The Kaiser Family Foundation today held a policy forum on the Obama Administration’s Global Health Initiative, a six-year $63 billion proposed effort that builds on existing disease-specific initiatives to combat HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, while increasing attention to other areas, including maternal and child health, family planning and reproductive health, nutrition, neglected tropical diseases, and the strengthening of underlying health systems.

The forum featured three senior-level government officials involved in the GHI: Amie Batson, deputy assistant administrator for global health, USAID; Deborah Birx, director of the Global AIDS Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Ann Gavaghan, chief of staff, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

Additional perspective and analysis were provided by Christopher J. Elias, president and CEO of PATH and Jen Kates, Foundation vice president and director of Global Health Policy and HIV. Foundation senior vice president Peter Long moderated the discussion.

At the briefing, the Foundation issued a policy brief providing an overview of the GHI and raising the many issues that ultimately will shape the initiative’s direction and effectiveness.

Event Date

Apr 14, 2010