Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, WHO Regional Office for Europe
ASPHER Andrija Štampar Medallist, 2024 

Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe.  

Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat is a medical doctor, a specialist in public health, and the author of several publications in public health and European health policy.
Following her qualification as a medical doctor from the University of Malta in 1995, Dr Azzopardi-Muscat worked in various areas in the health sector in Malta, including maternal and child health, mental health, and primary care. Her transdisciplinary research bridging health policy, European studies and small states studies led to her PhD entitled “The Europeanisation of health systems: a small state perspective”.

Since 1999, Natasha has been a resident academic at the University of Malta, teaching in the department of health services management and public health. In 2003, she completed her specialization in public health medicine and obtained her membership in the Faculty of Public Health of the United Kingdom. Between 2001 and 2013, she occupied various senior positions in the Ministry of Health in Malta, including that of Chief Medical Officer.

Before joining WHO, Dr Azzopardi-Muscat served as President of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) from 2016 to 2020, where she was actively involved in health advocacy at the European level.

Dr Azzopardi-Muscat is married to Dr Conrad Azzopardi, a practicing physician, and has 3 children.

About the Andrija Štampar Medal

Each year ASPHER awards the prestigious Andrija Štampar Medal to a distinguished person for excellence in the field of Public Health.

Doctor Andrija Štampar was born in the Croatian countryside 100 years ago. His parents were schoolteachers and moved around the country a lot. This gave him many opportunities to observe the daily life of the people. He qualified in medicine in Graz during the period of the Habsburg Empire. There was no medical school in Croatia at that time. In the 1920s he worked in a senior position in the newly created Ministry of Health in Belgrade. Apparently at this time he was very outspoken about what needed to be done.

In the period 1927-28, he founded the School of Public Health in Zagreb, with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. From this base, he began to develop the public health system for the whole of Yugoslavia. As a result of these successful activities he was invited by the King to take up the cabinet post of Minister of the Interior. He accepted subject to certain conditions, which the King did not accept. Subsequently he went to China as an official of the League of Nations, and set up a fledgling public health system under its auspices.

He spent the period of the Second World War in prison, but in 1945 was appointed as Professor of Social Medicine in Zagreb. He also served as Dean of the Medical School and as President of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Croatia. In 1946 he was president of the Interim Committee of WHO, charged with setting up its structures and constitution. It also drew up the famous definition of health. Professor Štampar was chairman of the first WHO General Assembly in 1948.

The Štampar Medalists since 1993:

Anders Foldspang | 2023 ASPHER Deans' & Directors' Retreat - Dublin, Ireland
Štampar Medalist 2023 | Short biographical sketch
Laudation by Charles Normand (Trinity College, Dublin) 

Laurent Chambaud | 2022 ASPHER Deans' & Directors' Retreat - Sofia, Bulgaria 
Štampar Medalist 2022 | Short biographical sketch 
Laudation by Henrique Barros (ISPUP, University of Porto) 

Mike Ryan | Online webinar ceremony
Štampar Medalist 2021 | Short biographical sketch 
Laudation by Mary Codd (ASPHER Executive Board, University College Dublin) 

Selma Šogoric | 16th World Congress on Public Health - Online 2020
Štampar Medalist 2020 | Short biographical sketch
Laudation by John Middleton (President, ASPHER)

Gaetano M. Fara | XLI Annual Conference / 12th EPH Conference - Marseille 2019
Štampar Medalist 2019 | Short biographical sketch
Laudation by John Middleton (President, ASPHER)

Anne Johnson | XL Annual Conference / 11th EPH Conference - Ljubljana 2018
Štampar Medalist 2018 | Short biographical sketch
Laudation by Kasia Czabanowska (Maastricht University) 

Elina Hemminki | XXXIX Annual Conference / 10th EPH Conference - Stockholm 2017
Štampar Medalist 2017 | Short biographical sketch
Laudation by Henrique Barros (University of Porto) 

Richard Horton | XXXVIII Annual Conference / 9th EPH Conference - Vienna 2016
Štampar Medalist 2016 | Short biographical sketch
Laudation by Martin McKee (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) 

Jean Rochon | XXXVII Annual Conference / 8th EPH Conference - Milan 2015
Štampar Medalist 2015 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Laurent Chambaud (EHESP School of PublicHealth - Rennes)

Peter Piot | XXXVI Annual Conference / 7th EPH Conference - Glasgow 2014
Štampar Medalist 2014 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Yehuda Neumark (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Jose M Martin-Moreno | XXXV Annual Conference / 6th EPH Conference - Brussels 2013
Štampar Medalist 2013 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Miguel Angel Royo (Institute of Health Carlos III - Madrid) & Ted Tulchinsky (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) 

Julio Frenk | XXXIV Annual Conference / 5th EPH Conference - Malta 2012
Štampar Medalist 2012 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Jeffrey Levett (National School of Public Health - Athens)

Zsuzsanna Jakab | XXXIII Annual Conference / 4th EPH Conference - Copenhagen 2011
Štampar Medalist 2011 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Roza Adany (University of Debrecen)

Elias Mossialos | XXXII Annual Conference / 3rd EPH Conference - Amsterdam 2010
Štampar Medalist 2010 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Helmut Brand (Maastricht University)

Gudjon Magnusson | XXXI Annual Conference / 2nd EPH Conference - Lodz 2009
Štampar Medalist 2009 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Stojgniew Jacek Sitko (Jagiellonian University - Krakow) 

Ulrich Laaser & Theodore Tulchinsky | XXX Annual Conference / 1st EPH Conference - Lisbon 2008
Štampar Medalists 2008 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Anders Foldspang (Aarhus University) 

David Byrne | XXIX Annual Conference - Valencia 2007
Štampar Medalist 2007 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Jose M Martin-Moreno (EVES School of Publi Health - Valencia) 

Josep Figueras | XXVIII Annual Conference - Maastricht 2006
Štampar Medalist 2006 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Charles Normand (Lodnon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) 

George Soros | XXVII Annual Conference - Yerevan 2005
Štampar Medalist 2005 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Aislinn O’Dwyer (University of Liverpool)

Theodor Abelin | XXVI Annual Conference - Caltanissetta 2004
Štampar Medalist 2004 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Stojgniew Jacek Sitko (Jaegiellonian University - Krakow) 

Martin McKee | XXV Annual Conference - Granada 2003
Štampar Medalist 2003 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Stipe Oreskovic (University of Zagreb)

Alexander Macara | XXIV Annual Conference - Zagreb 2002
Štampar Medalist 2002 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Jeffrey Levett (National School of Public Health - Athens) 

Ilona Kickbush | XXIII Annual Conference - Debrecen 2001
Štampar Medalist 2001 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Andreas Geiger (Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal)

Charles Mérieux | XXII Annual Conference - Aarhus 2000
Štampar Medalist 2000 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Pascal Chevit (Nationa School of Public Health - Rennes)

Richard Doll | XXI Annual Conference - Madrid 1999
Štampar Medalist 1999 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Richard Madeley (University of Notingham)

Lennart Köhler | XX Annual Conference - Torino 1998
Štampar Medalist 1998 | Short biographical sketch 
Laudatio by Arja Rimpelä (University of Tampere) 

Ferenc Bojan | XIX Annual Conference - Prague 1997
Štampar Medalist 1997 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Martin McKee (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

Michel Manciaux | XVIII Annual Conference - Utrecht 1996
Štampar Medalist 1996 | Short biographical sketch 
Laudatio by Lennart Köhler (Nordic School of Public Health) 

Halfdan J Mahler | XVII Annual Conference - London 1995
Štampar Medalist 1995 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Evelyne de Leeuw (University of Limburg - Maastricht)

Donald Acheson | XVI Annual Conference - Krakow 1994
Štampar Medalist 1994 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Jeffrey Levett (National School of Public Health - Athens) 

Léo Kaprio | XV Annual Conference - Bielefeld 1993
Štampar Medalist 1993 | Short biographical sketch
Laudatio by Jeffrey Levett (National School of Public Health - Athens)