Hilbrand Haak
Hilbrand Haak was born in 1954, near Groningen, the Netherlands. He first studied electro-technical engineering but after graduation switched to medicine and graduated as a medical doctor in 1986.
He developed a keen interest in health in developing countries, and worked for two years as a house officer in obstetrics, gynaecology and surgery in Geleen, before undertaking training for tropical doctors at the Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, in 1988.
Rather than pursue a clinical career as a tropical doctor, he took on a public health post with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Peru, and later at WHO headquarters in Geneva, where he worked on control of diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases from 1989 to 1992. He then obtained an MPH from Harvard University in 1993.
He moved to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and in 1995 joined Consultants for Health and Development (CHD), a multidisciplinary consultancy group in Amsterdam, becoming director in 1997. In 2009 he and his wife, Aryanti Radyowijati, turned CHD into ResultsinHealth, an international public health consultancy, where he remained CEO until his death in 2018.
For 25 years Hilbrand performed consultancies in developing countries on procurement, supply and management, essential medicines, anti-microbial resistance, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal, newborn and child health. He was passionate about rational use of medicines, published widely on the topic and co-authored and edited many WHO publications.
After being ill for two years, Hilbrand passed away on 26 January 2018 in Leiden.
Aryanti Radyowijati
Aryanti Radyowijati was born in 1969 and grew up in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. After gaining a medical degree from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia in 1993, Aryanti became a medical doctor in Yogyakarta, responsible for curative care and the implementation of public health programmes.
She completed several public health-related diploma courses at the Karoline Institute in Stockholm, and obtained an MPH from the University of Maastricht in 1996 and a Master’s in Medical Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam in 1998.
As director and senior expert at ResultsinHealth from 2011 until her death in 2024, Aryanti led evaluations of significant projects all over the world. She coordinated supply chain and risk mitigation services for the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in collaboration with PwC in more than 50 countries. She also coordinated technical assistance for virtual interventions aimed at HIV prevention, testing and treatment.
As a senior lecturer at Windesheim University of Applied Science, she shared her knowledge with future generations of public health professionals from 2008, inspiring them to embrace a holistic and equitable approach to global health challenges.
Aryanti was a member of the Netherlands Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and a winner of the Dutch Higher Education Award in 2021.
After a short illness, Aryanti passed away on 10 February 2024 in Leiderdorp, the Netherlands.
Her legacy extends far beyond her impressive list of achievements. She is remembered for her unwavering passion, intellectual rigour, and genuine empathy for those facing health disparities. Her collaborative spirit and dedication to mentorship fostered a global network of public health professionals who continue to share her vision of a healthier and more just world.