Dr Bernard Pécoul led the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) from its foundation in 2003 until 2022. Under his leadership, DNDi – a not-for-profit research and development organization – expanded to include hundreds of public and private partners on five continents. During his tenure, DNDi delivered 12 new treatments for six deadly diseases, including malaria, leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and Chagas disease. Dr Pécoul’s work has helped to demonstrate that an alternative, collaborative model of research & development can deliver to meet the needs of neglected patients. During his time at DNDi, the organization established five research platforms that are driving scientific and medical progress in countries and communities most affected by neglected diseases. Dr Pécoul is a lifelong advocate for better access to medicines.

In 2016, DNDi, together with the World Health Organization, created GARDP to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. GARDP became an independent entity in 2018.

Dr Pécoul is a recipient of the Prince Mahidol Award in the field of public health (2020) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Clara Southmayd Ludlow Medal (2022).

He began his career as a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) doctor in 1983, working in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He later served as Executive Director of MSF France from 1991 to 1998 and as Director of the MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign from 1998 to 2003. In 1988, he co-founded Epicentre, an MSF-affiliated NGO specializing in epidemiology. After obtaining his medical degree at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, France, Dr Pécoul earned a master’s degree in public health at Tulane University, USA. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Dundee, UK. Dr Pécoul was a board member of GARDP from 2019 to 2024. He is a member of the Board of the European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases (ECRAID) and a former founding board member of UNITAID’s Medicines Patent Pool.