30 years of partnerships for global health equity · 2019. 8. 28. · lead to blindness. (photo by...

2014 Annual Report

“ To areas where disease, poverty, governmental dysfunction,

and ignorance prevail, The Task Force is bringing expertise,

coordinated assistance, transparency, compassion, and

hope. It has worked miracles in establishing collaborative

partnerships with the major players in the field, reducing

duplication, competition, and waste.”

— James Laney, PhD, Emory University President Emeritus

3 0 Y E A R S O F P A R T N E R S H I P S F O R G L O B A L H E A L T H E Q U I T Y

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the Board Chair and President/CEO .........................1

Executive Committee for Business Management .......................2

Executive Summary .................................................................................3

The Task Force Board of Directors .....................................................4

Strategic Framework and Where We Work ....................................6

Global Health Pioneers ..........................................................................8

Center for Vaccine Equity.........................................................12

Polio Antivirals Initiative .................................................................... 13

Polio Vaccine Introduction Support .............................................. 14

Coalition for Cholera Prevention and Control........................... 15

Revitalization of Global Task Force on Cholera Control ........ 16

Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction ...................... 17

RaVaGES & Voices for Vaccines ........................................................ 18

Health Systems Strengthening ...............................................19

Public Health Informatics Institute ............................................... 20

TEPHINET .................................................................................................. 22

African Health Workforce Project .................................................. 24

Neglected Tropical Diseases ....................................................26

Children Without Worms ................................................................... 28

International Trachoma Initiative .................................................. 30

Mectizan Donation Program ............................................................ 32

Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center ............................ 34

Additional Projects ...................................................................36

Justin’s Hope ........................................................................................... 36

Integrated Programs Services .......................................................... 37

Financials ................................................................................................. 38

FY 2014 Donors ....................................................................................... 40

Jane Thorpe: Board Director Recognition .... Inside back cover

A health worker in northern Mozambique explains the medicine that he is about to give to a mother and her infant to treat and prevent trachoma. The mother attended a mass drug administration of Zithromax®, donated by Pfizer, in her community. (Photo by Elizabeth Kurylo/ITI)

Cover photo: An Ethiopian girl demonstrates a proper face washing technique to prevent trachoma, an eye infection that can lead to blindness. (Photo by Mark Tuschman/ITI)

“ The work of The Task Force for Global Health has been phenomenal … in uncounted ways, you have

earned the gratitude of and congratulations from our [The Carter] Center and the millions of people

who have gained new life and hope.”– President Jimmy Carter

Founder, The Carter Center

30Years

2014 Annual Report 1

Thirty years ago, a small organization was

born: The Task Force for Child Survival. It was a

response to a very specific, short-term problem—

how to overcome squabbles among international

health organizations working to vaccinate a

substantial proportion of the world’s children

against infectious diseases. Bureaucracy and

conflicting agendas had hobbled previous efforts

to accomplish this significant global health goal.

A small group of people thought about the issue

in a new way. What if a coordinating body, free of

bureaucratic stasis, took up the challenge? What

if they focused on the important outcome and

engaged partners who shared that vision?

This approach led to the creation of The Task Force

for Child Survival in 1984. Co-founders William H.

Foege, William Watson, and Carol L. Walters

led the coordinating efforts that resulted in

immunizing 80% of the world’s children with at

least one vaccine by 1990. James Grant, director

of UNICEF, called this collaborative effort “the

largest peacetime mobilization effort in history.”

From its modest but ambitious beginnings in

1984, The Task Force for Global Health (the name

change occurred in 2009) has evolved to become

an influential partner in a broad array of global

health efforts. There are now 105 employees, seven

substantive programs, and, for 2014, an annual

cash budget of $42.6 million and an overall budget

of $1.8 billion, including in-kind contributions.

Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but in the

case of The Task Force, growth does mean better:

a greater capacity for serving the health needs of

children and vulnerable people in the developing

world. In three decades, The Task Force has

expanded its goals beyond childhood vaccination

to responding to the scourge of neglected tropical

diseases, helping countries improve public health

infrastructure, and accelerating efforts to prevent

vaccine-preventable diseases. The Task Force now

works in 135 countries, with multiple partners

including health ministries, pharmaceutical

companies, and foundations.

The original foundational principles upon which

The Task Force was built—forging consensus,

building coalitions, and leveraging scarce

resources—have served the organization well

through 30 years of growth, and The Task Force

continues to improve the model of collaboration

that Bill Foege first applied to child immunization.

In the near future, we will be applying our

collaborative model close to home. The Atlanta

area is rich in global health organizations that

are working to improve the lives of people in

the developing world. With our critical skills

in promoting collaboration, The Task Force is

working with partners to help develop an alliance

that will harness the collective power of Georgia’s

global health organizations to address existing

and emerging global health threats.

Real collaboration is the bedrock of all our work—

past, present, and future. And real collaboration

requires more than good intentions. It is a process

that encompasses the beginning (the first mile),

the journey, and the “last mile,” the final phase

of addressing a disease. Success also means that

responsibility for leadership, management, and

culture is shared within partnerships. Since

its beginning, The Task Force has modeled this

kind of collaboration, and the results have

been impressive. Working through creative

partnerships, we have helped lead global efforts

to control and eliminate terrible scourges such as

polio and blinding trachoma. We also have helped

developing countries strengthen their training

and information infrastructure so they can more

effectively address public health needs.

As we help improve the lives and health of people

around the globe, our work will continue to

be guided by our values: collaboration, global

health equity and social justice, stewardship, and

consequential compassion. We look forward to the

future as we strive to realize our vision of finding

innovative solutions that propel the world toward

global health equity.

Letter from the Board Chair and President/CEO:

Three Decades of Improving Global Health: A Foundation for the Future

Mark Rosenberg President and CEO

Jane ThorpeChair, Board of Directors

The Task Force for Global Health 2

Executive Committee for Business Management

ECBM MembersDavid Addiss MD, MPH, director of Children Without Worms, is experienced in preventive medicine and global health. He co-founded and co-directed the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Control and Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in the Americas.

Heather Brooks, MS, director of organizational effectiveness, is a member of the executive team and leads its human resources function and program integration. She also supports The Task Force’s strategic planning and leadership development. Previously she spent 12 years at CARE where she held diverse human resources positions.

Paul Emerson, PhD, director of the International Trachoma Initiative, formerly was director for The Carter Center’s Trachoma Control Program. Previously, he was a research fellow and lecturer of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Durham, where he was principal investigator for a multicountry evaluation of trachoma control programs.

Dionisio Herrera-Guibert, MD, MAE, FMS, PhD, director of the TEPHINET program, is the former academic director of the Spain Field Epidemiology Training Program and was a field epidemiologist at the Institute of Public Health of Autonomous Community of Madrid.

Alan Hinman, MD, MPH, director for programs in the Center for Vaccine Equity, serves on the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) Working Group to monitor the Decade of Vaccines’ Global Action Plan (GVAP). He formerly served as civil society representative to the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Adrian Hopkins, MD, director of the Mectizan Donation Program, was technical advisor to the Central African Republic Minister of Health for the National Programme for Onchocerciasis Control and Prevention of Blindness. He also chaired the Nongovernmental Development Organization (NGDO) coordination group for Onchocerciasis control.

Patrick Lammie, PhD, is principal investigator for the “Filling the Gaps” grant to the NTD Support Center at The Task Force. He also serves as a senior staff scientist in the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mark McKinlay, PhD, director of the Center for Vaccine Equity and the Polio Antivirals Initiative, was co-founder, chief scientific officer, and senior vice president for research and development (R&D) of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals and vice president for R&D at ViroPharma Incorporated.

Poul E. Olson, MS, director of communications & development, has been supporting top-tier global health programs and higher education institutions for more than 20 years. His expertise in strategic communications helps organizations realize their goals and objectives.

Eric Ottesen, MD, director of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Support Center, was head of the clinical parasitology section of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and project leader of the Lymphatic Elimination Programme for WHO.

Martha Rogers, MD, FAAP, director for the African Health Workforce Project, is an expert known nationally and internationally in the field of HIV/AIDS in women and children. She is research professor and director of the Lillian Carter Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University.

Dave Ross, ScD, director of the Public Health Informatics Institute, was formerly an executive with a private health information systems firm, a public health service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an executive in a private health system.

The Executive Committee for Business Management (ECBM) is an integral part of The Task Force’s organizational leadership. All

program directors, The Task Force president and CEO, the executive vice president, the director of organizational effectiveness,

and the director of communications & development serve on the ECBM. The ECBM meets monthly to share updates and discuss

administrative and programmatic matters. The president and CEO chairs the ECBM.

Office of the PresidentThe work of the ECBM, as well as the operations of the Board of Directors, is facilitated by the Office of the President.

Mark L. Rosenberg, MD, MPP – President and Chief Executive Officer

Heather Brooks, MS – Director of Organizational Effectiveness

Kendall Lockerman – Receptionist

Poul E. Olson, MS – Director of Communications & Development

Nichol Starks-Emerson – HR Associate

Lisa Valente – Executive Administrative Assistant

Executive Summary

Collaboration, global health equity and social justice, consequential compassion, and stewardship are values that have

guided the work of The Task Force for Global Health for its 30-year history. Beginning with its early work to increase

childhood immunization rates, The Task Force has engaged diverse partners, including ministries of health, foundations,

pharmaceutical and industry partners, and international health organizations, on initiatives to provide millions of people in

the developing world with the means for good health. These values continued to drive our work in 2014.

More people had access to vaccines for polio, influenza, and cholera in 2014 as a result of the work of the Center for Vaccine

Equity (CVE). With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CVE worked on multiple fronts with diverse partners

such as Rotary International and the World Health Organization to support the “last mile” of polio eradication. CVE assisted

countries with introducing inactivated poliovirus vaccine and coordinated efforts to develop antiviral drug therapies to

treat immunocompromised people who excrete poliovirus in order to reduce threats to themselves and the eradication

initiative. The year was also marked by efforts to increase access to seasonal influenza vaccine for high-risk people in four

developing countries. Pharmaceutical companies donated a total of nearly 980,000 doses of vaccine to this effort. Finally, a

CVE-sponsored coalition to prevent and control cholera was strengthened with the addition of Rotary as a new partner.

The Task Force’s work to strengthen health systems around the world continued to focus in 2014 on building capacity of

health agencies to monitor disease outbreaks and use health information more effectively. TEPHINET responded to the

2014 Ebola outbreak by supporting a field epidemiology program to help frontline health workers recognize and respond

to Ebola and other disease threats. The Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) helped health agencies domestically and

internationally use information to improve health outcomes. Among its work, PHII collaborated with CDC on 10 projects to

improve information exchange between public health systems and healthcare providers. It also assisted the Mozambique

Ministry of Health in the development of an Excel-based tool to address chronic shortages of healthcare workers. Finally,

the African Health Workforce Project continued to support stronger health systems in Kenya and Zambia through activities

to develop capacity to manage human resource information systems.

Pharmaceutical partners also continued to be instrumental in The Task Force’s work to control and eliminate neglected

tropical diseases in 2014. As a result of contributions of medicines from Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and

GlaxoSmithKline, millions of people in the developing world received treatments for blinding trachoma, river blindness

(onchocerciasis), lymphatic filariasis, and intestinal worms (soil-transmitted helminths, or STH). Continued scale-up of these

programs means the possible elimination of several of these diseases within a decade. A new role for Children Without

Worms (CWW) strengthened the effort to stop intestinal worms. In 2014, CWW began facilitating the STH Coalition, a group

of diverse organizations promoting STH control programs.

The NTD Support Center (NTD-SC) continued to support NTD control and elimination programs. With significant support

from the Gates Foundation and USAID, the NTD-SC pursued 55 operational research projects in 25 countries to identify

better diagnostic tools for a range of NTDs. The NTD-SC also began an ambitious project to map where NTDs are found in

Africa, with the goal of supporting the scale-up of NTD control and elimination programs. Finally, the NTD-SC facilitated

collaborations within the NTD community by organizing the first meeting of the Coalition for Operational Research on

NTDs, where NTD researchers and implementers met to identify operational research issues critical for NTD control and

elimination programs.

The Task Force Mission and Values

MISSION: To reduce the burden of

vaccine-preventable and neglected

tropical diseases and strengthen health

delivery systems by forging partnerships

and applying innovative solutions to

global health problems.

VISION: Contribute to innovative

solutions that move the world toward

global health equity.

VALUES: These Task Force values guide

our work:

Collaboration—Working together, we

will accomplish more than we would

by working individually.

Global Health Equity and Social

Justice—We strive to improve the

well-being of those who are least well

off and give everyone equal access to

the means for good health.

Stewardship—Wise management

of the resources entrusted to us is a

top priority.

Consequential Compassion—We link

compassion to effective action by

being aware of the suffering of others,

understanding the causes of that

suffering, and engaging in informed

action to alleviate it.



The Task Force Board of Directors

Jane Fugate Thorpe, JD, is chair of The Task Force Board

of Directors. Ms. Thorpe is senior counsel in the law firm

of Alston & Bird specializing in mass tort litigation. She

is active in a range of community endeavors, including

chair of the board for Meridian Herald, a nonprofit

organization focused on southern musical tradition. She is

a founder of the “Snack in a Backpack” program that feeds

approximately 200 needy children and families in metro

Atlanta. Ms. Thorpe serves on the Program Oversight

Committee of The Task Force.

James W. Curran, MD, MPH, is the James W. Curran Dean

of Public Health and professor of epidemiology at the

Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He is

a member of the Institute of Medicine and a fellow of the

Infectious Diseases Society of America. Dr. Curran was

appointed by Governor Deal to serve on the board of the

Georgia Department of Public Health. He attained the rank

of assistant surgeon general at the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sir George Alleyne, MD, FRCP, a native of Barbados, is

director emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization

(PAHO) where he served as director from 1995 to 2003. He

is chancellor and emeritus professor of the University of

the West Indies, visiting professor in the Johns Hopkins

Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a member of the

Institute of Medicine. He maintains a strong interest in

the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.

In 2001, he was awarded the Order of the Caribbean

Community, the highest honor that can be conferred on a

Caribbean national.

John B. Hardman, MD, is former president and chief

executive officer of The Carter Center. He is an active

participant in The Carter Center’s program initiatives,

including election monitoring in Africa, Asia, and Latin

America; public health training; global development

strategies; and conflict resolution strategies. He currently

is chairman of the board of the Ships of the Sea Museum

and the Beehive Foundation, serves on the boards of the

Blum Center for Developing Economies (University of

California, Berkeley) and the Oslo Center for Peace and

Human Rights, and is a member of the Advisory Committee

for Emory University’s Robert T. Jones, Jr. , Program.

Paula Lawton Bevington, JD, directs Bevington

Advisors, LLC, a philanthropic consultancy. She spent

most of her professional life with Servidyne, an energy

engineering firm. She currently chairs the board of the

Justice Center of Atlanta. She has served as president or

chair of numerous organizations, including the Carter

Center Board of Councilors and the Rotary Club of Atlanta.

She chairs The Task Force Development Committee.

Teri Plummer McClure, JD, is chief legal, communications,

and compliance officer, as well as senior vice president

of human resources, for United Parcel Service (UPS). Mrs.

McClure oversees all UPS compliance and ethics, audit,

and legal initiatives in more than 220 countries and

territories where the company does business, and leads

UPS worldwide public affairs and government relations

efforts. She serves on the Emory University Board of

Trustees and on the board of the Lennar Corporation.


Charles “Pete” McTier is a trustee and past president

of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Lettie Pate

Evans Foundation, Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, and

Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation. He currently serves

as a director of Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A. de CV, and the CDC

Foundation, and is a member of the board of the Georgia

Research Alliance. He is also an advisory board member

of SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, for which he serves on the

Development and Program Oversight Committees.

Mark L. Rosenberg, MD, MPP, is president and chief

executive officer of The Task Force for Global Health.

Previously, Dr. Rosenberg served 20 years with CDC,

working on smallpox eradication, enteric diseases, HIV/

AIDS, and injury control. He was the founding director of

the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control,

reached the rank of assistant surgeon general, and is a

member of the Institute of Medicine.

Mary Laney Reilly, MTS, is a community volunteer and

serves as president of her family’s philanthropic fund,

which supports local and regional nonprofits. Her

community involvement has included work with issues of

sustainable food production and access, environmental

preservation, homelessness, and women’s health. She

works primarily with small local nonprofits on the board,

street, and advocacy levels. She served in the Peace Corps

from 1983-85.

Carol L. Walters is one of the founders and former chief

operating officer of The Task Force for Global Health.

Ms. Walters helped establish The Task Force after a

long career at CDC, where she served in the office of

the director.

Emeritus Board Members

William H. Foege, MD, MPH

The Task Force for Global Health, Founder

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Senior Advisor

Howard Hiatt, MD

Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Division of Global Health Equity,

Harvard Medical School Professor

James T. Laney, PhD

Emory University, President Emeritus

David Satcher, MD, PhD

Morehouse School of Medicine National Center for Primary Care, Director


The Task Force works in 135 countries. The map depicts where we work across the globe in the three

sectors of global health.

Health Systems Strengthening: Task Force programs focusing on health systems strengthening provide

training and capacity-building support to public health personnel and agencies. Specific programs aim

to improve the training of field epidemiologists; define and strengthen health information systems; and

support systems to allocate healthcare workers to address the health needs of populations.

The Task Force programs and projects are

focused in three areas, or sectors, of global

health. Our programs use a collaborative

approach—bridging relationships with

government agencies, business sectors,

donors, and countries to achieve the

ultimate goal of improving global health.

At the center of the circle stands

the business function of The Task

Force. The Integrated Program

Services (IPS) team provides

an array of program

services in support of

Task Force operations.

Under the direction

of the chief operating

officer, the team

also provides support

with legal and

professional services.

NeglectedTropicalDiseasesCenter for

Vaccine Equity

Health System

Strengthening

Integrated Program Services

Trai

ning

AdvocacyMonitoring and

Evaluation

Planning, Policy,

Best Practices

Op

eration

al Research

Communications

Conveni

ng a

nd

Co

alit

ion

s

Mass Drug Administration/

Supply Chain Management

Canada

United States

Mexico

Brazil

Paraguay

Argentina

Peru

French Polynesia

Colombia

Ecuador

VenezuelaPanamaCosta Rica

Guatemala

El SalvadorHonduras

Belize

Nicaragua

Haiti

Dominican Republic

Strategic Framework Where We Work

Guyana

Barbados

St. Lucia


Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD): NTD programs of The Task Force focus on the treatment,

prevention, and elimination of widespread and disabling tropical infectious diseases in

Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Programs coordinate the distribution of donated drugs

from our pharmaceutical partners, develop strategies for disease control and elimination,

conduct operational research, and provide training and other technical support to

ministries of health.

Center for Vaccine Equity (CVE): CVE programs and projects focus on reducing the

burden of vaccine-preventable diseases with a goal of assuring equitable access to

vaccines. This work builds on The Task Force’s original efforts to increase immunization

rates of children in the developing world. CVE currently focuses on polio, cholera,

influenza, and rabies.

Morocco

Guinea-Bissau Guinea

Sierra Leone

Egypt

Niger

Turkey

Chad

Cyprus

Sudan

SouthSudan

Eritrea

Liberia Côte d’Ivoire

Cameroon

EquatorialGuinea Dem. Republic

of the Congo

Burundi

Swaziland

Lesotho

Angola

Kenya

Tanzania

Malawi

MozambiqueZambia

Zimbabwe

South Africa

Iraq

Jordan

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Mongolia

Australia

Fiji

Indonesia

Philippines

Kazakhstan

Nepal

Bangladesh

Lao PDR

Thailand

Singapore

Malaysia

Vietnam

Uzbekistan

TurkmenistanTajikistan

Kyrgyzstan

Afghanistan

Pakistan

India

South Korea Japan

China

Taiwan

Burkina Faso

Nigeria

Togo

Ghana

Benin

Somalia

Uganda

Rwanda

Ethiopia

MauritaniaMali

Senegal

Germany

Poland

Portugal

Sweden

Switzerland

Netherlands

AzerbaijanGeorgia

Armenia

France

Italy

Austria

Hungary

Slovakia

Slovenia

Greece

Ireland

Belgium

Denmark

Estonia

Latvia

Lithuania

Finland

Norway

United Kingdom

Czech Republic

Spain

NamibiaBotswana

Solomon Islands

Myanmar


Bhutan

DjiboutiThe Gambia

IranIsrael

Republic of Moldova

Romania

Russian Federation

Seychelles

Mauritius

MaltaTunisia

Tonga


Global Health Pioneers

Alan Hinman: Championing Vaccine Access for All

For half a century, Alan R. Hinman, MD, MPH, has dedicated his career to improving public health at all levels—state, national, and global.

He shows no signs of slowing down, and bristles with energy and enthusiasm when he talks about the vision for The Task Force’s Center for Vaccine Equity (CVE): “Assure equitable access to vaccines everywhere.”

Throughout his career, Alan has focused on the value of vaccines to vanquish infectious diseases, both in the United States and globally. He has chaired expert committees on the topic, led immunization efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and written more than 400 scientific papers. He continues to be a nationally recognized expert on vaccine-preventable diseases and is frequently called upon by the press to comment on issues such as the recent measles outbreak.

In his current role as director for programs for CVE, Alan focuses on expanding access to vaccines, a role that includes supporting the delivery of vaccines to prevent diseases such as measles, polio, cholera, and influenza in developing countries. This ambitious effort typically involves collaborating with foundations and private partners to reduce price constraints of vaccines.

He described a recent example of working to expand access to vaccines. In 2012, the drugstore chain Walgreens had excess doses of the influenza vaccine that it wanted to donate to populations who could benefit. Walgreens initially worked with CDC to get the donated vaccine distributed. Later, with help from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction (PIVI) was established as a program under CVE to coordinate distribution of the vaccines. Vulnerable populations—pregnant women, healthcare workers, and the elderly—in two countries, Lao PDR and Nicaragua, received more than 370,000 doses of influenza vaccine, thus removing the cost barrier for the important preventive intervention.

Like other leaders at The Task Force, including past and current CEOs Bill Foege and Mark Rosenberg, Alan had a distinguished career at CDC, beginning with assignments as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer. He served with the state departments of health in New York and Tennessee, then returned to CDC in 1977 as an officer in the Commissioned Corps. He oversaw a broad range of prevention programs as director of the Division of Immunization (1977-88) and director of the National Center for Prevention Services (1988-95).

Since he joined The Task Force in 1996, Alan has been involved in numerous disease-prevention projects. In 2012, he established CVE, which encompasses polio eradication efforts, cholera prevention and control projects, and PIVI. The vision for CVE is a world free of vaccine-preventable diseases. The challenge to achieve this vision is daunting, but Alan is optimistic. “We have dedicated staff, and we will succeed by building on our core values, which Bill Foege articulated many years ago: serving as a neutral convener, forging consensus, and leveraging scarce resources.”

“I used to call Alan a national treasure,” noted Rosenberg. “But it’s clear now that the whole world is his stage.”

Alan Hinman has worked to increase access to vaccines for millions of vulnerable people in the developing world. (Photo by Billy Howard)

The Task Force for Global Health owes much of its success to its exemplary team of physicians, scientists, analysts, financial staff, and others who have contributed to

the vitality of the organization over the years. We profile here four members of The Task Force community whose talent, leadership, and dedication have helped make

the organization a leading player in global health.


Tom Rosenberger: “Keep Things Moving” at The Task Force

“Keep things moving” was Tom Rosenberger’s motto. Every day, the former executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Task Force for Global Health was determined to answer all his emails and clear his desk of all files. “I considered it an important part of my job to facilitate the action of others,” he said.

His worthwhile but modest explanation belies the broad range of vital contributions Tom made to The Task Force during his 12-year tenure. (He retired in late December 2014.)

One of his most significant challenges was initiating improved administrative and financial systems when he joined The Task Force in 2002. In particular, Tom recalled, “It was important to bring standard accounting systems for nonprofits into the organization.” At that time, The Task Force had a small staff (about 25) that operated out of a maze of offices in a commercial building in Decatur and had retained earnings (similar to stockholders’ equity in a for-profit company) of only about $300,000. However, he saw that The Task Force had great potential for growth as it expanded its global health programs—and Tom believed that his initial job was to improve administration and fiscal systems to support that growth.

Tom brought a wealth of experience to the challenge, both from the nonprofit and the private sectors, including extended overseas work in international development, operations, project management, fundraising, finance, and auditing. He worked with CARE, the international humanitarian organization, for 13 years, and he served as manager of information technology and director of international strategic planning and new business development at The Home Depot.

These diverse experiences benefited him well when The Task Force decided it needed a permanent home. “It was a major milestone to buy and renovate our current building,” he said. “We needed the space and it also signaled stability to the staff. It also meant that we had enough space to accommodate the mergers of ITI and TEPHINET into The Task Force.”

Tom worked with DeKalb County and SunTrust Bank to make the dream of a new home for The Task Force a reality. Two years later, when more space was needed, he oversaw the project of building additional office space in the form of an annex to the current building. “Now, we have outgrown that space.”

Another milestone that Tom helped broker was the establishment of Global Health Solutions, a 501 (c)(3) corporation, a supporting organization to The Task Force formed to receive contributions-in-kind of donated pharmaceuticals and other support.

In the years since Tom joined The Task Force, the organization has grown in size (the staff now number about 105) and budget (an annual cash budget in 2014 of $42.6 million and an overall budget of $1.8 billion, including contributions-in-kind). But the important things have endured. “We have many long-time staff dedicated to eliminating certain diseases, and they trust that the administration supports the vision of our founder Bill Foege, who always emphasized shining a light on our partners, not on The Task Force,” Tom said. “The mark of a successful organization is suppression of ego, and I think people at The Task Force follow Bill Foege’s example of making sure that others get the credit.”

During his 12-year tenure at The Task Force, Tom Rosenberger was instrumental in establishing strong administrative and financial systems for the organization. (Photo by Billy Howard)


Dave Ross: A Thought Leader in How to Use Information to Improve Health Outcomes

Low immunization rates among U.S. preschool children concerned public health experts in the late 1990s, and states varied widely in their capacity to track those rates. It was impossible to build a campaign to boost immunization rates without having accurate information.

In response to the challenge, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) launched a national program called All Kids Count to create immunization registries. The Task Force for Global Health joined this program in 2000 with a significant RWJF grant to foster development of computerized child health information systems that integrated data from multiple sources.

“Our idea was to build a universal information system and set of tools that could be used among all states,” said Dave Ross, ScD, director of The Task Force’s Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII). After working in private health care, operations research, and public health, Ross joined The Task Force to head up the All Kids Count campaign. When funding for the immunization registries ended, RWJF redirected its support to the broader issue of transforming public health’s approach to conceiving and using information systems, and PHII was born. Dave has been at the Institute’s helm since its founding in 2002.

Today, PHII has expanded beyond the focus on childhood registries to embrace a wide range of public health concerns on both the domestic and global fronts. The Institute is on the cutting edge of the field of “informatics,” and Dave is an unabashed advocate for the cause of using data to fuel action and improve health outcomes. “Increasingly, data will play a critical role as we seek to reduce mortality and morbidity,” he said. “Having accurate data is the only way to know with confidence about the scope of a health problem and being able to measure the impact of an intervention.”

“Originally, we focused on working with domestic public health agencies—and we still do,” the PHII director explained, “but the lessons we learned can be applied globally.” In fact, one of the most exciting frontiers in this area is the rapid proliferation of digital technology in developing countries. “The rapid adoption of mobile phones offers huge opportunities, changing communications and public health in numerous ways. For example, people are using texting for reporting and diagnosis of diseases, especially in Africa where enormous bandwidth is available.”

In the United States, Dave is leading a national effort to explore how information and data on health can be harnessed to help people lead healthier lives in healthier communities. As co-chair of Data for Health, a new RWJF initiative, Dave is participating in a series of forums around the country to hear what local groups—planning boards, public health departments, schools districts, health care, and businesses—think about information and how it can improve health in their communities.

This new initiative reflects the high value PHII places on collaboration. The Institute’s number one principle is engaging all stakeholders. “Developing effective health information systems requires everyone affected by the system to be at the table,” Dave emphasized.

As a thought leader, Dave Ross has developed and shaped public health informatics as a recognized discipline. (Photo by Billy Howard)


Carol Walters: Contributing to The Task Force’s Success for 30 Years

In any successful organization, there is often one person who personifies the best of the organization, a person who juggles multiple administrative roles and does it all with extraordinary competence and grace.

For 17 years, Carol Walters was that person at The Task Force for Global Health.

She was part of the original team of three—along with Bill Foege and Bill Watson—who staffed the fledgling Task Force for Child Survival, which would grow to become The Task Force for Global Health. From 1984 until she retired in 2001 as assistant director of operations, Carol managed a wide range of responsibilities and has continued her involvement as a member of The Task Force Board of Directors.

Carol went to work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and steadily worked her way up the administrative ladder, eventually becoming the executive assistant to two directors of CDC, first for the late David Sencer and then for Bill Foege.

“Dr. Foege is such a wonderful person,” Carol says. “He’s smart and compassionate and treats everyone with the same respect.”

When he was leaving CDC to start The Task Force, Bill asked Carol to join him as office manager. She knew it was a risk to leave her established career with good benefits at CDC to join a new organization with future funding uncertain. But she didn’t think twice. “I thought it would be fun to be in on the ground floor,” she

recalled. “In retrospect, it changed my whole career. It was the best decision I ever made.”

In the early days, she and others worked out of grungy offices in Decatur, and she managed virtually all of the administrative jobs: “I just did what had to be done.” As the organization grew, she took on additional responsibilities such as hiring, personnel, and facilities planning. She also worked with UNICEF and other organizations in planning international meetings in Thailand, India, France, and countries in South America.

Carol also managed a major awards program for GlaxoSmithKline, on behalf of The Task Force. The pharmaceutical company wanted to recognize excellence in child health programming among regional public health departments. Carol oversaw all aspects of the awards program, including the awards ceremonies, and continued to volunteer in that role, even after she retired.

Over the years, Carol saw The Task Force grow in size and move to better quarters, but the essence of the organization has stayed constant. “I was privileged to work with some of the best people in the world. It’s a wonderful organization, with top leaders like Mark Rosenberg, Dave Ross, and Walt Dowdle (former director of the Global Polio Eradication program and former acting director of CDC). As The Task Force looks to the next 30 years, I hope they will continue to attract the same kind of people who are passionate about improving global health.”

Carol Walters has been instrumental to the success of The Task Force for 30 years. (Photo by Billy Howard)

Center for Vaccine Equity

More life-saving vaccines are available to more people

than at any other time in history, but they are not

always equally available to people in developing

countries. The Center for Vaccine Equity (CVE) was

founded with the mission to assure equitable

use of vaccines globally. Over the past year, the

Center developed and contributed to partnerships

that helped to facilitate the final steps for polio

eradication, relaunched a global advisory body

focused on cholera control, helped to expand the

use of an oral cholera vaccine, and facilitated the

donation of nearly 980,000 doses of seasonal flu

vaccine to four developing countries.

POLIO ERADICATION PROJECTS

>> POLIOVIRUS ANTIVIRALS INITIATIVE

>> POLIO VACCINE INTRODUCTION SUPPORT

CHOLERA PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROJECTS

>> COALITION FOR CHOLERA PREVENTION AND CONTROL

>> REVITALIZATION OF GLOBAL TASK FORCE ON CHOLERA CONTROL

PARTNERSHIP FOR INFLUENZA VACCINE INTRODUCTION

RABIES VACCINE/IMMUNE GLOBULIN EMERGENCY STOCKPILE (RaVaGES)

VOICES FOR VACCINES

“ The World Health

Organization (WHO)

shares a rich history of

collaboration with The Task

Force for Global Health.

Beginning with our early

work together to increase

global immunization levels

of children, we now focus

on tackling the scourges of

neglected tropical diseases,

polio, and cholera and

harnessing the power of

information technology

to strengthen health

systems. The Task Force has

consistently demonstrated

the power of collaboration

for improving the health of

people around the world.”

– Margaret Chan, MD World Health Organization,

Director-General


A pregnant woman in Lao PDR receives a donated dose of influenza vaccine. Pregnant women are at high risk from complications from influenza. (Photo courtesy of CVE)

30Years


Center for Vaccine Equity:

Polio Antivirals InitiativeThe use of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) has been one of the

most effective tools in the global eradication effort. OPV

consists of live polioviruses that have been weakened so

that they no longer cause paralytic disease. However, in very

rare instances the live virus used in the oral vaccine mutates

and becomes “neurovirulent” or capable of damaging the

nervous system and causing paralysis. Although very rare,

neurovirulent vaccine-derived viruses continue to cause

outbreaks of polio. Individuals with immune deficiencies

also can continue to excrete neurovirulent virus for many

years, posing health risks to themselves and people who

have not been vaccinated. For this reason, polio eradication

depends on finding these immunodeficient individuals and

treating them with antiviral drugs to stop the excretion of

the vaccine-derived poliovirus (iVDPV). After the disease has

been eradicated through immunization, polio antivirals can

be used to address new outbreaks originating from iVDPV-

excreting persons.

The Polio Antivirals Initiative (PAI) at The Task Force

for Global Health is coordinating the effort to develop

antiviral drug therapies. To develop safe and effective

antiviral drugs, The Task Force is working with a number

of global health organizations such as the World Health

Organization (WHO), National Institutes of Health

(NIH), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Rotary

International, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and

the Environment (RIVM), and Jeffrey Modell Foundation,

as well as corporate partners (ViroDefense Inc.). A first-of-

its-kind clinical trial has demonstrated the activity of the

lead antiviral, pocapavir (V-073), on the shedding of live

oral poliovirus vaccine in human volunteers. The study

showed that pocapavir is well tolerated and has a rapid

effect on reducing virus excretion. In order to reduce the

potential for pocapavir resistance to develop in patients,

work is underway to develop a second antiviral, V-7404, of a

different class to use in combination with pocapavir. Use of

two different antivirals is expected to markedly reduce the

potential for development of resistance. The rapid progress

in this program was made possible by a grant from the Bill

& Melinda Gates Foundation, technical and in-kind support

from CDC, cooperation with pharmaceutical partners, the

expert advice of the PAI Steering Team, and the combined

expertise of a broad range of global health organizations.

Over the past four years, PAI and its collaborators have

broadened the network of resources and support and

made significant progress in developing safe and effective

poliovirus antiviral drugs.

Future activities include:

Completion of a worldwide prevalence study to identify

immunodeficient patients who excrete iVDPV. The Task

Force is working with the Jeffrey Modell Foundation,

WHO, and CDC to conduct this surveillance in

15 countries that use oral vaccine.

Developing a second antiviral with a different

mechanism of inhibiting poliovirus replication. The

lead candidate is V-7404, a protease inhibitor originally

discovered by Pfizer and presently under development

by ViroDefense.

Polio Eradication Projects

Global eradication of polio is

a high priority for the World

Health Organization (WHO),

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Rotary International,

and a number of other global

health organizations. The

Center for Vaccine Equity (CVE)

is involved in two important

projects supporting polio

eradication efforts.

StaffMark McKinlay, PhD – Program Director

Andréa Berlin – Program Associate

Samantha Kluglein – Senior Project Manager

Primary Funder

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

A girl in Pakistan receives oral polio vaccine. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)


Primary Funder



Polio Vaccine Introduction SupportUnprecedented immunization efforts have nearly rid the world of polio. Over the last

25 years, the number of polio cases has decreased by 99%, and the number of countries with

endemic polio has been reduced from 125 to three. Global eradication of polio is now on the

horizon. In 2014, The Task Force, in collaboration with the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory

University, continued to support global polio eradication through a number of activities

related to the introduction of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), strengthening of routine

immunization systems, and the gradual withdrawal of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).

Two vaccines are currently used against polio: OPV and IPV. OPV has been effective in the fight

against polio and is used in most of the developing world. However, this vaccine contains live,

weakened virus, which in very rare cases can cause paralysis. IPV, however, does not contain

live virus and therefore cannot cause paralysis. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO)

endorsed the Polio Eradication Endgame and Strategic Plan 2013-2018, which calls for the

introduction of IPV in all countries by the end of 2015. After IPV is added to routine immunization

schedules globally, countries will begin the phased removal of OPV, beginning with the poliovirus

type 2 component of OPV, and ultimately discontinue use of OPV in 2018-2019.

To provide resources for IPV introduction and OPV withdrawal, The Task Force and a team led by

Walter Orenstein, MD, at the Emory Vaccine Center are collaborating with WHO, UNICEF, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, Rotary International, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

In 2014, The Task Force:

Provided partners with tracking and progress reports to assist in decision-making and

implementation of IPV introduction and OPV withdrawal;

Developed monitoring indicators for IPV introduction and strengthening routine

immunization programs;

Supported, in partnership with the International Vaccine Access Center, the adoption of IPV

through ongoing technical, communications, and advocacy support to countries and global

partners; and

Supported the placement of consultants and contractors internationally to provide local and

regional guidance and support for IPV introduction.

A healthcare provider administers oral polio vaccine to an infant in India. (Photo by Chris Zahniser, RN, MPH/CDC)

StaffManish Patel, MD, MSc – Program Director

Margaret Farrell, MPH – IPV Coordinator, UNICEF – (Seconded from The Task Force)

Alan R. Hinman, MD, MPH – Senior Investigator and Advisor


Mark McKinlay, PhD – Senior Advisor

Rachel Robb, MPH, MMS – Communications Manager

Chantal Veira, MBA – Project Manager


Primary Funder



Coalition for Cholera Prevention and ControlCholera is a highly infectious water-borne disease that remains endemic in many countries. Globally, as

many as 750 million people are without access to clean water and proper sanitation systems. Endemic

cholera can spread rapidly as a result of mobile populations, combined with inadequate water and

sanitation systems. In previously unexposed populations, a cholera outbreak can spread rapidly and kill

many people.

The 2010 Haitian earthquake and subsequent recovery efforts opened the door to reintroduction of cholera

in the Western Hemisphere and ignited a cholera epidemic that caused more than a half million cases

and resulted in more than 7,000 deaths. In 2014, Haiti was still working to eliminate cholera. Although the

number of cases globally is at its lowest level since 2005, Haiti accounts for almost half of all reported cases in

the world.

In 2012, The Task Force for Global Health and Harvard Medical School/Partners in Health formed the Coalition

for Cholera Prevention and Control to accelerate policy and practice for appropriate use of oral cholera

vaccines (OCV) as part of a comprehensive integrated strategy to prevent and control cholera. A framework

for cholera prevention and control developed by the Coalition has been used by multilateral institutions,

national governments, research institutions, and academic partners.

Coalition members also participated in the planning and establishment of a global stockpile of OCV. In late

2013, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance board voted to support time-limited expansion of the stockpile for use in both

epidemic and endemic settings. Alan Hinman, as both co-director of the Coalition and a former member of

the Gavi Board, served as a liaison for these efforts. The approved expansion will increase stockpile capacity

to 20 million doses over the next five years.

In 2014, the Coalition welcomed Rotarians as new members. Rotary’s interest in advancing cholera

prevention and control aligns with at least two of the organization’s priorities to fight disease and provide

clean water.

In 2015, Coalition activities will focus on broadening participation to include new low-income-country

partners. Representatives from the ministries of health of Bangladesh, Haiti, Mozambique, and Uganda

participated in the 2014 fall meeting. The Coalition is working to assist partners in developing countries in

applying the comprehensive framework. It should help to assess national preparedness and accelerate the

effectiveness of national prevention and control efforts.

Patients receiving cholera treatment in Haiti. (Photo by CVE)

StaffThe Task Force for Global Health

Alan R. Hinman, MD, MPH – Principal Investigator


Mark Rosenberg, MD, MPP – Co-Investigator

Harvard Medical School/Partners in Health

Paul E. Farmer, MD, PhD – Co-Investigator

Louise Ivers, MD – Co-Investigator



Revitalization of Global Task Force on Cholera ControlA Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) was created in 1991 to

coordinate the World Health Organization’s (WHO) various activities

in cholera prevention and control. GTFCC convened several important

meetings and issued guidelines that addressed various aspects of

cholera control. However, in recent years, the group has been relatively

inactive. In 2011, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution on

cholera that included a request that the WHO director-general revitalize

the Global Task Force on Cholera Control. In 2013, the Center for Vaccine

Equity, in partnership with WHO, led a working group in developing

recommendations to define the goal, strategy, structure, membership,

and management guidelines for a new Global Task Force. Based on

interviews with country representatives, implementing organizations,

and donors, the group assessed gaps in global cholera control and

defined how the GTFCC could contribute to meeting national needs, and

recommended a plan for revitalizing the GTFCC. The revitalized Global

Task Force on Cholera Control was formally launched in June 2014.

Primary Funder


StaffAlan R. Hinman, MD, MPH – Principal Investigator


Mark Rosenberg, MD, MPP – InvestigatorHealthcare workers administer a dose of cholera vaccine to a young Haitian girl. (Photo by Rania A. Tohme, MD, MPH/CDC)



Partnership for Influenza Vaccine IntroductionInfluenza vaccine has been shown to have a

significant impact on protecting the health of people

at risk, especially pregnant women. However, in

many low- to middle-income countries, the cost of

obtaining and distributing the vaccine is a significant

barrier that limits its use.

The Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction

(PIVI) seeks to remove that barrier and make the

vaccine available through targeted influenza vaccine

programs. PIVI was established through a successful

two-year pilot project in Lao PDR (formerly Laos) and

Nicaragua coordinated by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC). Participants in the

public-private partnership include the Walgreens

Company, bioCSL, BD (Becton, Dickinson and

Company), UPS, and the U.S. Air Force. In the first

year, Walgreens provided more than 370,000 doses

of vaccine for pregnant women, healthcare workers,

elderly people, and others with underlying conditions

that put them at special risk for influenza. The vaccine

donation program was highlighted as a promising

strategy for global vaccine security by the World

Health Organization and received the CDC Director’s

Award for Innovation in 2012.

In December 2013, The Task Force’s Center for Vaccine

Equity convened a meeting in Atlanta to formally

launch the Partnership, bring together the founding

partners, engage new partners, and provide a forum

for participating countries to work with technical

experts from CDC and other organizations to develop

their program plans for the coming year.

In 2014, bioCSL, a vaccine manufacturer, donated

763,000 doses of vaccine for use in Lao PDR. Green

Cross, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company,

provided more than 183,000 doses of vaccine to

Morocco and Armenia. Walgreens and ASD Healthcare

provided funds to purchase 33,000 doses of vaccine

to expand immunization among pregnant women

in Nicaragua. PIVI is working with the ministries of

health in Lao PDR and Nicaragua to evaluate the

impact of influenza immunization on birth outcomes

among vaccinated women. The data will assist Lao

PDR and Nicaragua to assess impact and help inform

national decision-making for future years’ influenza

vaccination campaigns.

A strategic advisory group was formed in mid-2014 to

clarify the Partnership’s vision, mission, and objectives,

and to develop terms of reference that define partner

roles, operational principles, and approaches to

establishing sustainable country programs.

The Task Force provides program coordination and

management of the public-private partnership,

with technical support and assistance from CDC in

managing and evaluating the country programs to

generate data that will support country and global

decisions about influenza immunization programs.

Primary Funders

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


StaffAlan R. Hinman, MD, MPH – Project Director and Principal Investigator

Andréa Berlin – Program Associate


Mark McKinlay, PhD – Senior Advisor

A healthcare worker in Lao PDR displays donated flu vaccine. (Photo by CVE)


Center for Vaccine Equity: Center for Vaccine Equity:

RaVaGESRabies Vaccine/Immune Globulin Emergency Stockpile

Voices for VaccinesMore than 55,000 human deaths occur each year as a

result of exposure to animals, primarily rabid dogs.

It is estimated that nearly half of these deaths occur

in Africa. Recent increases in human rabies deaths in

parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America suggest that

rabies is reemerging as a serious public health issue.

In some countries, the lack of access to vaccine and

rabies immunoglobulin in a timely manner contributes

to these deaths. Through the RaVaGES project, The Task

Force is working with the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization

(WHO), Novartis, the Global Alliance for Rabies Control,

and other partners to identify an effective means

of establishing a strategically placed stockpile and

distribution system for emergency use of donated

rabies vaccine in an area where there is a high risk of

exposure to rabies and where vaccine is not available. The

project is seeking donations of rabies vaccine and rabies

immunoglobulin for use in an area where rabies exposure

has become a significant threat to public health.

Increased public concern and debate about vaccination

in recent years have increased the need for balanced and

objective information. The great majority of people vaccinate

their children and accept vaccines themselves. However, their

voices often have not been heard over the much louder but

small minority of people with anti-vaccination views. Voices for

Vaccines, a project hosted by The Task Force for Global Health’s

Center for Vaccine Equity, aims to give people an opportunity

to express their support for vaccination. The goal of Voices

for Vaccines is to provide clear, accessible, science-based

information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases.

This initiative is led by parents (Karen Ernst and Ashley Shelby)

and supported by a consortium of scientists and public health

experts who have volunteered expertise and considerable

experience to inform the public about resources and emerging

research related to vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccines.

The group is developing and disseminating core public health

messages. At The Task Force for Global Health, Alan Hinman, MD,

MPH, serves on the Scientific Advisory Board.

Funding is provided by individual donors. No funding is provided

by government sources or by vaccine manufacturers.

Rabid dogs pose a health threat in some developing countries. (Photo courtesy of Thinkstock)

Primary Funder

Novartis Vaccines

StaffAlan R. Hinman, MD, MPH – Principal Investigator



Health Systems Strengthening “ [At the Satcher Health

Leadership Institute],

we like to say that to

succeed in our goal of

eliminating disparities

in health, we need

leaders who can care

enough, know enough,

will do enough, and

will persevere until the

job is done. From the

beginning until today,

The Task Force for

Global Health has been

characterized by that

kind of leadership.”

– David Satcher, MD, PhD Satcher Health Leadership Institute,

Director

Morehouse School of Medicine

Three programs in The Task Force focus on

strengthening public health systems around the globe.

Each has a different goal in building capacity; together,

they comprise the Health Systems Strengthening

(HSS) sector of The Task Force. All three programs work

with ministries of health, local communities, health

practitioners, and other partners to enhance the ability

of programs to improve public health.

PHII works to harness the power of information

technology to improve health systems and

improve health outcomes. TEPHINET supports field

epidemiology programs in 84 countries. Finally, the

African Health Workforce Project focuses on identifying

how best to allocate health workers to address the

health needs of different populations.

PHII, TEPHINET, and the African Health Workforce

Project collaborate with diverse partners to improve

public health systems domestically and abroad.

Collectively, they form a vital part of the web of

Task Force programs and projects.

PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS INSTITUTE (PHII)

TEPHINET (TRAINING PROGRAMS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS NETWORK)

AFRICAN HEALTH WORKFORCE PROJECT

TEPHINET assists frontline health workers in identifying and addressing potential disease outbreaks. Above, a health worker takes a blood sample from an infant during a suspected outbreak of measles in North Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo by Frans Yosep Sitepu/TEPHINET).


30Years


Health Systems Strengthening:

Public Health Informatics InstituteFor more than two decades, the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) has

been assisting public health organizations worldwide in using information more

effectively to improve health outcomes. As a result of this work, informatics has

become a recognized discipline as critical for building strong public health capacity.

In partnership with public health associations, public health practitioners,

and experts in public health informatics, PHII pursues three areas of strategic

importance to public health: defining the information system needs of public

health (the Requirements Lab); training and workforce development (Informatics

Academy); and providing technical assistance and facilitating the development

of products (Practice Support). Within each area, PHII works on various projects

to advance its mission to improve health worldwide by transforming health

practitioners’ ability to use information effectively.

In 2014, PHII worked on both domestic and international projects to strengthen

the capacity of health systems to use data more effectively. Its international

work included a project to help developing countries address chronic shortages

of healthcare workers. PHII partnered with the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC) and students from the Georgia Institute of Technology to

develop an Excel-based tool for the Mozambique Ministry of Health to use in

determining where to assign healthcare workers around the country in a manner

that addresses the health needs of its population. The tool uses a mathematical

model that factors HIV prevalence of a region and healthcare worker preferences

for particular location assignments. Mozambique will pilot the tool in 2015,

and Tanzania and Malawi have expressed interest in using it for allocating

healthcare workers.

In the United States, PHII also collaborated with CDC on projects related to

healthcare reform. As part of a 5-year cooperative agreement with CDC, PHII

worked on 10 projects to

improve information exchange

between public health systems

and healthcare providers.

Another PHII initiative called

the Informatics Innovation and

Implementation Laboratory

(I3Lab) project was launched

in 2014 to help public health

agencies build their informatics

capacities. I3Labs are designed

as “model agencies” to examine

and document promising

practices with the goal of

replicating these practices in

other agencies. Ultimately,

the project will contribute to

the evidence base for effective informatics practices. Finally, PHII’s Informatics

Academy continued to develop and lead educational programs for three CDC-

funded fellowship programs that support capacity of public health departments

at the state and local levels.

National groups interested in the discipline of informatics also sought PHII’s

expertise in 2014. PHII worked closely with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

(RWJF) to develop a vision for public health informatics over the next decade. One

of the outcomes of this work was a journal article co-authored with the Institute

for Alternative Futures that outlined four wide-reaching scenarios for how

informatics might affect population health in 2023. Their goal in presenting these

scenarios was to identify opportunities and challenges that leaders and practitioners

might consider when deciding how to use informatics over the coming decade.

PHII Director David Ross continued to provide thought leadership to several

national projects related to informatics, including co-chairing the “Data for

Health” advisory committee. An initiative by RWJF, “Data for Health” is exploring

how information can be harnessed to help people lead healthier lives. The

advisory committee hosted a series of “Learning What Works” events across the

United States to hear from local leaders, residents, and professionals from a wide

Primary Funders


Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

de Beaumont Foundation

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Dr. David Fleming (left), former director of public health for Seattle & King County, Washington, discusses the future of public health informatics with PHII Director David Ross at a workshop funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This workshop led to a journal article that outlined challenges and opportunities for informatics by 2023. (Photo by Jessica Cook/PHII)


range of sectors on what information is important to them and how they might

use this information to improve health in their communities. Ross also served on

an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that recommended a panel of questions

for healthcare providers to ask patients about their social and behavioral risk

factors. This information could be included in electronic health records and help

providers identify resources and interventions for patients to potentially avert

injuries, diseases, or deaths. For instance, if a patient is identified as being at risk

for intimate partner violence, the patient might be referred to domestic violence

hotlines, a shelter, or free legal counsel for assistance. Finally, Ross served on

another IOM committee that has been examining future approaches to USAID

investment in global health programs.

Staff from PHII, CDC, and the Rakai Health Sciences Research Center visited Uganda in 2014 to provide consultation to the Ministry of Health in the development of e-health policy that will guide the use of technology in health care. (Photo by Jim Jellison/PHII)

StaffDavid Ross, ScD – Director

Ellen Wild, MPH – Deputy Director

Debra Bara, MA – Director of Practice Support

Bill Brand, MPH – Director of Public Health Informatics Science

Claudia Brogan, MS, Ed – Training Manager

Jessica Cook – Director of Communications

Teresa Dussault, PMP – Training Operations Manager

Sarah Gilbert, MBA, PMP – Director of the Informatics Academy

Carol Grant – Operations Manager

Piper Hale – Communications Specialist

Jim Jellison, MPH – Senior Informatics Analyst

Trish Miller, MBA – Project Manager

Irfan Momin – Senior Financial Analyst

Jim Mootrey – Senior Project Manager

Katie Nolen, MPH – Junior Business Analyst

Daniela Salas O’Connell, MPH – Project Manager

LaToya Osmani – Project Manager

Juneka Rembert – Business Analyst III

Anita Renahan-White, MDiv, MPH – Senior Informatics Analyst

Vivian Singletary – Director, Requirements Lab



TEPHINETTraining Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network

When a disease outbreak strikes a community, field

epidemiologists are among the first to respond to

determine the cause and prevent future occurrences.

The Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public

Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), a program

based at The Task Force for Global Health, supports

the work of 59 field epidemiology training programs

(FETPs) around the world. Most of these two-year

programs are modeled after the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence

Service (EIS) and are supported by local universities

and public health institutions in each host country.

Through these training programs, TEPHINET’s global

network of field epidemiologists strengthens public

health capacity to fight diseases in more than

80 countries.

The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa prompted

TEPHINET and its partners to develop a field

epidemiology training program for frontline health

workers to help recognize Ebola and other disease

threats. In collaboration with CDC and the African

Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), TEPHINET

officially launched this basic-level, field surveillance

program in 2015 to strengthen health infrastructure

in 10 West African countries. A total of 500 frontline

health workers will eventually be trained to identify

and respond rapidly to disease outbreaks. FETP

graduates from Rwanda, England, Brazil, Canada, and

Argentina work as mentors in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-

Bissau, and Senegal. They will support CDC staff in

the classroom trainings and provide mentorship and

supervision to the course participants during the

three weeks of field work.

Innovative disease surveillance was also the focus

of another TEPHINET initiative to strengthen

health systems in 2014. In order to bolster the

ability of ministries of health to detect and

respond to potential disease outbreaks faster,

TEPHINET developed an online training program

that teaches field epidemiologists how to leverage

nontraditional sources of information such as

newspapers and social media. The initiative also

included the development of new applications

and protocols for conducting surveillance of mass

gatherings where large numbers of people come in

close contact and infectious diseases could spread

easily. Finally, an online surveillance information

sharing platform called EpiCore was launched to

link field epidemiologists to nontraditional sources

of information, such as ProMED-mail, that can help

validate information about disease outbreaks and

improve understanding of situations on the ground.

TEPHINET’s innovative disease surveillance initiative

is made possible through collaboration and support

from the Skoll Global Threats Fund.

In an effort to improve and sustain the quality of

FETPs, TEPHINET launched a process in 2014 to

accredit its member programs. This process serves

as an opportunity to better support the public

health priorities of each country where FETPs are

located, align with the priorities of the World Health

Organization, and help each program increase their

prestige, local recognition, and sustainability.

Bringing together people in the field is an important

part of TEPHINET’s role, which includes co-sponsoring

both global and regional conferences. These

conferences provide a platform for current FETP

residents, graduates, directors, and other public

health professionals to forge partnerships, exchange

information, and share program and personal

achievements. In November 2014, TEPHINET hosted a

program directors’ meeting in Malaysia. The meeting

provided FETP directors opportunities to meet in

person to share successes, discuss opportunities for

collaborative projects, and troubleshoot ways to

strengthen the global network of FETPs. At the meeting,

Nigeria’s FETP shared lessons learned in preventing a

Primary Funders


Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Canada

Skoll Global Threats Fund

U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6 )

Plan International, Inc.

Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelings– Samenwerking (HIVOS)

A trainee (right) in a TEPHINET-supported field epidemiology training program interviews a resident of Ennery, Haiti, for a study to determine the prevalence of arterial hypertension in the community. (Photo by Destine M. Apollon/TEPHINET)


larger outbreak of Ebola in that country; the chair of the

Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)

spoke about efforts to curb the spread of Ebola; and

program directors discussed ways to track and utilize

the alumni network of all the programs.

Other conferences that TEPHINET participated

in during 2014 included ESCAIDE (European

Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious

Disease Epidemiology) in Stockholm, Sweden, and

International Night at the EIS Annual Conference in

Atlanta. Both of these events allowed FETP trainees

and affiliates to share their contributions with the

public health community, as well as showcase the

work that FETPs are doing all over the world. Plans

also were announced for the TEPHINET Global

Conference that will take place in July 2015 in Mexico.

Staff in AtlantaDionisio Herrera-Guibert, MD, MAE, FMS, PhD – Director

Renee Subramanian, MPH, MHA – Senior Associate Director

Tonya Duhart, MPA – Program Associate

Thomas Jackson, MBA – Senior Accountant

Erika Meyer, MPH – Program Associate

Rachel Rhodes, MPH – Program Associate

Daniela Salas O’Connell, MPH – Program Associate (through September 2014)

Anika Vinze, MSPH – Public Health Surveillance Manager



African Health Workforce ProjectThe African Health Workforce Project began

12 years ago with a request by Kenyan health officials

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC) for assistance in improving Kenya’s health

workforce capacity. CDC partnered with the Nell

Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing’s Lillian Carter

Center for Global Health & Social Responsibility

and The Task Force for Global Health to work

with Kenya’s Ministry of Health and professional

regulatory agencies to develop a human resource

information system to track nurses and other health

professionals and to provide accurate data for

management of the workforce. Researchers from the

Georgia Tech Research Institute assisted with the

evaluation of software systems. In 2014, prompted

by the success of the Kenya project, CDC requested

that Emory and The Task Force assist in developing,

implementing, and maintaining a regulatory human

resource information system for the Zambian health

professional regulatory councils.

Another component of the African Health Workforce

Project is the African Health Profession Regulatory

Collaborative (ARC), which was created to help

participating countries implement joint problem-

solving approaches that target national issues

affecting the health workforce. The Task Force works

with a partnership comprised of the Commonwealth

Secretariat (a voluntary association of 54 countries

that support each other and work toward shared

goals); the East, Central, and Southern Africa Health

Community (ECSA-HC); the Commonwealth Nurses

Federation; CDC; and the Emory School of Nursing.

Human Resource Information Systems in Kenya and Zambia

Faced with the challenge of developing an information

system to track nurses and other health professionals

and to provide information for management of the

workforce, the African Health Workforce Project

developed the Kenya Health Workforce Information

System (KHWIS), which has had a major impact on

the training, regulation, and deployment of the

healthcare workforce. With data provided by KHWIS,

regulatory agencies are now able to better enforce

regulations that ensure healthcare quality, such as

pre-service education, license renewals, required

continuing professional development training, and

identification of fraudulent licenses. Health managers

are now better able to understand the training

pipeline in terms of numbers of students being

trained each year, passing qualifying exams, and

remaining and employed in Kenya.

Among the accomplishments in 2014, the project:

Established interactive websites for four regulatory

agencies in Kenya to allow health professionals to

apply for licensure services online;

Provided nearly $50,000 worth of computer

equipment for Kenya’s health professional

regulatory boards and councils and supported

broadband, high-quality Internet connectivity;

Held three workshops with six Kenyan regulatory

agencies in a Joint Regulatory Collaborative to

address issues related to ensuring data quality

and system sustainability.

Published in 2014 were six articles on the African Regulatory Collaborative in the African Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health and the first comprehensive report on nursing in Kenya. (Photo by Steve Ellwood)

Primary Funders


Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

StaffMartha Rogers, MD – Director


Kenya Health Workforce Project Country Director Agnes Waudo (second from left) presents new computers and printers to Clinical Officers Council Chairman Peter Sewe and Registrar Micah Kisoo in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by KHWP)

The KHWIS serves as a model for best practices in

establishing and maintaining a human resource

information system. The project has hosted teams

from Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe to help jump-

start the development of systems in those countries.

In Zambia, a new collaboration between the Kenyan

project team and the newly formed Zambian team

began in 2014. This collaboration will nurture both

knowledge and technology transfer from Kenya to

Zambia as Zambian health officials begin to develop

their own workforce information system.

The African Regulatory Collaborative

The ARC convenes regional meetings of nursing

and midwifery regulatory leadership, including

chief nursing officers from ministries of health,

registrars of nursing councils, presidents of national

nurses associations and unions, and academic

representatives from nurse training institutions

from participating ECSA countries. The Collaborative

awards short-term grants to improve nursing and

midwifery regulation in participating countries and

provides targeted technical assistance to help ensure

successful implementation of these grants.

Among the accomplishments in 2014, ARC:

Supported the strengthening of national

continuing professional development programs for

nurses and midwives in five countries: Botswana,

Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, and Zambia;

Provided technical assistance to Seychelles, South

Sudan, Uganda, and Mozambique to help them

revise and update their scopes of practice for

nursing and midwifery;

Provided technical assistance to Swaziland to

assist them in developing a licensing examination

for nurses;

Released a Continuing Professional Development

(CPD) Toolkit, which provides step-by-step

guidance for countries to use when developing a

national CPD framework. The toolkit also contains

implementation plans and communication

strategies to support CPD program roll-out;

Supported the development of an electronic

continuing professional development library so

that nurses can receive accredited continuing

education via the Internet.

The African Health Workforce Project has been

instrumental in building strong human resource

information systems and continuing education

programs in Kenya and Zambia. Ultimately, the

project will benefit thousands of healthcare workers

in 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and result in

stronger health systems.

For three decades, The Task Force for Global Health

has collaborated with global partners to improve the

health of vulnerable people in the developing world.

From its original focus on immunizations, The Task

Force has expanded its programs to address other

critical global health issues such as neglected tropical

diseases (NTDs). These are diseases that are often

prevalent in developing countries and are considered

“neglected” because they affect impoverished

populations who lack strong political voices. In recent

years, however, the global health community has

increasingly taken notice of these diseases, which

put as many as 1 billion people at risk for blindness,

disfigurement, and disabilities. Beginning with a

commitment by Merck in 1987 to donate Mectizan

for river blindness (onchocerciasis) for as long as it is

needed, the field known as pharmacophilanthropy has

turned the tide against many of these diseases. Each

CHILDREN WITHOUT WORMS

INTERNATIONAL TRACHOMA INITIATIVE

MECTIZAN DONATION PROGRAM

NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES SUPPORT CENTER

“ The Task Force for

Global Health has been

an important partner …

for strategic thinking

and impactful delivery

around neglected tropical

diseases, as well as

helping to coordinate the

work of a diverse group

of partners to drive the

global introduction of

inactivated polio vaccine.”

– Bill Gates Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Face washing is critical to avoiding trachoma, which can lead to blindness in the later stages of the disease. (Photo by William Vazquez/Pfizer)

Neglected Tropical Diseases


30Years

year, pharmaceutical companies donate billions of dollars

in medicines to fight NTDs that are distributed through

mass drug administration (MDA). The generosity of these

companies has saved millions of people in the developing

world from NTDs.

The Task Force hosts several disease-specific NTD control

and elimination programs that support regular MDAs in

developing countries around the world. The NTD Support

Center (NTD-SC) conducts operational research, the findings

from which are translated into official and practical guidelines

that countries can use to implement NTD programs.

Children Without Worms (CWW) was founded to rid the

world of intestinal worms (soil-transmitted helminths, or

STH) that negatively affect the lives of more than 1 billion

people worldwide. In 2014, CWW became the secretariat for

a new STH coordinating body, the STH Coalition, that was

created to catalyze World Health Organization (WHO) targets

for STH control; foster a coordinated, collaborative, cross-

sector approach; and identify and address resource gaps.

The International Trachoma Initiative merged with The

Task Force in 2009. Its goal is to eliminate the devastating

blindness caused by trachoma through management

of the antibiotic Zithromax® donated by Pfizer. ITI also

fosters the WHO-endorsed SAFE strategy that promotes

surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental

improvements in countries where trachoma is endemic.

The Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) was established

in 1987 to provide medical, technical, and administrative

oversight of Merck’s donation of Mectizan to combat

river blindness. The program was later expanded to

include lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination with the

co-administration of Mectizan and albendazole, donated

by GlaxoSmithKline, in Africa and Yemen where the two

diseases overlap. The results of this drug donation program

have been dramatic, and the elimination of both river

blindness and LF is within reach.

The NTD-SC was established in 2013 to address operational

research challenges that affect a range of NTDs. A

$28.8-million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

supports the NTD-SC’s work with partners around the world

to support the implementation of effective NTD control and

elimination programs.



Schoolchildren in Bangladesh explain what they have learned about how to prevent intestinal worm infections. (Photo by CWW)

Neglected Tropical Diseases:

Children Without WormsChildren Without Worms (CWW) was founded in 2006

as a partnership between Johnson & Johnson and

The Task Force for Global Health to rid the world of

intestinal worms (soil-transmitted helminths, or STH)

that negatively affect the lives of more than 1 billion

people worldwide.

In 2014, CWW became the secretariat for a new

STH coordinating body called the STH Coalition.

The STH Coalition was created to catalyze progress

toward World Health Organization (WHO) targets for

STH control; foster a coordinated, collaborative

cross-sector approach; and identify and address

resource gaps. The STH Coalition currently brings

together 38 national and international public health,

donor, WASH, education, and nutrition organizations.

STH is a disease caused by intestinal worms, and it

affects the health of more than 1 billion people—

one of every seven people worldwide. The main risk

groups are preschool and school-age children and

women of childbearing age. More than 875 million

children are at risk of STH infection.

Three of the most common intestinal worms are

roundworm, whipworm, and hookworm. They all

thrive in places where the soil is warm and humid

and where sanitation is inadequate. Among

infected individuals, STH can cause a cascade of

health and personal development problems, where

each problem leads to the next, usually in the

following order:

Reduced absorption of nutrients and vitamins;

Anemia;

Stunted growth;

Impaired cognitive development and ability

to learn;

Increased susceptibility to other infectious diseases;

Lower school attendance;

Reduced productivity and economic well-being.

STH is a disease of poverty and is closely linked to

broader community development challenges. As

STH takes its toll on infected children, adults, and

their communities, there is growing awareness about

how intestinal worm infections are undermining work

being done across multiple global development sectors

including education, nutrition, and maternal health.

Mobilizing the STH Coalition to Stop Intestinal Worms

In 2014, CWW was asked to serve as the secretariat

for the STH Coalition, a group of 38 national and

international organizations from multiple sectors

promoting STH control programs that include access

to water, sanitation, hygiene education, nutrition, and

treatment. The STH Coalition supports collaborative

efforts to reach the World Health Organization’s 2020

targets for global STH control and will:

Catalyze demand for and help scale up

deworming programs;

Facilitate efforts to prevent reinfection and reduce

STH transmission through a multipronged approach;

Support advocacy and resource mobilization and

effective programs to accelerate impact.

Primary Funders

Johnson & Johnson

GlaxoSmithKline

StaffDavid Addiss, MD, MPH – Director

Kerry Gallo, MPH – Senior Program Associate (through July 2014)

Cassandra Holloway – Program Associate

Kim Koporc, MPH, MBA – Director of Program Implementation

Eric Strunz, MPH – Decision Support Analyst


Commitments to the STH Coalition range from

providing funds for research and implementation,

to delivering deworming drugs through existing

health platforms, to fostering closer partnerships

among sectors and between governmental and

nongovernmental organizations at global, national,

and community levels. More information, as well as

materials produced by the STH Coalition, can be found

at www.childrenwithoutworms.org/sth-coalition.

Producing Resources to Support Global Control of STH

To support the work of the STH Coalition and other

organizations, CWW produces resources that are

accessible online. The Partners Mapping Tool and

the WASH-NTD Manual are featured below. More

resources will be available in 2015.

Partners Mapping Tool: The NTD Partners Map

(www.PartnersMap.org) is a new tool designed to help

organizations identify opportunities for collaboration,

fundraising, and advocacy through a better

understanding of the locations where organizations are

working. Built on a powerful open-source web-based

platform, the Partners Map enables users to:

Explore other organizations’ current NTD activities

at district, national, regional, and global levels;

Filter information by disease, target population,

type of activity, or location;

Embed customized maps on their own websites;

Visualize other information, including NTD

prevalence and sanitation coverage.

WASH–NTD Manual:

In collaboration with

several partners and

with funding from

Sightsavers, CWW

helped create the

manual, WASH and

the Neglected Tropical

Diseases (www.

washntds.org), to serve

as a practical guide to

WASH practitioners

working to implement,

support, and sustain WASH interventions at the country

level. This manual provides WASH-implementing

organizations with the information that they need

to target their interventions to NTD-vulnerable

communities; to engage in and promote collaborative

monitoring for NTD-specific health outcomes; and to

communicate the impact of WASH on the NTDs for the

purposes of advocacy and policy change.

This infographic, developed by the STH Coalition, has been used on social media to help promote the organization’s mission.

CWW developed the NTD Partners Map to inform organizations about the locations of NTD programs.

WASH and the Neglected Tropical Diseases provides implementers with guidance on how to target their interventions to NTD-vulnerable communities.


Trachoma, endemic in remote areas of the world, is

a bacterial eye infection that causes agonizing pain

and can lead to blindness. It is the world’s leading

infectious cause of blindness. Approximately

325 million people worldwide are at risk of

contracting it, with several million suffering from the

advanced, blinding stage of the disease.

The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) is a partner

in the global effort to eliminate blinding trachoma

by 2020. ITI’s core responsibility is to manage Pfizer’s

donation of Zithromax®, an antibiotic used to treat

and prevent trachoma. In 2014, ITI shipped more than

46 million Zithromax® treatments.

The distribution of Zithromax® is scaling up across

sub-Saharan Africa. ITI supported 15 countries

that distributed Zithromax® in 2014. Preliminary

distribution data shows that 53.5 million people were

treated with Zithromax® in 455 districts. The 2014

data is preliminary because the program year is still

ongoing (through June 20, 2015).

ITI Director Paul Emerson (center) examines a man’s eyelids for clinical signs of blinding trachoma during a field visit to Ethiopia. (Photo by William Vazquez/Pfizer)


International Trachoma Initiative

Primary Funders

Pfizer

Sightsavers in partnership with the United Kingdom Department for International Development


U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Sudan, and Sudan. He is also an adjunct professor at

the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Emerson expressed optimism about the future of

trachoma programs, adding, “This is the time for hard

work, passion, dedication, and productivity.”

“We have a tremendous opportunity to leave the

world a better place than we found it, and with that

opportunity a great responsibility to ensure the

resources entrusted to us get to the people who

need them.”

In addition to the scale up of Zithromax® by ITI, the

global trachoma community is scaling up the World

Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed SAFE strategy

that brings surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and

environmental improvements to the most vulnerable

people in countries where trachoma is prevalent.

By the end of 2015, the Global Trachoma Mapping

Project (GTMP), funded by the British government, is

scheduled to complete the global map of trachoma

prevalence. When finished, an accurate and

complete forecast of what needs to be done to reach

elimination by 2020 will be available for the first time.

ITI works to support GTMP, which started in

December 2012. More than 700 teams of trained

health workers have examined nearly 2 million

people in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and 17 other countries for

signs of trachoma in order to help health ministries

identify areas in their countries to target with

interventions to eliminate trachoma. Eighteen more

countries will be mapped before GTMP ends. The

project uses a cloud-based system for data collection.

Country-specific data appear on the Global Atlas of

Trachoma (trachomaatlas.org), which is hosted by

ITI, after the data is approved by the host Ministry

of Health.

In 2014, ITI welcomed Paul Emerson, PhD, as its new

Director. Formerly the director for The Carter Center’s

Trachoma Control Program, Dr. Emerson brings a

wealth of experience to his new role at ITI. At The

Carter Center, he provided oversight to program

activities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South

StaffPaul Emerson, PhD – Director

Ana Bakhtiari – Assistant Program Coordinator

Colin Beckwith – Deputy Director (through June 2014)

Birgit Bolton, MPH – Senior Program Associate

Solomon Ejigu, CIA, CPA – Accounting Manager

Rebecca Mann Flueckiger, MCRP – Geographic Information Systems Data Manager (through June 2014)

Huub Gelderblom, MD, PhD, MPH – Associate Director, Research Projects

Kimberly Jensen – Program Associate

Carla Johnson – Supply Chain Systems Analyst

Noah Kafumbe, CEM, MS – Supply Chain Manager

Teshome Gebre Kanno, PhD – Regional Director for Africa

Yen Kim – Logistics Coordinator

Elizabeth Kurylo, MCM – Communications Manager

Martine Muffon – Logistics Coordinator

Bill Nigut – Communications Assistant

Joanna Pritchard, MPH – Senior Program Associate

Anyess R. Travers, MPA, MPH – Senior Program Associate (through August 2014)

ITI works closely with national governments as well

as local and international global health organizations

on an integrated approach with other neglected

tropical diseases. ITI also promotes and supports

effective partnerships at the global, regional, and

country levels to eliminate blinding trachoma.

Over the past 15 years, Pfizer has donated more

than 400 million doses of the antibiotic Zithromax®

as part of the international campaign to end

blinding trachoma. Since 1998, ITI has managed

the distribution of the antibiotic to 33 countries

mainly in Africa, but also to countries in the Eastern

Mediterranean, American, Pacific, and Southeast

Asian regions. ITI has collaborated with ministries

of health and international partners to support

the WHO’s Global Alliance for the Elimination of

Trachoma by 2020 (GET 2020).

In 2014, ITI staff traveled to 12 countries (Botswana,

Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya,

Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania,

and Zambia) to offer technical assistance, observe

distribution of Zithromax®, and take journalists into

communities where trachoma and other neglected

diseases are endemic.

ITI is working with international partners to eliminate blinding trachoma by 2020. In northern Mozambique, a team of health workers prepares to distribute Zithromax®, donated by Pfizer, to residents of a community where trachoma is prevalent. (Photo by Elizabeth Kurylo/ITI)



More than a quarter of a century ago, a major pharmaceutical company

ushered in a new era of commitment to end a neglected tropical

disease when it announced that it would donate Mectizan, a medicine

to treat river blindness (onchocerciasis) to all who needed it, for as

long as it was needed. With this unprecedented commitment from

Merck, the Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) was established to

provide medical, technical, and administrative oversight of the donation

program. In 1998, the program expanded to include lymphatic filariasis

(LF or elephantiasis) elimination with the co-administration of Mectizan

and albendazole, donated by GlaxoSmithKline, in countries where the

two diseases co-exist.

The results of this drug donation program have been dramatic, and the

elimination of both river blindness and LF could happen by 2025. This

remarkable achievement has come about through the generosity of the

pharmaceutical companies and support of partners committed to rid

countries of these devastating diseases.

MDP remains a key partner in ensuring that Mectizan and albendazole

are available for river blindness and LF elimination in countries in Africa

and Yemen where the disease is endemic. In several Central and South

American countries, significant progress has been made to eliminate

river blindness. Colombia and Ecuador are now free of the disease,

and Guatemala and Mexico are not far behind. Mectizan is still made

available in Brazil and Venezuela where transmission is ongoing in a

remote area of the Amazon.

In 2014, two of MDP’s key partners—the World Health Organization

(WHO) and the World Bank—worked to develop a new mechanism to

support African countries in their effort to eliminate river blindness and

LF. This new entity will build on the success of the African Programme

for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) to provide technical assistance;


Mectizan Donation Program

Primary Funders

Merck

GlaxoSmithKline

Residents of a village in the Central African Republic where river blindness is endemic celebrate after a mass drug administration. (Photo by Peter DiCampo/MDP)

support monitoring, evaluation, and surveillance; and continue to mobilize resources for

country programs. MDP Director Adrian Hopkins, MD, is working closely with partners to

ensure the success of this new mechanism.

At the core of the movement toward improved collaboration was the recent rollout of

the “World Health Organization Joint Request for Selected Preventive Chemotherapy

Medicines.” Most countries are now integrating their requests for multiple NTD medicines

through a common application, which is being overseen by WHO. Applications for Mectizan

and albendazole where onchocerciasis and LF are coendemic are submitted through the

WHO joint application system. LF applications are reviewed jointly by MDP and WHO’s

regional program.

Looking ahead, river blindness could potentially be eliminated in Africa and Latin America

by 2025. The prospect of elimination was not even considered when the control program

began. MDP also is working with partners to eliminate LF by 2020 from countries where the

disease is coendemic with river blindness.

Children of this family in Chiapas, Mexico, will never know river blindness. The disease has been eliminated from their community as a result of the final distribution of Mectizan. (Photo courtesy of The Carter Center)


Mectizan and albendazole treatments approved

for river blindness and lymphatic filariasis:

Mectizan approved for river blindness only:

Mectizan and albendazole approved for LF:

256,599,065

109,597,197

218,111,858

StaffAdrian Hopkins, MD – Director

Joni Lawrence – Associate Director Programs

Helen Lim – Senior Program Associate

Nikita McCage, MPH – Program Coordinator

Yao Sodahlon, MD – Senior Associate Director of Programs

Outcomes of MDP Work in 2014


StaffEric Ottesen, MD – Director

Brian Chu, MPH – Associate Director

Katie Gass, PhD, MPH – Epidemiologist

PJ Hooper, MA – Senior Associate Director, External Relations

Waithera Kagira-Watson, MBA – Senior Financial Analyst

Patrick J. Lammie, PhD – Principal Investigator

Andrew Majewski, MS – Senior Associate Director, Operations Manager

Wendi McAfee – Program Coordinator

Nikita McCage, MPH – Events Manager

Kisito Ogoussan, MD, MPH – Associate Director of Mapping Research

Alex Pavluck, MPH – Senior Information Technology Manager (until October 2014)

Julia Rankine, MBA – Financial Analyst

María Rebollo Polo, MD, MPH – Director of Programs

Kristen Renneker, MPH – Data Manager

Rebecca Willis – Data Analyst


Neglected Tropical Diseases Support CenterFor the Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center

(NTD-SC), 2014 was an especially productive year. The

Center initiated operational research (OR) projects

in 25 different countries and received additional

support ($15 million over 5 years) from the U.S. Agency

for International Development (USAID) to augment

funding from a 2013 grant from the Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation to conduct operational research

for NTD control and elimination programs. The

research projects included NTD programs that were

just beginning, those in process of scaling up, and

those nearing “the last mile” to reach their disease

elimination goals.

A principal focus for the NTD-SC in 2014 was

advancing the introduction of better diagnostic

tools. As programs near the final phases, the need

arises to confirm a disease’s elimination. New rapid

diagnostic tests are available for each of the five

NTDs that the center focuses on (lymphatic filariasis,

onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, intestinal worms,

and trachoma). These tests are now being introduced

and compared with older diagnostic tests in

multicountry trials in 22 countries.

Mapping of all of the targeted NTDs in Africa was

another area of focus for the NTD-SC in 2014. Building

on the highly successful trachoma mapping model, this

initiative is using the LINKS electronic data capture

and management system to determine where NTDs are

present. “It is essential to know where the diseases are

in order to start implementing prevention programs,”

said Eric Ottesen, MD, director of the NTD-SC. Local

researchers are trained to use smartphones to capture

and transmit data to central processing points.

Satellite technology makes it possible to employ this

kind of mapping, even in remote areas. “While it will

take time to introduce this technology, we will end

up with very accurate mapping information as well as

significant strengthening of national health systems,”

Ottesen said.

Bringing together the different stakeholders in the

NTD community is another vital part of the Support

Center’s mission, and its Coalition for Operational

Research on the NTDs (COR-NTD) is central to that

effort. “We at The Task Force don’t do the research

ourselves, so it’s essential to bring together people

who can do the research and then to link them with

the implementers of NTD programs so that they can

address the issues together,” said Ottesen. The most

visible expression of this shared focus is the annual

meeting of the COR-NTD that is held in conjunction

with the meeting of the American Society for

Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; nearly 300 people

participated in 2014 and addressed specific issues

critical to the success of NTD control and elimination

programs. “Such meetings offer an important way

for the community to come together to identify the

operational hurdles facing programs and then to find

practical solutions for them.”

An essential element in all of these OR efforts is working

closely with the World Health Organization (WHO),

which has principal responsibility for translating

OR findings into practical, evidence-based guidelines

that countries can use to implement their programs.

“For instance, while increasing numbers of countries

have met their elimination targets for onchocerciasis,

lymphatic filariasis, and blinding trachoma, they are

now in ‘uncharted territory’ in terms of having global

guidelines on just how to validate their achievements

and how to ensure their permanence through

workable, effective surveillance strategies,” Ottesen

said. “Providing WHO with the evidence base it needs

to facilitate these guidelines is a most important

outcome of the work of the NTD-SC.”

Primary Funders

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

USAID

A child takes a dose of Zithromax® to prevent blinding trachoma during a mass drug administration (MDA) in Ethiopia. The Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center is working to develop tools to verify that diseases such as blinding trachoma have been eliminated from communities after MDAs. (Photo by Stephanie Ogden/ITI and CWW)



Justin’s Hope

Justin’s Hope Project promotes safe and compassionate patient- and family-centered

health care. The program also emphasizes the importance of full disclosure to resolve

issues around medical errors. Justin’s Hope uses a combination of education, research,

and reform, inspired by the principles of health care openness, professionalism, and

excellence. This initiative was founded and continues to be managed by Dale Ann

Micalizzi, in memory of her son, Justin A. Micalizzi, who died at the age of 11 following an

incision and drainage of a septic ankle.

Justin’s Hope maintains an ongoing partnership with the Institute for Healthcare

Improvement (IHI). Consistent with its goal to educate healthcare professionals about

patient- and family-centered health care, Dale Ann Micalizzi co-authors papers about

pediatric patient safety and gives numerous presentations to audiences within the

healthcare community, medical schools, and patient advocacy organizations. Most

importantly, the project uses a combination of funding and partnership with IHI to

sponsor yearly scholarships for selected nursing and medical students to attend the IHI

Forum in the effort to improve pediatric health care and the reaction to adverse events.

Additional Projects:

“ … Collaborative approaches [of The

Task Force for Global Health] will be

crucial to the challenge of completing

the prevention, amelioration, and

eradication of tropical diseases

that blight the lives of the poor

in developing countries. [Those

approaches] are also likely to be useful

in the fight to prevent and treat the

range of health problems like heart

disease and cancer that, although

characteristically identified as problems

of developed countries, are just as

widespread in the developing world.”

– Howard Hiatt, MD Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Division of Global Health Equity,

Professor

30Years

Integrated Program Services

Staff Thomas Rosenberger, MBA – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (retired December 2014)

Mark Albers – Senior Operations Manager

Lorna Cameron – Sharepoint Business Analyst

Charity Cross, MBA, MS – Help Desk Specialist

Solomon Ejigu, CPA, CIA – Associate Director, Finance

Daniel Martins, MBA – Director of Finance

Brandon McLendon, MS – Accountant

James Nguyen, MBA, MISM – Chief Information Officer

Donte Perkins – Accountant

Carol Smith – Financial Analyst

Alex Vu – IT Specialist

The Integrated Program Services (IPS) team supports The Task Force

organization and programs in the areas of:

Accounting, financial services, risk and contract management

Conference and meeting services

Facilities management

Information technology (IT)

This group is managed by the chief operating officer of The Task Force

and comprises professional and administrative staff with expertise in

each of the above areas.

Additionally, the IPS team manages special projects for The Task Force,

particularly related to the organizational infrastructure or activities

needing coordinated research and planning.

The Task Force is committed to ensuring children in developing countries can obtain an education without the burden of infections from neglected tropical diseases. (Photo by William Vazquez/Pfizer)



Financials

Independent Auditor’s Report

The Board of DirectorsTask Force for Global Health, Inc.:

Report on the Consolidated Financial StatementsI have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of The Task Force for Global Health, Inc. (“The Task Force”) which comprise the consolidated statements of financial position as of August 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of activities, cash flows, and functional expenses for the years then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Management’s Responsibility for the Consolidated Financial StatementsManagement is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s ResponsibilityMy responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on my audits. I conducted my audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that I plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, I express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion.

OpinionIn my opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Task Force as of August 31, 2014 and 2013, and the changes in its net assets and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Other MattersOther Information

My audit was conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the financial statements as a whole. The accompanying information included in Schedules 1 and 2 is presented for purposes of additional analysis and is not a required part of the consolidated financial statements. Such information is the responsibility of management and was derived from and relates directly to the underlying accounting and other records used to prepare the consolidated financial statements. The information has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the consolidated financial statements and certain additional procedures, including comparing and reconciling such information directly to the underlying accounting and other records used to prepare the consolidated financial statements or to the consolidated financial statements themselves, and other additional procedures in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. In my opinion, the information is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated financial statements as a whole.

October 8, 2014

The Task Force is certified by TRACE, an

organization founded to assure partners

and governments that international service

agencies understand and comply with

anti-bribery regulations. The Task Force met

all standards for certification.

The Task Force for Global Health, Inc. and its

subsidiary organization, Global Health Solutions, Inc.,

are tax-exempt, nonprofit corporations organized

under the laws of the State of Georgia. The Task Force

is the legal and fiduciary entity responsible for programs

and projects related to its mission of improving global

health. The principal transactions of Global Health

Solutions involve donated pharmaceuticals in support

of The Task Force global programs focused on neglected

tropical diseases. The sources of The Task Force

revenues include contracts, grants, and private donations

from individuals, foundations, corporations, and

government agencies. Financial documents for the

past three fiscal years, including our IRS Form 990s and

audited financial statements, are available on our website

at www.taskforce.org.


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION Year ended August 31, 2014 with comparative totals at August 31, 2013

AUDITED AUDITED 2014 2013ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 42,642,227 $ 37,121,963 Contributions/grants receivable 1,968,235 1,782,574 Prepaid expense 328,666 292,946 Deposits 256,099 244,278 Land, building and equipment (net) 5581,728 5,826,140

TOTAL ASSETS $ 50,776,955 $ 45,267,901 LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS Liabilities Accounts payable 1,361,557 1,034,968 Accrued absences 790,912 770,125 Accrued payroll and benefits 866,297 796,488 Other accrued liabilities 77,327 33,554 Note payable (building) 3,400,000 3,600,000

TOTAL LIABILITIES $ 6,496,093 $ 6,235,135 Net Assets Unrestricted 6,962,459 6,161,103 Temporarily restricted 37,318,403 32,871,663

TOTAL NET ASSETS 44,280,862 39,032,766

TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS $ 50,776,955 $ 45,267,901

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF ACTIVITIES Year ended August 31, 2014 with comparative totals at August 31, 2013

AUDITED AUDITED 2014 2013REVENUES Investment income $ 4,205 $ 4,023 Program support 34,103,407 31,372,491 Indirect costs recovery 3,713,851 3,006,175 Conference registrations 67,911 23,700 Capital campaign – 5,000 Contributions and other revenue 199,477 38,119 Contributions in-kind 1,790,885,126 1,574,497,681

TOTAL REVENUES $ 1,828,973,977 $ 1,608,947,189

EXPENSES Programs: Health system strengthening 13,001,389 13,111,924 Vaccine equity 3,231,618 4,872,855 Neglected tropical diseases 13,619,312 9,565,671 Contributions in-kind 1,790,885,126 1,574,497,681 Fundraising 202,516 208,060 General and administrative 2,785,920 2,710,075

TOTAL EXPENSES $ 1,823,725,881 $ 1,604,966,266

NET ASSETS Change in net assets 5,248,096 3,980,923 Net assets at beginning of period 39,032,766 35,051,843

NET ASSETS $ 44,280,862 $ 39,032,766

The Task Force for Global Health, Inc. Consolidated Financial Report

The table below summarizes the financial position of The Task Force for the fiscal years that ended August 31, 2013

and August 31, 2014. Data in these tables are taken from the fiscal 2013 and 2014 audited financial statements.

FY 2014 DISTRIBUTION OF EXPENSES Excluding contributions in-kind

FY 2014 DISTRIBUTION OF REVENUES Excluding contributions in-kind

Less than 10% of total expenses are used for

general, administrative, and fundraising activities.

Program

9.1%

General, Administrative, and Fundraising90.9%

10% Indirect Costs Recovery

Program Support

90%


Fiscal Year 2014 Donors

The Task Force is grateful for the generosity of all its donors and funders. We recognize the following individuals, foundations,

corporations, and global health organizations for providing support of $500 and more in FY 2014.

AFRICAN HEALTH WORKFORCE PROJECT

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

CENTER FOR VACCINE EQUITY


CDC

Novartis

ASD Healthcare

Walgreens Family of Companies

CHILDREN WITHOUT WORMS

Johnson & Johnson

GlaxoSmithKline

World Health Organization

INTERNATIONAL TRACHOMA INITIATIVE

Pfizer

Sightsavers in partnership with the United Kingdom Department for International Development


U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Lavelle Fund for the Blind, Inc.

Lance Fletcher

MECTIZAN DONATION PROGRAM

Merck

GlaxoSmithKline

NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES SUPPORT CENTER


United States Agency for International Development

GlaxoSmithKline

PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS INSTITUTE

CDC

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

de Beaumont Foundation

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

TEPHINET

CDC

Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Canada

Skoll Global Threats Fund

U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6 )

Plan International Inc.

Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelings–Samenwerking (HIVOS)

The CDC Foundation

THE TASK FORCE FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

AGL Resources Private Foundation

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Marguerite Casey Foundation

Akankshi Arora

Richard & Charlotte Dietz

Joshua Greenfield

Mark & Jill Rosenberg

Jane & Wayne Thorpe

Resonance Marketing

Paula Lawton Bevington

The Dot & Lam Hardman Family Foundation, Inc.

Richard Fried

David Zimmerman

The Task Force for Global Health meets all 20 charity standards established by the Better Business Bureau.

Donors with questions or concerns about

how they are listed in this report should

contact our Office of Communications and

Development at 404-687-5611 or email us at

[email protected].

“ We owe a great debt

to The Task Force

for Global Health

for an approach of

collaboration and

high aspirations

that saves lives and

improves livelihoods

of the poor around

the world.”

– Jim Yong Kim President, World Bank Group


30Years

Fiscal Year 2014 Donors

Jane Thorpe Recognized with 2014 Outstanding Directors Award for Leadership in Helping to Transform The Task Force

When Jane Thorpe joined The Task Force Board of Directors in 2002, the organization

was operating in the red with almost no assets other than its aging furniture. By 2014,

The Task Force had become the fourth largest charity in the country with a total budget

of $1.8 billion including in-kind donations of medicines. That transformation may be

attributed to many things, including the leadership of The Task Force executive team, its

talented program directors, energetic staff, engaged board, and a wonderful board chair.

In 2014, the Atlanta Business Chronicle recognized Jane’s leadership as board chair with an

Outstanding Directors Award.

Thorpe, who has served as board chair since 2003, is an attorney and retired partner with

the Atlanta law firm of Alston & Bird where she developed a reputation as one of the

country’s most successful and respected mass tort litigators. During her tenure as chair

of The Task Force board, Thorpe has overseen two capital campaigns and provided regular

counsel and leadership on diverse organizational and legal matters. She also has guided

The Task Force through many “complex, delicate issues,” including helping to manage the

merger between The Task Force and the International Trachoma Initiative.

“I share Bill Foege’s view that we don’t have to accept plagues, horrible government,

dysfunctional governments, conflicts, and uncontrollable health risks,” said Thorpe. “We

have the creativity, determination, and integrity at The Task Force to build a better future

for vulnerable people in the developing world.”

In nominating Jane for the award, Task Force President and CEO Mark Rosenberg credited

Jane for helping to drive the organization forward to new heights. “She encourages the full

board to examine issues with care,” he said. “She listens, eliciting judicious thinking from all;

she guides the board strategically; and she carefully summarizes and leads the board to wise

consensus. She has led us to excel, boosting and backing us with her own excellence. The

Task Force owes Jane a very big debt.”Jane Thorpe accepts the 2014 Outstanding Directors Award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. (Photo by Mark Rosenberg)

SPECIAL THANKS: Katie Baer – Writing | Mary Ann Fenley – Consultant | Resonance Marketing – Design

325 Swanton Way • Decatur, Georgia 30030 • USAPH 404-371-0466 www.taskforce.org

“ Now programs for neglected tropical diseases, creative approaches to

surveillance, immunization, and epidemiological training demonstrate the

power of a concerned but unfettered organization to provide the mortar

which helps strengthen the health cathedrals built by official organizations of

global health, governments, nongovermental organizations, foundations, and

corporations. It has been a grand alliance and could continue the effort for a

more rational and equitable health future.”

– William H. Foege, MD, MPH Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Senior Advisor

The Task Force for Global Health, Founder

30Years

30 years of partnerships for global health equity · 2019. 8. 28. · lead to blindness. (photo by...

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