BMGF’s New President for Global Development: A Bonanza for Global Health?

This is a joint post with Amanda GlassmanChris Elias, President & CEO at PATH, will step down from his current position and join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) as President for global DEVELOPMENT in February 2012. Yes, that’s global development, not global health. First reactions from many in global health lamented the "loss" of one of the field’s most accomplished and visible experts. But as we digested the details of the announcement and discussed its implications, we realized that the Foundation’s decision could be a bonanza for global health. Here are two reasons why:

1. Integrating global health delivery into global development for greater impact
The appointment of a global health expert to lead the global development program at the Foundation is somewhat surprising, but not the first of its kind. Indeed, there seems to be a growing trend of linking global health and development together. Consider, for example, that our former colleague Ruth Levine was appointed Director of Global Health and Development earlier this year at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, taking charge of a combined portfolio of previously separate programs on health and development. And of course, our own work in Global Health at CGD is constructed and communicated as a global development issue. So why does this integration matter?Integrating global health delivery into global development could create synergies across strategies and sectors to generate greater impact. The reorganization (see the Foundation’s press release) that will place family health—maternal, newborn and child—and vaccine delivery together with agricultural development, financial services for the poor, water, sanitation, and hygiene could facilitate this synergy. For example, the Foundation’s interest in health insurance for the poor could actually fund and drive demand for key health products like facility-based births and family planning. Crop insurance and other financial products help to smooth poor households’ consumption, which helps with nutrition impact. Targeting the scale-up of water, sanitation, and hygiene technologies using epidemiological criteria like child mortality, while targeting global health solutions like deworming and vaccines to the same geographic areas, could also make an enormous difference for health. We are excited to see the Foundation recognize that global health challenges are perhaps best studied and solved as development problems, reflected clearly in Bill Gates’ statement about Chris Elias. “His leadership at PATH and long history in health and development will enhance our ability to deliver innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
2. Discovery and development to DELIVERY

Delivery is recognized as a key constraint to the uptake and scale-up of the life-saving technologies that the Foundation has worked so hard to identify and develop. Jeff Raikes, the Foundation’s CEO, said of the new appointment: “Chris brings great experience in managing complex programs on the ground, around the world. He will help us expand the depth of our expertise from research and development through to delivery of the tools needed to give the poorest people the chance to live healthy and productive lives.” Recognizing the huge importance of efficient and cost-effective ways to DELIVER vaccines, drugs, and other life-saving saving tools – including the financing, payment, procurement, distribution, and actual delivery at a point of health service – will help crystallize the Foundation’s goal to save millions of lives. Outside of its investments in the GAVI Alliance and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund), the Foundation has yet to become a major player in seeking delivery solutions for global health technologies. This is where we expect Chris Elias to have the most impact at the Gates Foundation—to strengthen the Foundation’s vision and support of innovative and efficient health service delivery.To sum up, we think that the appointment of a leading global health expert as the new President for global development at the BMGF is, in fact, a bonanza for global health.Tell us what you think?