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455 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20001 | (202) 642-3858 | ghtcoalition.orgAugust 31, 2026Dr. Erica SchwartzDirectorCenters for Disease Control and PreventionDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDear Dr. Schwartz,On behalf of the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), a group of more than 50 nonprofit organizations, academicinstitutions, and aligned businesses working to save and improve lives worldwide by advancing research and development(R&D) of essential health technologies, congratulations on your appointment as Director of the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC). Your distinguished career as Deputy US Surgeon General, occupational medicine physician, andclinical epidemiologist, along with your decades of service in the Navy and US Public Health Service, will be tremendousassets as you lead the CDC.GHTC and our members have long valued the close and productive relationship we have had with CDC’s leadership. Overmany years, we have partnered with CDC leadership and staff to educate members of Congress and other key stakeholdersabout the importance of global health research and the return on investment in programs supported by the agency. Thiscollaboration has been critical in helping policymakers understand how CDC’s work strengthens US leadership in science,enhances global health security, and protects health at home and abroad.As you begin your tenure, we want to underscore the critical role CDC’s global health portfolio plays in both thedevelopment of new technologies to advance disease detection, prevention, and response, and in building the technicalcapacity for these activities around the world. CDC’s Global Health Center is a global leader in immunization, diseasedetection and eradication, and public health capacity building, all of which help curb disease outbreaks overseas beforethey can threaten American health. The National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases also plays animportant role globally, developing new diagnostic tools for threats like plague, rabies, and antimicrobial resistance, andserves as an international reference hub for vector-borne viral and bacterial diseases. Importantly, CDC also plays aleadership role in the Global Health Security Agenda and other global health security efforts, sharing expertise, andworking to improve the global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to diseases around the world, including throughR&D for new technologies.As we face a rapidly evolving global health landscape, continued investment in global health R&D remains vital. GHTCstands ready to serve as a resource to you and your team as you advance CDC’s mission, and we would welcome theopportunity to meet with you to discuss shared priorities and opportunities for collaboration.Congratulations again on your appointment. We look forward to working with you and your team to sustain and buildupon CDC’s longstanding legacy of advancing public health capacity in the US and globally. I’d very much welcome a briefmeeting once you are settled.Sincerely,Dr. Kristie MikusExecutive DirectorGlobal Health Technologies Coalition455 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20001 | (202) 642-3858 | ghtcoalition.orgGHTC Members1Day SoonerAdjuvant CapitalAmerican Society for MicrobiologyAmerican Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneAVACBay Area Global Health AllianceBDCentre for Infectious Disease Research in ZambiaCoalition for Epidemic Preparedness InnovationsCoalition for Health Research and Development,KenyaCo-DxCombating Antibiotic-Resistant BacteriaBiopharmaceutical AcceleratorDoris Mollel FoundationDrugs for Neglected Diseases initiativeElizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS FoundationFHI 360FINDGates FoundationGeorgia Global Health AllianceGlobal Antibiotic Research and DevelopmentPartnershipGlobal Health CouncilGlobal Health Innovative Technology FundGlobal Health Investment CorporationHealth 4 DevelopmentIAVIImpact Global HealthInfectious Disease AllianceInfectious Diseases Society of AmericaInnovative Vector Control ConsortiumInternational Partnership for Microbicides SouthAfricaInternational Public Health AdvisorsInternational Vaccine InstituteMaisha MedsMedicines for Malaria VentureNorth Carolina Global Health AlliancePasteur FoundationPATHPopulation CouncilPublic CitizenPublic Health Ambassadors UgandaResearch!AmericaSabin Vaccine InstituteSouth African Health Technologies Advocacy CoalitionSpeak Up AfricaTB AllianceTreatment Action GroupVizuri Health DynamicsWashington Global Health AllianceZebra

Last Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, it will allocate 70,000 doses of an approved Ebola vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is facing the largest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. The vaccine, Ervebo, targets Ebola Zaire, the most common Ebola strain, not the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak—for which there are no approved vaccines —but early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some cross-protection. Twenty thousand doses will be used in a Phase 3 trial to evaluate whether the vaccine offers cross-protection for Bundibugyo, while the remaining doses will be allocated to frontline health care workers, serving the dual goals of providing some protection for at-risk populations against severe illness and death during the current outbreak while gathering critical data to inform use of the vaccine in future Bundibugyo outbreaks.Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have developed a rapid blood test that could improve detection of iron deficiency, a widespread health challenge disproportionately affecting mothers and children in low-resource settings where access to conventional laboratory-based screening methods are limited. Using a finger-prick blood sample, the test provides results within 15 minutes without the need for specialized laboratory infrastructure and highly trained health care providers. It has demonstrated strong correlation with gold-standard laboratory methods used in high-income countries and includes a built-in reference line to make the results easier to interpret. The test is currently undergoing evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa.The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) shared last week that it will dedicate $4.17 million to four research projects designed to assess whether additional vaccines currently or previously licensed against Ebola Zaire could offer some cross-protection against severe illness and death during the current rapidly growing outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola. Specifically, the funding will go to teams at the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States; the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium; the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom; and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in the United Kingdom. The research teams will use blood samples from vaccinated individuals to assess immune responses and potential cross-reactivity of antibody responses, helping establish and standardize antibody tests for Bundibugyo, inform interpretation of clinical trial results, and guide future strategies. These research initiatives will support trials during the current outbreak and complement ongoing efforts to develop Bundibugyo-specific vaccines. 

August 24, 2026Dear Director Kratsios,  On behalf of the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), a nonpartisan coalition of more than 50 organizations committed to advancing research and development (R&D) for global health technologies, we congratulate the United States on its leadership of the G20 and its prioritization of innovation, scientific advancement, and economic growth. American leadership in science and technology has long helped drive breakthroughs that strengthen US competitiveness and security while improving lives around the world, and we appreciate your leadership in advancing this important agenda. The upcoming G20 Innovation Ministerial presents a timely opportunity to reinforce this legacy. As G20 members and stakeholders convene to identify policies that promote innovation, health technologies offer a tangible example of how these priorities can work together. US-led investments in diagnostics, therapeutics, , and other health technologies have not only helped address global health challenges, but have strengthened America’s innovation ecosystem, supported domestic jobs and economic activity, and helped build resilience against health threats that can quickly reach American communities and supply chains. The return on these investments is substantial. Between 2007 and 2022, $46 billion in US, public funding for global health R&D generated $104 billion in economic activity and approximately 600,000 US jobs, while the resulting research is expected to catalyze an additional $102 billion in industry investment. Our analysis projects that these investments could ultimately generate approximately $255 billion for the US economy. These returns underscore that public investment in health R&D is not simply an investment in global security but an investment in American science, industry, and innovation. We therefore encourage the United States to consider how the G20’s innovation agenda can preserve and build upon existing efforts that advance health technology R&D. We respectfully encourage the United States to:Recognize health technology R&D as a component of the G20’s broader innovation agenda, including in the Innovation Ministerial communiqué, with attention to emerging technologies, scientific discovery, artificial intelligence (AI), and the translation of research into products that strengthen health and economic resilience. Support policies that sustain the full R&D pipeline, from basic and applied research through product development, clinical evaluation, regulatory pathways, manufacturing, and deployment, recognizing the complementary roles of public investment and private-sector capital. Encourage public-private partnerships that crowd in private investment for high-impact health technologies where public funding can help de-risk early-stage research, ensure late-stage innovations cross the finish line, and create opportunities for commercial investment and scale. Build on existing G20 work on local and regional production and innovation, including the Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation, and Equitable Access, to strengthen resilient manufacturing and supply chains while expanding opportunities for innovation and investment across G20 economies.We believe these priorities align closely with the United States’ stated goal of returning the G20 to its core mission of driving economic growth and prosperity. They also complement the Administration’s broader focus on American leadership in AI and science-driven innovation, including efforts to harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery.  GHTC has had the opportunity to raise these issues with Emory Cox, G7 and G20 Sherpa and Special Assistant to the President, and we appreciate the Administration’s consideration of the innovation agenda. We would be pleased to serve as a trusted resource to your team as the Innovation Ministerial approaches and as the United States continues its G20 and G7 leadership. We wish you and your team a successful Innovation Ministerial and look forward to supporting the United States’ continued leadership in this critical time.   Best,   Dr. Kristie MikusExecutive DirectorGlobal Health Technologies Coalition

On August 19, Cosette Audi joined GHTC as our new US Policy & Advocacy Officer. GHTC’s Deputy Director Marissa Chmiola and Communications Coordinator Hannah Sachs-Wetstone sat down with Cosette to find more about her and her interests. 1. What first sparked your interest in the field of global health research and development (R&D) advocacy, and what inspires you about this line of work? In my first job, at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, I advocated to increase the inclusion of pregnant women and children in research. This work really opened my eyes to the persistent challenges that slow the development of new technologies to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases—especially for people living in low resource settings. I am really inspired by the potential scientific breakthroughs that we could see in the next decade. More effective vaccines, better tests, shorter courses of treatment—all of these things are possible with continued investment in global health R&D. I feel lucky to do my small part to help make these lifesaving tools a reality.  2. What drew you to GHTC?In both my previous roles, I have been at organizations that are GHTC members and have loved working with the coalition to advance global health R&D. I’m excited to now be a member of the team! 3. As you begin your role, what are you most excited to contribute and learn at GHTC?I am eager to learn from the expertise of GHTC’s members. One of my favorite things about being an advocate is translating complex technical jargon into something clear and understandable for policymakers. I look forward to really getting “in the weeds” of R&D. 4. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time outside work?I love to read, craft, and go to the movies with my husband.