Category Archives: Global Health

We Have the Solution and We Need to Use It: Advocating for the USAID NTD Budget in D.C.

The END7 campaign awarded scholarships to three outstanding student leaders to attend the second annual END7 Student Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Read scholarship winner Nicole Spitzer’s reflection on her experience in D.C.:

By Nicole Spitzer, University of Central Florida College of Medicine

I was introduced to the END7 campaign while I was in the midst of planning a Global Health Conference at my medical school, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. The theme chosen for this year was “The Global Burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases,” which was a topic that, even as a first-year medical student, I knew nothing about. My team and I began to research what NTDs are and how NTDs affect not only those infected, but also their families, the communities they reside in, and the economies of their respective countries. What struck me most while I was learning about NTDs was this question: why is this such a giant problem if many of these diseases are easily treated and cured? My faculty advisor, Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan, who has completed research on the NTD schistosomiasis, pointed my team to the END7 campaign. We decided to donate a portion of conference registration fees to the campaign and invited Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, home of END7, to deliver the keynote at the event. I became so interested in NTDs at the conference that when it was over and I received an invitation to attend the second annual Student Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., I knew I wanted to make the trip.

Nicole after a meeting in the office of her representative, Alan Grayson of Florida.

Nicole after a meeting in the office of her representative, Alan Grayson of Florida.

My trip to D.C. was nothing short of a whirlwind, as I was there for only 26 hours! On my flight from Florida to D.C., I was vigorously preparing for the four meetings I was scheduled to attend the next day in order to advocate for funding for the USAID NTD Program. I was delighted to see that my team would be meeting with the staffers of two Florida Members of Congress, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Alan Grayson. As a constituent of their state, I knew that my team would have their full attention to advocate and raise more awareness for NTDs. I also knew that I would be able to provide a different angle as a medical student and future physician and I looked forward to meeting the other students I would be working with.

Before we headed into a long afternoon of meetings, we were briefed by representatives from USAID, RTI International and Helen Keller International, who provided us many compelling facts we could bring into each meeting. Kalpana Bhandari from the ENVISION project at RTI international shared personal stories that were very touching. Some of her family members live in Nepal, including her aunt, who works as one of the community health workers who lead local mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns. Emily Toubali, a representative from Helen Keller International, shared the details of a plan being rolled out to treat the morbidity and mortality associated with blinding trachoma and lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis. As a medical student, hearing these stories and learning about these programs has inspired me to become more involved in the global NTD effort in the future. From these briefings, we learned many strategies on how to conduct each meeting with a congressional office, highlighting the most compelling reasons for each member to support the USAID NTD Program budget.

Our afternoon of meetings was very successful, as my team consisted of students from a variety of different backgrounds, each offering a new and unique perspective on the effect that NTDs have on the communities that are affected and how the United States can help. As a future physician, my main argument was that we need to care for all human beings, regardless of where they are from. We have the solution and we need to use it. One student in my group, Beza Teferi, is originally from Ethiopia and has seen and experienced the effects of NTDs herself. Another student, Imani Butler, was able to provide the perspective from a research point of view. Her message was that we have a simple solution to these problems, so why not use them. Malvika Govil, a student from Rice University, discussed how the money allotted has a multiplier effect — for every dollar invested in treatment programs, pharmaceutical companies donate $26 worth of medicine. Finally, Sujay Dewan, from the University of Pennsylvania, delivered the request — an increase of the USAID NTD Program budget to $125 million to ensure that the progress of the last decade continues and control and elimination efforts succeed, so we do not lose ground on the work that we have already accomplished.

Our approach really seemed to resonate in the meetings. Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina and Senator Marco Rubio from Florida are both proponents for global health and we received very positive feedback from their staffers. The staffers of Colorado Senator Cory Gardner and Florida Representative Alan Grayson had many questions for us, which really allowed us to explain in depth what NTDs are and how they are affecting the world. We finished our meetings confident that we had made an impact and helped build support for the USAID NTD Program in Congress.

Barbara Bush, CEO and co-founder of the Global Health Corps, captured the central tenet of our advocacy best during her keynote our closing reception: “We are all here because we agree on one thing: health is a human right.” She also emphasized that, “great ideas don’t change the world, great people do,” which is why we need to act on these ideas now. As young leaders in our schools and communities, we have the passion and the voice to do so.

Nicole meets Barbara Bush, CEO and co-founder of Global Health Corps, at the closing reception of the second annual END7 Student Advocacy Day.

Nicole meets Barbara Bush, CEO and co-founder of Global Health Corps, at the closing reception of the second annual END7 Student Advocacy Day.

Nicole Spitzer is a first-year medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Learn more about her experience at the END7 Student Advocacy Day in this article.

To Helminth It – Let’s Go to D.C.

The END7 campaign awarded scholarships to three outstanding student leaders to attend the second annual END7 Student Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Read scholarship winner Cyrus Ghaznavi’s reflection on his experience in D.C.:

By Cyrus Ghaznavi, Rice University

Nearly a year after the first ever END7 Advocacy Day in April of 2015, I was back on a plane headed nonstop to Reagan National Airport. The second annual Advocacy Day was less than 24 hours away!

Over the past year, Rice University’s chapter of END7 has grown significantly. Our general membership and committees have expanded and awareness of our cause on campus has blossomed. We have hosted trivia nights, fundraisers, Super Smash Bros video game tournaments, petition drives, and much more. Consequently, what once started as a relatively obscure club on campus has now gained significant traction within the Rice community.

Bera office

Cyrus (far right) and his group meet with Representative Ami Bera of California on the second annual END7 Student Advocacy Day.

However, though we have worked extensively to advocate for NTDs “inside the hedges,” the Rice chapter of END7 strongly believes that official policy change is needed to successfully control and eliminate the seven most common NTDs. In fact, our mission states that “END7 at Rice is an organization that strives to raise awareness…for our mission with local and national policymakers.” And so, when I was faced with the question of whether or not to attend the second annual END7 Advocacy Day, it was a no-brainer.

The momentous day was kicked off by Senator Roger Wicker, co-chair of the Senate Caucus on Malaria and NTDs, who had invited the END7 group to morning coffee. After socializing and meeting our morning coffee quota, we took pictures with the Senator, who explained that NTDs are an issue very near and dear to his heart. After coffee, we were welcomed by Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases. We were then presented with informative presentations by representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development, RTI International, and Helen Keller International, before grabbing lunch in our small groups.

Last year, I had the pleasure of working with Kathryn McGrath, who works with END7 as a member of the Global Network staff, as the leader of my small group. Perhaps not coincidentally, she was my group’s leader again, so we immediately had a dynamic and strategy for how to pitch our case to the four House Representatives we would be meeting that day. Working with my teammates Antonia, also from Rice University, and Elaine, from the University of Texas at Dallas, we devised a division of labor as to which points we would each hit in our meetings with staff.

Kathryn started each meeting with a brief introduction to END7, after which Elaine jumped in by sharing some of USAID’s most persuasive statistics. One of every six people globally suffers from one of the seven most common NTDs. For every $1 invested into the program, $26 worth of donated pharmaceuticals are leveraged. For a mere $0.50, an at-risk individual can be treated and protected from the seven most common NTDs for a year. So far, 1.4 billion treatments have been distributed to almost 700 million individuals. Antonia would then shift gears and relay some of the more human, emotional aspects of the program and NTDs. She mentioned that children miss school and parents miss work when infected, reinforcing the cycle of poverty. She went over some of the disfiguring and debilitating symptoms of these seven diseases, and wrapped up by talking about the stigma associated with them. At this point, I pounced by synthesizing what those before me had mentioned. I asked if the Representative would support increasing USAID NTD funding by 25 percent instead of allowing it to be cut by 13.5 percent. Additionally, I implored the staffers to encourage their Representatives to join the Congressional Caucus on Malaria and NTDs, if they were not members already. “This is not the time to lose momentum – USAID funding is critical during this watershed time,” we would conclude.

We had four successful meetings with Representative staffers, and even got to meet one of the Representatives in person: Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), with whom we briefly chatted and took some pictures! He was a very unique case, given that he has an M.D. and can thus see NTDs from both a medical and political standpoint. As a pre-medical student studying both biology and policy, I felt that my interaction with Rep. Bera was particularly meaningful – especially since my group also visited his office during the 2015 END7 Student Advocacy Day!

At the end of the day, we all attended a reception where Barbara Bush, CEO and co-founder of Global Health Corps, and Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, spoke to the END7 advocates. Ms. Bush’s speech was truly moving and inspiring, urging us to global health action. Dr. Hotez recounted the beginnings of END7 and the USAID campaign, putting all of our advocacy into a unique, historical context.

And before I knew it, the day was over. As a group of nearly 50 students and leaders, we had spoken to almost 40 congressmen/women or their staff. Our pitches were not partisan, nor were they communicated out of self-interest: we were all passionate voices in the realm of NTDs, and we were all thrilled to be in the Capital.

Speaking for Rice, I cannot express how proud I am of the growth and commitment I have seen in just one year’s time. Last year, three students, including myself, attended this trip. This year, we had almost 20, comprising the large plurality of the advocates who attended (even compared to the schools in Washington)! I can only imagine how much more growth we will see in the coming years. Here’s to counting down to next year’s advocacy day!

Barbara Bush with student advocates from Rice University at the END7 Student Advocacy Day closing reception.

Barbara Bush with student advocates from Rice University at the END7 Student Advocacy Day closing reception.

Cyrus Ghaznavi is a junior at Rice University studying Biological Sciences & Policy Studies. He represents Rice on the END7 Campus Leaders Council and participated in the END7 Student Advocacy Day in 2015 and 2016.

END7 Student Leaders Speak Out on Capitol Hill for NTDs

Student Leaders on Capitol Hill

END7 student leaders on Capitol Hill

On March 1, student leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., for the second annual END7 Student Advocacy Day. The event brought together 40 students active in END7 programs, from 15 colleges and universities across the country for 39 meetings with Members of Congress and their staff.

The students traveled to our nation’s capital on planes, trains and buses from as far as Texas and Florida to urge their elected officials to maintain U.S. leadership in the fight against neglected tropical diseases by protecting and increasing the budget for the USAID NTD Program.

They met with congressional offices to discuss the devastating impact of NTDs and how USAID has successfully led global progress against these diseases for a decade. After briefing Congressional staff, students answered questions and requested an increase of the USAID NTD Program budget to $125 million. One student participant, medical student of the University of Central Florida, described her group’s approach:

“As a future physician, my main argument was that we need to care for all human beings, regardless of where they are from.  We have the solution and we need to use it. One student in my group, Beza Teferi, is originally from Ethiopia and has seen and experienced the effects of NTDs herself.  Another student, Imani Butler, was able to provide the perspective from a research point of view.  Her message was that we have a simple solution to these problems, so why not use them.”

Malvika Govil, a student from Rice University, discussed how the money allotted has a multiplier effect – for every dollar invested in treatment programs, pharmaceutical companies donate $26 worth of medicine. Finally, Sujay Dewan, from the University of Pennsylvania, delivered the request — an increase of the USAID NTD Program budget to $125 million to ensure that the last decade of progress continues and control and elimination efforts succeed.

END7 students are passionate advocates for the USAID NTD Program. The largest public-private partnership in USAID history, the NTD Program has leveraged more than $11.1 billion in donated drugs over the past decade. Yet, despite the clear impact of NTDs on health and development and the proven cost-effectiveness of treatment, President Obama’s FY 2017 budget proposal only allocated $86.5 million USAID NTD Program – a 13.5 percent cut in funding from the previous three years’ enacted level of $100 million.

Before their busy afternoon of meetings, students participated in a morning coffee with Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), co-chair of the Senate’s Malaria and NTD Caucus, and received a briefing in the Capitol from USAID, RTI International and Helen Keller International. Students then fanned out across Capitol Hill to meet with, in many cases, their own U.S. Senators or House members. The students were well received and numerous offices expressed an interest in supporting the NTD Program’s funding.

Spitzer reported that her group received positive feedback from Senator Lindsey Graham’s and Senator Marco Rubio’s staff and several offices asked for additional information and indicated they would oppose a proposed cut in funding to the USAID NTD Program.

At the end of the day, the students gathered for a closing reception with Barbara Bush, co-founder and CEO of Global Health Corps. Bush spoke movingly of her commitment to global health and developing the next generation of global health leaders.

Bush said, “It is critical that you continue to advocate and work for change by meeting with your representatives in Congress and amplifying your voice and the voices of other END7 supporters through petitions and op-eds. We have so much at our disposal to achieve great things, and we also have the possibility to reimagine leadership that can accomplish even more, including eliminating NTDs. This is exciting, even if it is a bit daunting. But I know, beyond a doubt, that we are up for the task.”

Neeraj Mistry, managing director of the Global Network, and Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, also shared remarks thanking students for their advocacy and urging them to continue the fight against NTDs.

Tayler McCord, a senior and secretary of END7 at Michigan State University, reflected:

“Attending Student Advocacy Day made me even more determined to help change the outlook for those affected by these debilitating diseases. This event not only allowed me to participate directly in this crucial political process but has also inspired me to continue to make my voice heard to our nation’s lawmakers. I am excited to share this passion with my peers at Michigan State and with members of our END7 chapter on campus. I hope to inspire and encourage others to participate in advocacy for NTD treatment to help make a positive difference in the lives of millions of people.”

We are so proud of our student advocates for delivering a powerful message on Capitol  Hill.

Best Foot Forward: Eliminating a Neglected Tropical Disease

Podo

An unknown among unknown diseases, podoconiosis (podo for short) is a devastating type of elephantiasis spread by long-term exposure to minerals found in volcanic soil. Unlike lymphatic filariasis, podo is not infectious. Podo has been reported in more than 15 countries across Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, and affects more than 4 million people in highland tropical Africa.

A three-minute animated video, “,” depicts the source, treatment and prevention of podo. The video was created by Footwork: The International Podoconiosis Initiative, in partnership with Ripple Effect Images, a group of National Geographic contributing photojournalists, to raise awareness of this neglected disease.

As the video movingly illustrates, subsistence farmers in remote rural areas contract this devastating disease while working barefoot. Podo causes progressive swelling of the lower legs and makes it difficult to walk. In addition to physical suffering, superstitions about the causes of podo lead to shaming and even banishing of podo sufferers, particularly women.

Yet, podo is treatable. Podo’s severe swelling can be significantly reduced with simple hygiene. Low-cost foot care and shoes can ameliorate symptoms and prevent the occurrence of podo. Funding is urgently needed to support these treatments and educate local populations about prevention.

To learn more about Footwork and podo, visit www.podo.org.

from Ripple Effect Images on .

About Footwork
Footwork: The International Podoconiosis Initiative is a project of New Venture Fund, a 501(c) 3 public charity. Our vision is a world free of podoconiosis in our lifetime. Our mission is to bring together public and private partners to support prevention and treatment of, and advocacy for, podoconiosis. Footwork is active in Ethiopia, Cameroon and Uganda. It encourages integration of podoconiosis control into efforts to eliminate other NTDs, and works with organizations active in other related diseases of the foot and leg.