A former MSU Visiting Hannah Professor who helped spearhead wastewater monitoring to curb the spread of COVID-19 was awarded one of the world’s top water prizes.

Gertjan Medema, a Dutch microbiologist, was honored with the 2024 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize. He’ll officially accept the award at the Singapore International Water Week in June, which will also be attended by an MSU delegation, including faculty Stephen Gasteyer, Wade Syers, Hui Li and Joan Rose. 

“Gertjan’s tireless efforts and ability to share his knowledge on environment virology including new methods, results and translation to public health action with the global community was extraordinary,” said Rose, who nominated Medema for the award.

Medema is a principal microbiologist at KWR, a water research institute in the Netherlands. He spent spring semesters at MSU in 2018, 2019 and 2022 as part of the Visiting Hannah Professorship program for the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. 

During the pandemic, Medema was the first demonstrate that wastewater monitoring could be used to provide early earning and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. He worked with MSU in the Global Water Pathogen Project to detect real-time infection trends even earlier than other surveillance methods. In 2017, the State of Michigan asked Medema to chair team of scientists investigate what caused the Legionella outbreak a few years earlier in Flint. 

At the award ceremony, Medema will receive a certificate, gold medallion and cash prize. He’ll also deliver a keynote address as part of the International Water Week program.