Originally published in Devex on October 15, 2018. Four years ago, a devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people and sparked worldwide fear of a global pandemic. Worldwide, leaders committed to prioritizing preparedness to ensure this would never happen again. Last month, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the United Nations Security Council to do […]
In 2018, the world’s vulnerabilities to infectious disease were felt acutely in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Nigeria, and Madagascar. Diseases like Ebola, Nipah, Lassa fever, yellow fever, and the plague kept healthcare workers on the offensive. In these efforts, we have witnessed what happens when leadership, know-how, innovation, and partnerships […]
With the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rapidly escalating to dangerous levels, the global health community must consider how much progress has been made to prevent and efficiently respond to outbreaks since the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. I recently joined J. Stephen Morrison to discuss the gaps that remain in our […]
When I was a college student, I traveled to Zambia to study informal economies and individual livelihoods along the Great East Road between Katete and Chipata. I was particularly enamored with the dynamics of the thriving second-hand clothing street markets, where one can pick up a well-loved flannel or a losing team’s championship-winning t-shirt. When […]
Hurricanes, air pollution, disease outbreaks — the news is filled with visual evidence of the intricate links between the environment and health. New studies and reports corroborate these global interconnections, emphasizing the fact that our health and the health of the planet are inseparable. Many people and organizations have come up with new ideas to […]
I was lucky to have the opportunity to see Hamilton in Seattle with my family last month, and I was blown away by much more than the incredible performance. What impressed me just as acutely was the fact that someone could read an 800-page biography of one of America’s founding fathers and come up with […]
Originally published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 8, 2018. We are facing a pivotal moment in history where two major movements are aligned. The #MeToo groundswell is changing the way we talk about taboo subjects that long seemed immune to honest discussion and genuine change. At the same time, women in philanthropy are achieving […]
Is the international development community ready for a pandemic? This is the question posed to Gabrielle Fitzgerald, CEO Panorama, and to Nancy Lee, Global Policy Lead at Wellcome Trust, by Carine Umuhumuza the Associate Digital Director at Devex. Watch the full discussion in the following video taken at the #SDGLive booth at WEF Davos 2018.
Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston in what is being called the worst storm in US history, and Hurricane Irma battered the Caribbean and Florida immediately after. More than 1,200 people died in India and Bangladesh during the heaviest monsoon rainfall in more than 15 years. Hundreds more were killed when a mudslide caused by heavy rains […]