The Hill: Let’s tackle new health threats before they reach us
Mark Dybul, professor of medicine at the Georgetown University Medical Center, former executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and former U.S. Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator

“…The need for research to develop new drugs, vaccines, and cures is clear. … The world is facing unprecedented health challenges. Diseases are moving to places where they have never been seen before — including the United States — and are changing at a rapid [pace]. Unless we are better prepared, we risk each new outbreak turning into a global crisis. Cutting federal global health R&D funding means we cut surveillance and prevention, not just the research. Now is not the time to take our foot off the pedal. Imagine what could be possible if we strengthened U.S. investment in global health R&D. Rather than reading fraught headlines about the next mystery disease, we can celebrate more breakthroughs — and greater peace and prosperity at home and abroad” (11/6).