The Health Affairs Blog features a post on global health diplomacy by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a nationally recognized heart and lung transplant surgeon. “…I and other leaders have long recognized that the United States must seize the mantle of using global health as a vital diplomatic instrument to strengthen confidence in America’s intent and ability to bring long-term improvements to citizen’s lives among our partners. The fight for global health can be the calling card of our nation’s character in the eyes of the world. … I am so excited about the evolution of global health diplomacy. It is not a new concept, but a growing one, one that will change the way we interface with the world as a nation, and at the same time, improve the health of the global citizenry. Competing interests and potential conflicts threaten to sideline health diplomacy efforts, and the only way to keep making it work is to focus on the facts and keep identifying the most important needs. Funding for funding’s sake is a waste. That’s where our experiences as health care workers are so crucial. Our greatest role in global health diplomacy is to share our stories, and to offer guidance to lawmakers and NGOs to help them make the biggest difference with what resources they have” (4/14).