William (Bill) Foege, MD, a true public health hero, passed away on Saturday night at his home in Atlanta. His life influenced the world, the nation, Atlanta, and countless individuals, included many at the Rollins School of Public Health. He was 89.
"People around the world will mourn his loss. Yet we are all so grateful for the impact he had on so many lives, and the personal impact he had on many of us. What a privilege to have worked and learned with and from him." -Dean Dani Faillin
Decades of Leadership
Foege’s global influence spanned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations, and many other foundations and organizations.
Perhaps most famously, Foege was the key player in the eradication of smallpox in the 1970s—one of the most important public health triumphs—based on his principle of “ring vaccination” to most effectively and efficiently use vaccine resources. He spent years working across Africa and India to implement his vaccination method.
Foege went on to lead the CDC under both President Jimmy Carter and President Ronald Reagan, where he expanded the mission of the CDC and led the early days of the HIV epidemic response. After his time at the CDC, Foege co-founded the Task Force for Child Survival (now the Task Force for Global Health), an Emory-affiliated organization in Atlanta, focused on improving child health around the globe. At its inception in 1984, only 10% of children around the globe received at least one vaccination. By 1990, that proportion increased to 80%.
Foege also served as executive director of The Carter Center from 1986 to 1992, guiding their global work and impact.
“Bill Foege was a pre-eminent public health practitioner who dedicated his life to what he called science in the service of humanity. He saved the lives of millions of people around the world.”- President Jimmy Carter
Foege’s advocacy for humanity and public health continued through his lifetime. He shaped the nation’s public health as director of the CDC, president of the American Public Health Association, and through multiple roles in the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). In the early 1990s, he helped advocate for the Vaccines for Children initiative, making sure that affordability was not a barrier to accessing vaccines for children in the U.S., after learning that cost was a key reason for low vaccinations rates that led to a severe measles outbreak in 1989 through 1991.
Through his work with the Gates Foundation, he helped shape the funding and coordination that became GAVI (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), working to make new vaccine discoveries accessible across the globe.
President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 in recognition for his many contributions. More recently, he worked with Mark Rosenberg and several others through Becoming Better Ancestors to design and promote the 9 Lessons for a Changing World, building on his experience eradicating smallpox to inform public health today and into the future.
Inspiring Generations
After leading The Carter Center, Foege joined as Emory’s first Presidential Distinguished Professor. At Rollins, he will be remembered as a beloved mentor, colleague, and friend.
“He was one of those great leaders who could lead with such presence, courage, and humility—always a master at using stories to convey a point, even in the hardest of situations.”- K.M. Venkat Narayan.
Jim Curran, dean emeritus, worked with Foege at the CDC during the first years of the HIV pandemic and recruited him to Rollins. He shared that Foege provided and facilitated the future of Rollins in many ways including the introduction of Dick and Linda Hubert to the school. Over time, this led to many gifts including the naming of the Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory’s first named department. The Huberts also funded a professorship in Foege’s name, the Foege Professor of Global Health, which is now held by Dr. Mohammed K. Ali. Through his relationship with the Gates Foundation, they endowed the Foege Fellows program that today brings students from across the world to learn at Rollins.
“Bill was selfless in giving his advice and inspiration. He inspired global agencies, governments, politicians, and other influential individuals including President Carter and Bill Gates. He called on them to make a difference; that change was necessary and possible if we worked hard together.” - Jim Curran, dean emeritus
Finally, Foege oved working with students. Most recently, he collaborated with five Rollins students to write his final book, Change is Possible. These students shared what this experience meant to them personally in a recent Rollins Magazine article.
“While Bill is now physically gone, his impact on all of us will live on forever.”- Walter Orenstein
Bill Foege's 2016 Commencement Address
Foege receives the Emory President's Medal and delivers the 2016 commencement address.