As we all adjust to the new reality of the COVID-19 public health emergency, WGHA is also exploring new ways of doing business. We have rescheduled March and April events for late May and early June and are exploring optimal platforms for hosting virtual events. We are grateful for your patience as we learn new ways of convening and communicating with each other.
WGHA has news to share.
After three years leading Washington state’s global health community, Dena Morris will step down as president of WGHA effective April 30. Dena’s tenure has been marked by many accomplishments, and you can read her statement here. We are sad to see Dena go, but excited to welcome a new leader to WGHA in the coming months.
WGHA is immediately moving forward with the search for our next president. Our governance board, led by Gabrielle Fitzgerald, is working with the Valtas Group to conduct a comprehensive search.
We need the help of all WGHA members and supporters to find the best candidates possible. The position description for president is posted here—please spread it far and wide in your networks.
During this important time of transition, we are pleased to welcome back Tina Vlasaty, former WGHA vice president, who will provide interim leadership for the organization beginning May 1.
We look forward to sharing more information on WGHA leadership in the coming months.
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We all want to be the ‘discoverer’ but the day of superman and superwoman is done, it’s all about alliances, teamwork and collaboration.
Dr. Margaret Chan
Former Director-General, World Health Organization
This is an exciting time to be doing science. I believe we are on the verge of making the kinds of scientific breakthroughs that will enable us to treat and prevent infectious diseases that today still kill about 14 million people per year.
Dr. John Aitchison
President, Co-Director, Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, speaking with the Seattle Business Journal
The fifth law of thermodynamics is that the rate of human connections is exponentially related to the rate of innovation.
Governor Jay Inslee
Speaking at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Regional Leadership Conference
On the whole, the world is getting better … I’m not trying to downplay the work that remains. Being an optimist doesn’t mean you ignore tragedy and injustice. It means you’re inspired to look for people making progress on those fronts, and to help spread that progress more widely.
Bill Gates
Writing as the first-ever guest editor for TIME magazine
It’s not enough to come together in reaction to a crisis. We need systems-level change where science, business, government, and philanthropic leaders think and act more holistically as the norm. Only then can we find a better balance between human advancement and sustaining the health of our planet.
Gabrielle Fitzgerald
Founder and CEO, Panorama; Chair of WGHA’s Governance Board