INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Christophe Mérieux Prize •2015

Awarded by the French Academy of Sciences and the Christophe and Rodolphe Mérieux Foundation for his exemplary research on infectious diseases in Africa and his decisive role in the fight against Ebola.

Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize•2019

One of the most prestigious African awards in the field of public health, awarded by the Government of Japan for his outstanding contribution to research and control of infectious diseases in Africa.

Prix Virchow •2021

Honored for his career dedicated to medicine and global health, notably for being the first scientist to identify the Ebola virus in 1976 alongside the international team led by Peter Piot.

Prix African Hero •2018

Awarded by the University of the African Diaspora in Washington D.C. for his leadership in public health and humanitarian commitment in Africa.

Global Leadership Award in Health•2020

Awarded by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (USA) for his historic role in responding to Ebola epidemics and strengthening health systems in Central Africa.

Global Healthcare Leaders Award•2023

Announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and presented by its Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the 2023 Global Health Leaders Award was presented to Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Dr. Peter Piot (Belgium).

NATIONAL AWARDS (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)

Grand Cordon in the National Order of National Heroes Lumumba-Kabila(2020)

The highest honorary distinction of the DRC, awarded by the President of the Republic for his role in the exemplary management of the Ebola epidemic and the protection of the population.

Gold Medal for Scientific Merit (University of Kinshasa)

For his exceptional contribution to medical research and his pioneering role in African virology.

Honorary Doctorate Cause of the Protestant University of the Congo (UPC)

In recognition of his commitment to public health and the training of young Congolese researchers.

INSTITUTIONAL AND ACADEMIC RECOGNITION

• Member of the WHO Scientific Committee on Ebola and Emerging Diseases
• Member of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS)
• Corresponding Member of the French Academy of Sciences; Founder and Director General of the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa
• First Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat for the Ebola Response in the DRC
• Symbolic tributes ƒ Leading figure in the Ebola response: nicknamed "the Ebola hunter" by the international press (BBC, Le Monde, New York Times).
• Inducted into the African Hall of Fame for Science and Health (African Union, 2021).
• Tribute from the WHO and the CDC Atlanta for more than 40 years of service to global health.
• In February 2025, Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, one of the most prestigious distinctions of the French Republic. The decoration was presented to him by the French Ambassador to the DRC during a solemn ceremony held at the French Residence in Kinshasa.
• On March 25, 2025, at the Sorbonne University in Paris, the ceremony for awarding honorary doctorates took place under the banner of humanism, creativity and openness to the world, in homage to Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe.
• December 1, 2025: Creation by the Congolese Government of the Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum Prize, an award intended to perpetuate his exceptional contribution in the fight against epidemics.

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