President Trump wants to "cure the illnesses that plague us." That means we must invest in R&D

On February 20, Jamie Bay Nishi joined GHTC as its new coalition director. Marissa Chmiola, GHTC’s communications officer, sat down with Jamie during her third week on the job to find out more about her background, what inspires her, what challenges and opportunities she sees in advocacy for global health research and development (R&D), and what lies ahead for the coalition. What first got you interested in the field of global health and development, and what inspires you about this line of work? Jamie Bay Nishi. Photo: DevexI grew up as overseas as a “diplobrat,” so I consider an interest in international affairs and global development to be in my DNA. As the child of diplomats, I lived in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, and Germany, and had the chance to see firsthand the impact of US engagement in diplomacy and global development.I really fell into health as an area of interest after graduating college. I wanted to work overseas, but most of the opportunities available at the time were contractor positions in Iraq as part of the war effort. Because that wasn’t an interest area of mine, I took a job working at the Advisory Board Company where I helped launch their Technology Insights product, advising hospitals in the United States on their clinical technology purchasing needs. While I found the work interesting, I ultimately recognized that domestic health wasn’t my passion, so I pivoted my career trajectory toward the global development field. I earned a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and ultimately took a job at then startup-mode Devex, a membership organization and media platform for the development community (basically a Bloomberg for international development). Over a decade later, I am delighted to have landed at an organization that focuses on both health and development, marrying these two interests! What attracted you to the director role at GHTC, and what excites you most about leading this coalition? I joined GHTC after spending nearly nine years growing Devex’s membership, as well as building unique partnerships. When considering the GHTC director position, I was excited about the possibility of diving deeper into a technical area within the global development field, and exploring how my membership-building and media partnership development skills could be applied in the advocacy space. It’s also exciting to take helm of a coalition that has a decade-long track record of effectively mobilizing support for global health R&D. This gives me a strong foundation to build upon, while at the same time offering me the opportunity to consider new approaches to amplify our advocacy for even greater impact.You’ve been on the job for three weeks now. What are your first impressions?In my first few weeks on the job it has been my priority to meet with each of our coalition members. I have been continually impressed by the incredible and impactful work each organization is doing to advance innovation to save and improve lives around the world. It’s truly inspiring.It’s also clear I’ve come into this role at a pivotal time in American political history. The United States has long lead the world in global health and medical innovation, and now more than ever, there is a need for coalitions like GHTC to engage with policymakers to maintain this support and champion continued US leadership in improving health and well-being worldwide. This is especially the case for protecting investments in global heath R&D—forward-looking investments that can sometimes fly under the radar.Your professional background is in stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships building, and marketing. How does this experience shape your thinking about advocacy and translate into this new role at GHTC? While I am relatively new to the policy and advocacy field, I feel my previous experience in member engagement and communications will be a useful skill set to bring into the advocacy space. I hope to bring a fresh set of eyes to the advocacy challenges we face today and drive forward innovative approaches to build momentum within the coalition and to achieve impact with policymakers.What do you see as some of the biggest opportunities and challenges right now in advocacy for global health R&D? This year has brought dramatic shifts in the US political landscape, which could alter the US government’s historic leadership role in global health R&D. As a coalition and community, we have a lot of work ahead to support continued US, as well as multilateral leadership, and prioritization of global health R&D, which includes efforts to maintain or increase funding. Maintaining bipartisan political support and buy-in will be our biggest priority—and to do this we will have to make sure that as a coalition we articulate both the need for and promise of new global health innovations, in the United States and around the world. Due to the highly nuanced and technical nature of R&D, this can sometimes be challenging to communicate.On the other hand, I am really looking forward to digging-in to expand and deepen GHTC’s relationships with key policymakers and thought leaders in the United States and multilateral space. To really drive the global health R&D agenda forward, it will be critical to broaden GHTC’s constituency to enlist new supporters, and elevate visibility both for the coalition’s advocacy work and the pivotal role R&D plays in the future of global health.Tell us about your vision for GHTC and what you will be focusing on in your first year as director. I look forward to bringing our members together this spring for GHTC’s first ever member summit, where together we will strategize the future of GHTC. I also look forward to adding to GHTC’s core competencies to complement the incredible efforts and activities of my team. I personally want to look at new ways to augment the visibility of the coalition and its members, engage new stakeholders without diluting the core mission and purpose of GHTC, and strategize new communications efforts that will resonate with policymakers.My team as a whole will also be doubling down on engagement with policymakers in Congress, federal agencies, and multilateral entities to promote continued and expanded engagement in global health R&D.What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I have a lot of hobbies outside of work including being a Zumba instructor, salsa dancer, stand-up paddle boarder and beer/kombucha homebrewer.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. Nearly three-fourths of new and emerging human diseases are zoonoses, animal diseases that spillover into humans. Now, scientists are reporting “spillback” of human diseases into monkey populations in South America, as Zika virus becomes endemic and as Brazil faces its worst yellow fever outbreak in years. Human strains of Zika have been found in black-striped capuchin monkeys and marmosets, a concerning trend as these species could become a reservoir for the virus. Capuchins are often kept as pets, employed as street entertainers, or hunted as meat, and these routine interactions could lead to future human outbreaks. Meanwhile, Brazil’s yellow fever outbreak has killed nearly 70 people and more than 600 monkeys, threatening rare and endangered species in the Atlantic rainforest. Researchers at the University of Southampton have designed miniscule 3D spheres that can simulate conditions inside the human body, an exciting development that could help scientists better understand how pathogens interact with human cells. The researchers created one such sphere with a collagen matrix, similar to the makeup of human lungs, to study antibiotics that target and kill the tuberculosis bacterium. The 3D spheres can be used four times longer than existing 2D systems, enabling researchers to monitor the progression of infections over time. Colistin is often the last line of treatment for multidrug-resistant infections, however, its use as a growth promoter for livestock in China has led to the development of colistin-resistant bacteria on chicken farms. While colistin resistance was first reported in China in 2015, it has now spread to 25 countries across four continents. Scientists have discovered a specific gene (mrc-1) that confers resistance to colistin and that can be easily spread between bacteria. Now, a new study has revealed that mrc-1 is much more prevalent than previously believed. The gene was found in nearly all bacteria collected from chicken farms in China, even though only half of the samples proved resistance to colistin. The findings also suggest that flies may be accelerating the spread of colistin resistance by transporting resistant bacteria from farms to surrounding communities. A cocktail of three bacteria-killing viruses could provide rapid protection against cholera, filling a critical need during outbreaks, as vaccines do not provide protection until approximately two weeks after administration. The technique is known as phage therapy as it utilizes bacteriophages—viruses that target and kill specific bacteria. While phage therapy has been around for nearly a century, it was largely eclipsed by the advent of antibiotics, but has gained increasing attention in recent years in response to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. To develop the regimen, researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine first identified phages that target the cholera bacterium, and then narrowed their focus to those that can survive and function in the human small intestine, where cholera infection takes place. Animal studies suggest that the cocktail could prevent infection when taken just three hours prior to exposure. The research team has established an independent company, PhagePro, and plans to further test and develop the therapy.