Monthly Archives: February 2010

Sabin Vice-President Dr. Ciro de Quadros Receives Chesley Perry Award from Rotary International

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End Polio Now

Exciting News!

The Rotary Club of Chicago has presented Sabin Vice-President Dr. Ciro de Quadros with the Chesley Perry Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service for global polio eradication.

Dr. de Quadros led the team responsible for developing a surveillance and response strategy to eliminate polio from the Americas. Based on the success of the polio eradication strategy, the World Health Organization (WHO) committed to the global eradication of polio.

Worldwide, polio has been eliminated in all but four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The Americas were declared free from polio in 1994, the Western Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002.

“Ciro’s contributions to worldwide polio eradication efforts are immeasurable and he continues to be a defining advocate for polio eradication in the few places where the disease remains,” said Sabin President Dr. Peter Hotez. “All of us at Sabin congratulate Ciro on receiving this distinguished award. With the strong support of champions like Ciro, the eradication of polio can be achieved in the near future.”

End Polio Now2

The award presentation on February 23rd coincided with Rotary International’s 105th anniversary and a global call to “End Polio Now.” Landmarks around the world including, Chicago’s Wrigley Building; the Egyptian Pyramid of Khafre; Buenos Aires’ Obelisk; and the Taipei 101 building displayed an “End Polio Now” banner calling attention to the devastating effects of polio, a crippling disease that can be fatal and disproportionately affects children under the age of five.

In addition to Dr. de Quadros, notable figures in attendance for the award presentation and lighting ceremony included: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn; Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; the Reverend Jesse Jackson, President of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition; James Galloway, U.S. Assistant Surgeon General; and Ed Futa, General Secretary of Rotary International.

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Obama Administration Appoints New USAID Leader for Global Health Initiative

Global Development, Global Health, Obama Administration, policy, Politics, poverty, Public Health, U.S Government, Uncategorized, , , ,

Yesterday the Obama Administration took another step towards implementing its Global Health Initiative by appointing Amie Batson to lead USAID’s efforts for the GHI.  She will also serve as deputy assistant administrator for USAID.

 Ms. Batson comes to USAID after an illustrious 20 year career in the health field. She has held various positions at WHO, UNICEF, and most recently the World Bank. She was one of the founding members of the Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization, a major global partnership advancing the cause of immunization worldwide. Her efforts and innovative thinking, especially in the fields of financing, have helped provide medical services to millions of people worldwide. She received the President’s Award for Excellence in Innovation from the World Bank in 2002.

 Read more about USAID’s announcement of Ms. Batson’s appointment here.

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Reading List 2/25/10

Africa, Global Health, grassroots, Just 50 Cents, NTDs, Obama Administration, policy, Public Health, reading list, U.S Government, , , , , , , , , Andrew Hoffman

Today we’re reading about reactions by Doctors Without Borders to the NTD aspects of the Obama Administration’s Global Health Initiative, an article about the difficulties registering new drugs in Africa to fight NTDs, and about an ongoing effort to combat lymphatic filariasis in southern India.

Fighting Deadly Neglected Tropical Diseases: Opportunities to Expand U.S. Impact in Control of NTDs, Doctors Without Borders

White House Called on to Expand Global Health Initiative, Doctors Without Borders

Registering New Drugs: the African context, Paul Chinnock, TropIKA.net

Filariasis Medicines to be Distributed, The Hindu

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New Paper Advises Universities on How to Aid NTD Efforts

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Recent trends have shown a dramatic increase in student interest in NTDs and global health in general. However, the role of universities in the field of NTDs has lagged behind student interest. While that’s happening, there is a widening innovation gap in NTD treatments and the field of NTDs remains largely underfunded. So in a field in need of innovation and research funding, what can universities do to create significant, positive change?

That very question is the topic of an editorial recently released in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases  by Dr. Peter Hotez, President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Sandeep Kishore, abiomedical fellow at Weill Cornell, The Rockefeller University, and Sloan-Kettering Institute, and Gloria Tavera, a Fullbright Research Scholar at the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica in Mexico.

In the paper they recommend three key steps that universities can take. The first step is for universities to develop new seed funds for NTD research. These seed funds could go to providing new student fellowships, operational support, or any number of other beneficial purposes. The second step is eliminating IP barriers around NTD research. Removing those barriers would make the development of life-saving drugs quicker and cheaper. The third step is to create new metrics that favor NTDs regarding faculty appointments. Current metrics are biased against NTDs, contributing to the gap between student interest in global health and NTDs and the opportunities universities provide.

By following these three steps, universities can become key movers in the NTD field, making invaluable contributions and saving countless individuals from the grasp of disease.

To read the complete paper, click here.

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In addition, please visit http://globalnetwork.org/just50cents/campus-challenge to read about the Global Network’s signature grassroots effort to get college students involved in the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by becoming a Student Ambassador and fighting the world’s most neglected tropical diseases.

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