Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists” blog, Bill Gates, Sr., who guides the vision and strategic direction of the foundation, discusses the state of Washington’s “positive influence on the global health and development landscape.” In particular, he describes the activities of Global Washington and the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI). “Global Washington and IDRI aren’t the only catalytic health and development organizations in our neck of the woods — several of our partners, including local universities and colleges, PATH, Landesa, and Seattle BioMed, also work on behalf of the globe’s poorest people,” he writes, concluding, “It is the strength of local organizations like these — with their global reach and influence — that has helped Washington be an important player in global health and development” (11/19).