The World Leprosy Day was established in 1954 by French philanthropist Raoul Follereau. It aims to raise awareness about leprosy (now called Hansen's disease) and teach people about this ancient disease that is easily curable today. It has since been observed on the last Sunday of January each year. 

When the 2023 World Leprosy Day came on January 29, we deeply cherish the memory of Li Huanying (1921–2022), the world famous leprosy control expert. 

Li was born to a wealthy family, and unexpectedly devoted herself to working to control a communicable disease that sounded scary to many people. She had a well-paid job as an expert in contagious diseases at the World Health Organization (WHO) and came back to China in 1958. 

"I was born in Beijing, so I cannot forget my roots. It was just the proper time when I came back in my 30s, since I would get accustomed to my life in China. I wanted to spend the best of my years in my motherland," recalled Li in a CCTV-13 interview program One on One in 2019.

From WHO to her motherland 

Born in August 1921 in Beijing, Li spent her childhood in Berlin, Germany, where she witnessed the rapid growth of Western medical science. In 1945, she graduated with honors as a medical major from Tongji University, Shanghai. In the next year, she went to Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in the United States, where she got her master's degree in bacteriology and public health before going on to work as an assistant researcher in the Department of Bacteriology after graduation.

Li with a leprosy patient.