Gao Yaojie

2003 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Public Service from China. Dr. Gao Yaojie uncovered the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China’s Henan province, tracing the deadly disease to tainted blood transfusions. Realizing the risks of rampant blood trade, and prevailing misconceptions about the "strange disease," she investigated crowded villages and documented medical histories of those affected by HIV/AIDS. She wrote a first-ever AIDS prevention book and distributed copies herself at railway stations and clinics, while giving comforting care for patients, their families, and AIDS orphans in affected villages. Even in the face of restrictions and intimidation by local government officials, she fearlessly carried on her work, and slowly the tide began to turn. Today, Dr. Gao's books are in open circulation and more importantly, the government has set up a program dispensing free AIDS drugs to farmers affected by the illegal blood sale schemes.