHO‑prequalified vaccines across multiple disease areas including COVID‑19, cholera, dengue, and HPV. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, DCVMN members supplied more than 60 percent of the global COVID‑19 vaccine output, delivering over 9 billion doses across multiple vaccine technology platforms and demonstrating the critical importance of regional manufacturing capacity in global health emergencies.

Beyond the pandemic, through South–South collaboration, technology transfer, regulatory convergence, and sustained support for WHO prequalification, DCVMN has played a central role in strengthening sustainable vaccine manufacturing and pandemic preparedness in LMIC regions. DCVMN has demonstrated that vaccine manufacturing in developing countries is not only feasible but indispensable to global health security, illustrating how the Global South can drive scale, innovation, and resilience in immunization systems worldwide.

Mr. Jaeyong Ahn, President of SK bioscience, said, “I express my deepest respect for all those dedicated to safeguarding global health and preventing infectious diseases, including the recipients of this year’s Park MahnHoon Award. SK bioscience will continue to carry forward the spirit of the late Vice Chairman Park MahnHoon by leading the development of innovative vaccines and ensuring their stable supply, thereby contributing to the advancement of public health worldwide.”

The IVI–SK bioscience Park MahnHoon Award, established in 2022, annually honors individuals and/or teams that have made extraordinary contributions to the discovery, development, and delivery of vaccines and the advancement of global health. SK bioscience provides funding for two annual prizes of 100 million Korean won (approximately US$71,000) each.

The 2026 award ceremony will take place in Seoul in April.

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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that also achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 42 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, Austria, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.