On April 30th last, a past pupil of Good Counsel College, Dr. William P. Howlett was preseented with the MGA Distinguished Graduate Award by the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Sciences.
William graduated from Good Counsel in 1964, and from UCD in 1970. He went on to work in Tanzania as a neurologist and has been published in Brain and The Oxford Journals. He has conducted extensive research on the disease, Konzo, and was the first to identify the role played in this disease by high dietary exposure to Cyanide from Cassava roots.
Dr. Howlett has also published extensively on Aids and African Neurological related diseases. He was centrally involved in setting up a medical school in Moshi and has written a text book, ‘Neurology in Africa’.
The alumni gathering at which Dr. Howlett was presented his award was attended by graduates from the classes of 1950, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 2000. He was the only one from these classes to be presented with the Distinguished Graduate Award, a measure of the significance of his achievement.
On behalf of all at Good Counsel College we congratulate Dr. William P howlett and wish him well for the future.
(Many of Dr. Howlett’s publications can be accessed on the web. The Wilkipedia entry for ‘Konzo’ contains links.)