Paying It Forward

UW grad helps fight AIDS in Africa.

When it comes to accolades, he's got a laundry list: Ernest Darkoh '93 has been called a Global Health Hero by TIME magazine and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

An internationally recognized expert in HIV/AIDS treatment protocols, Darkoh is co-founder and chairman of BroadReach Healthcare, based in Washington, D.C. He has an MD from Harvard, an MBA from Oxford, and a master's in public health — and roots in Wisconsin.

In May, Darkoh returned to his birthplace and alma mater to be honored by WAA for exemplifying the Wisconsin Idea and making a positive difference in the world. "In many ways I feel like this award is not about me at all, but about the people who have supported me," he said, giving a nod in the audience to his best friend from medical school, a mentor who convinced him to go into business, and the Madison family who took him in as a UW undergraduate and taught him how to drive a car.

While earning his MD, Darkoh realized that becoming a medical doctor would not be enough for him. He wanted to change entire health care systems — and his passionate focus on the big picture has improved the lives of AIDS patients on a massive scale. BroadReach is now assisting with the largest, fastest rollout of an antiretroviral treatment plan in the history of the AIDS epidemic.

When giving his acceptance speech on the Madison campus, Darkoh noted that "between this morning and right now, at least 8,500 people have died of HIV. We [at BroadReach] have joined together on this path and with your love and support and shoulders to stand on, hopefully we'll be able to do something about this."

The next Distinguished Alumni Awards program will take place on May 8, 2008. Read more about Ernest Darkoh in On Wisconsin Magazine.

In Good Company

"If I've achieved anything at all, it's because I've had the great honor of standing on the shoulders of giants," said Ernest Darkoh while receiving his Distinguished Alumni Award. Since 1936, WAA has presented the award to 273 alumni leaders and seven distinguished young alumni — UW giants indeed.