Recent news
January 2012
First-ever Health and Human Services global health strategy includes goal to catalyze research and innovation
January 11, 2012 -- Last week, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its first-ever global health strategy to help the agency increasingly engage in efforts to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. While emphasizing the need for this new strategy, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that “today, we can no longer separate global health from America’s health…We need to look beyond our borders to improve health inside our country.”
Sebelius released the new global health strategy at a panel discussion hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which included speakers from several US agencies. At the event, Sebelius said, “The first reason we need to look beyond our borders is simple: in a world in which the flow of people and goods stretches across the globe, our only chance to keep Americans safe is if our systems for preventing, detecting, and containing disease stretch across the globe, too.”
Among its priorities, this strategy emphasizes the need for global health research and innovation, and aims to catalyze this work in order to develop new tools and interventions that will help address global health challenges. As a department that oversees many agencies critical to global health research—includingthe National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US Food and Drug Administration—this is a promising step for HHS and its role in advancing global health efforts.
The new strategy is divided into 10 major objectives, four of which are critical to spurring global health research and development. These objectives include:
- Preventing infectious diseases and other health threats, including through measures such as vaccine development, boosting manufacturing capacity, and improving vector control.
- Increasing investments in regulatory science and partnerships worldwide.
- Strengthening multilateral efforts to promote science-based standards and guidelines for global health.
- Amplifying research and innovation to promote the development of new tools and approaches to help prevent, diagnose, and control disease.
According to the strategy, an important part of working on these objectives includes multilateral engagement to maximize the impact of HHS’s work in global health. The objectives also show the agency’s commitment to partnering with organizations around the world in order to conduct collaborative research that will fight global diseases, enhance training for researchers, and build upon institutional research and capacity.
“HHS and HHS-supported researchers collaborate with scientists worldwide to understand all the factors that influence human health and to find new tools and effective approaches that will help diagnose, prevent, and control disease. This engagement allows us to exchange knowledge and best practices that can accelerate research and innovation, improve health protection, as well as access to, and quality of health care for all populations in the US and abroad,” states the strategy.
Sebelius explained that the new strategy will guide HHS to focus on global efforts by building upon existing HHS domestic programs and the agency’s work in global health. HHS will collaborate with other US agencies and the Administration to advance US interests in global health and support the President’s Global Health Initiative. By growing relationships with US agencies, health organizations, and other countries, HHS can ensure that US investments in global health are maximized to support the goals of the GHI and make the greatest impact in saving lives around the world.
“Health is an issue which aligns the interests of the countries around the world.If we can limit the spread of pandemics, all people benefit.A new drug developed on one continent can just as easily cure sick people on another.A safe global food and drug supply chain will mean better health for every country.And a healthier world is one in which every nation will have more productive workers, longer lives, and larger markets for its goods and services,” said Sebelius in her speech.
