Rx for Survival, the six-part documentary series on global health that aired on PBS stations in November 2005, was recognized with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Programming—Long Form during the 27th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards held September 25. The award was received by producers from WGBH/NOVA Science Unit and Vulcan Productions, which produced the series in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS, professor and dean emertius of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, was featured in the series. The episode "Back to the Basics" focused on Sommer's discovery that mild vitamin A deficiency was linked with increased risk of mortality in children and that vitamin A supplementation could greatly reduce child mortality.
The Emmy is awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and is the most prestigious honor for television programming.
