Dear Friends,
As the CDC Foundation’s new president and CEO, it has been a privilege to learn more about the Foundation’s history and work this past year. While I am new in my role, I know many of you have long-term involvement with the CDC Foundation and have been integral partners in helping CDC address hundreds of health challenges during the Foundation’s more than two decades of history.
Thanks to you—both our long-term partners and new partners who recently joined with us—we were able to undertake 304 active programs in 85 countries this year. On behalf of our board of directors, staff and all of the people reached through this work, I offer my thanks for your support. You had an essential role in protecting and saving lives across the globe while making Americans safer at home.
Every day, we are faced with new threats and problems to solve.
On February 1, 2016—my first day on the job—Zika virus was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. Today, we know the virus has spread to five dozen territories and countries, including the United States, and scientists have discovered a link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and birth defects.
These devastating birth defects cause heartbreak for families while also straining government and social services. As one of the latest emerging diseases, Zika reminds us once again how connected we are as world citizens and why we collectively need to stay vigilant and respond quickly to health threats. I’m thankful to our donors supporting the Zika response.
While the rapid spread of infectious diseases captures many of the headlines, non-communicable diseases quietly claim the majority of lives each year. I’m thankful for our donors supporting this work—from tobacco control to nutritional deficiencies to injuries and more. And I’m thankful for all of our donors who provide direct support, strengthening the CDC Foundation’s work in managing and administering programs on behalf of CDC.
My career has been dedicated to health, first as a practicing physician in rural Appalachia. This formative experience was followed by teaching the next generation of physicians as a professor, serving in a large hospital system, leading a state health department and most recently serving on the leadership team at CDC.
Based on my background and CDC Foundation experience this year, I am incredibly impressed with the role philanthropy and partnerships play in the fight against threats to human health. No one sector can tackle these threats alone—not government, philanthropy or business. But through the coordination and collaboration of the private sector with the public sector we create a powerful force. The CDC Foundation is positioned at the nexus of the world’s health protection agency and the individuals, corporations and foundations that care about the health and well-being of the world’s citizens.
To help CDC do more, faster is an audacious mission but you, our donors and supporters, are helping us fulfill that mission, making the world a healthier and safer place for us all.
With thanks and profound gratitude,
