Professor David C. Morley

David Morley obtained his Bachelor’s of Medicine and Surgery in 1947, followed by a master’s and a Ph.D. degrees in medicine in 1955. He lectured at several universities, hospitals, and medical centers in the United Kingdom and overseas. After his retirement, he was appointed as an Emeritus Professor of Tropical Child Health in the Department of Growth and Development at the Institute of Child Health, London University. Morley was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and member of many scientific societies and editorial boards of medical journals in the field of primary child health care.

After serving in the medical corps during World War II, and spending some time in Newcastle working with renowned pediatricians, Professor Morley began his real career in child health in Nigeria in the 1950’s. Since then, he dedicated his entire professional life to improving primary health care for children throughout the world, particularly in developing countries. He lived and worked in tropical countries in Africa and Asia, fighting common and debilitating communicable diseases and emphasizing the importance of adequate and balanced nutrition. Dr. Morley developed an Under-Fives Clinics in Imesi-Ile designed to provide healthcare and vaccinations for children of that age group. He assigned local personnel to run the clinic and trained local women to administer the vaccinations, leading to the eradication of measles in that community.

He also initiated the “Child to Child” program, an innovative project that uses practical material to enable children to participate in the health, education, and wellbeing of themselves and their communities. One of his famous books Pediatrics Priorities in Developing Countries, first published in 1973, was reprinted several times and translated into several languages, including Arabic. He also established the Teaching Aids at Low Cost (TALC) in St. Albans in 1965, a charity which provides low-cost textbooks and sponsorships to healthcare workers and students. In short, Professor Morley had cared for the health of underprivileged children, showed that they can be helped, inspired thousands of child healthcare workers, and influenced the international community to prioritize children’s health. He was “a driving force for child health worldwide, an idealist who practiced what he preached and a charismatic role model for his disciples.”

Dr. Morley published numerous research papers, articles, and books. Until his death on July 2nd, 2009 at age 86, he remained actively involved in the promotion of child health through “Teaching-aids at Low Cost” (TALC), which he himself established in 1965. Dr. Morley was also awarded UNICEF’s Maurice Pate Leadership for Children Award in 1974.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.