News: Announcement

WASHINGTON, DC (January 22, 2024)—Today, the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) announced the appointment of Dr. Kristie Mikus as the organization’s new executive director, effective February 26, 2024. Dr. Mikus will lead the coalition’s advocacy efforts to accelerate the creation of new technologies to drive global health progress. Dr. Mikus comes to GHTC from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she most recently served as senior policy advisor for the Global Health Center. She brings extensive experience in public policy, partnership building and program management in the global health sector from her two decades spent serving the U.S. government in various capacities, both in Washington, D.C., and abroad. Prior to her current role, Dr. Mikus served as the CDC deputy country director in Zambia and the Zambia country coordinator for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She has also held positions in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Foreign Assistance, where she led foreign assistance reform efforts, and the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, first as a PEPFAR congressional liaison and later as PEPFAR country lead for South Africa, Tanzania, Haiti, Guyana, Mozambique and Zambia. Dr. Mikus first started her career in government at the U.S. Department of Commerce helping to negotiate free trade agreements for pharmaceuticals and biotechnology as a Presidential Management Fellow. “We are thrilled to welcome Kristie to GHTC. She’s a skilled and passionate leader with a comprehensive understanding of policy dynamics from her governmental roles, coupled with her firsthand experiences in countries that partner with the U.S. in global health initiatives,” stated Heather Ignatius, chief of external affairs at PATH, where the GHTC secretariat is based, and leader of the executive search team. “Kristie’s unique background, which includes actively working alongside these nations, positions her perfectly for cultivating collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders, both within and outside of government. Her depth of experience and dedication to advancing innovation for global health makes her an outstanding choice to lead the coalition into its next chapter.” “I’ve had the opportunity get to know the GHTC community from my time within government, and I have seen firsthand how this coalition is a trusted source of expertise for U.S. and global policymakers and a powerful voice for the role of technology in advancing global health. I am honored and excited to take the helm of such a well-respected and dynamic organization and look forward to working with the coalition’s members and partners to continue to accelerate innovation to save lives worldwide,” said Dr. Mikus. Dr. Mikus will succeed former Executive Director Jamie Bay Nishi, who stepped down in December after leading the coalition through a period of significant growth and evolution over the past seven years. Under Dr. Mikus’ leadership, GHTC will continue to work to advance policies and funding to accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs and other technologies that improve global health. ### About GHTC The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) works to save and improve lives by encouraging the research and development of essential health technologies. We bring together more than 45 nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and aligned businesses to advance policies to accelerate the creation of new drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, and other tools that bring healthy lives within reach for all people. 

As the governance body of the World Health Organization (WHO) meets next week for the 154th session of the Executive Board (EB)—which features agenda items on immunization, tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—GHTC urges policymakers to prioritize the following actions to strengthen research and development (R&D) to address these urgent health challenges:Develop a comprehensive global immunization research framework to support the goals of the Immunization Agenda 2030. The framework should outline priority research areas and foster global collaboration to address research gaps and accelerate vaccine development and introduction.Substantially increase investments in TB R&D and embrace global research coordinating platforms. To meet the goals of the Global Strategy on Tuberculosis Research and Innovation, member states must increase domestic investments in TB R&D in line with fair share targets and supercharge research efforts to develop novel vaccines, point-of-care diagnostics, and improved therapies, while ensuring tools are appropriate for all populations, including pregnant people and children. Member states should also embrace platforms that support improved TB research coordination, such as the new prioritized research agenda for drug-resistant TB and common research protocols.Expand investments in NTD R&D to address gaps in the availability of safe and affordable diagnostics and treatments. In implementing research efforts to support the NTD roadmap, member states and WHO should position impacted countries to lead in R&D priority setting, promote South-South collaboration models, consider the growing impact of climate change, and ensure interventions are tailored to the unique needs of different regions. They should also consider ways to better align the prequalification and regulatory approval processes to accelerate access to diagnostics.Bolster investments and incentives for R&D for new antimicrobials and other tools to fight AMR and improve global surveillance and laboratory capacity. Innovations should be developed with the goal of promoting broad accessibility, including for vulnerable populations and those in low-resource settings. Members states should actively participate in the global surveillance system for AMR and support the creation of a global AMR laboratory network to strengthen diagnostic capacity. In advance of this year’s United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on AMR, it is also vital that WHO and other relevant UN agencies hold an open, inclusive consultative process to define global AMR priorities.Read GHTC’s full position statements on each agenda item below.

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) yesterday honored Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for their leadership in championing global health research and development (R&D) at its 2023 Innovating for Impact Awards, an annual initiative celebrating US policymakers and partnerships catalyzing global health innovation. GHTC also recognized the partners, led by ViiV Healthcare, that developed and are accelerating global access to cabotegravir long acting (CAB-LA) for HIV prevention—the first and only long-acting injectable option for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)—for their efforts to advance this groundbreaking new product that could transform global HIV prevention efforts. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is a member of both the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, was honored with a Congressional Champion Award for his longstanding work to grow funding for US biomedical research and global health programs and to advance smart policies to further their impact. “I am pleased to be on the appropriations committee, and not only using that platform to try to fully fund, for example, our efforts at NIH and all of our health research here at home, but also, the research here at home that has a direct benefit to people around the world,” Senator Van Hollen said in accepting the award. GHTC also recognized Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick with a Congressional Champion Award for his leadership in introducing the Supporting Innovative Global Health Technologies (SIGHT) Act to establish a new disease-agnostic research and development (R&D) program at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), as well his support of numerous other bills to bolster product development for tuberculosis, maternal and child health, epidemic preparedness, and antimicrobial resistance. “The United States must remain a world leader in health technology innovation, both at home and abroad. And I personally will always oppose any dangerous cuts to critical agencies that allow our nation to remain a leader in global health,” Congressman Fitzpatrick stated in prerecorded acceptance remarks. GHTC also presented the Partnership Award to Dr. Kimberley Smith, head of research and development at ViiV Healthcare, who accepted the award on behalf of the many partners who have contributed to developing and advancing global access to CAB-LA for PrEP. As a discrete solution that reduces the frequency with which people must take HIV medicine from daily pills to as few as six injections per year, CAB-LA can help more people adhere to PrEP and reduce infections, particularly among at-risk women and girls.  Developed by ViiV, with support from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and first approved in the United States in late 2021, CAB-LA for PreP is beginning to be rolled out in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through a series of unique public-private partnerships. This includes projects funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to support countries in implementing and scaling up CAB-LA, as well as an agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to enable generic manufacturing of the product for use in LMICs.  “It is literally humbling and a tremendous honor to be here to accept this partnership award on behalf of all of the partners,” said Dr. Smith. “This is a game changer, and I'm very much looking forward to the day when we can look back and say that this was the beginning of the end of the AIDS epidemic.Dr. Smith from ViiV was joined in accepting the award by Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, director of the Division of AIDS at NIH/NIAID; Dr. Emily Kainne Dokubo, deputy global AIDS coordinator for program quality at PEPFAR; Dianna Edgil, chief of the supply chain at USAID; Dr. Myron Cohen, principal investigator of the HIV Prevention Trials Network; and representatives from other organizations involved in advancing CAB-LA for PrEP. “GHTC is thrilled to honor Senator Van Hollen, Congressman Fitzpatrick, and the partners who advanced CAB-LA for PrEP with our Innovating for Impact Awards,” said Jamie Bay Nishi, executive director of GHTC. “History has shown us time and again just how important accessible health technologies, smart policymaking, and multisector partnerships are to confronting global health challenges. We’re delighted to be recognizing the outstanding work of our honorees who are driving innovation to advance global health progress.” During the awards reception, in recognition of 2023 being the year of the World Health Assembly resolution on strengthening diagnostic capacity, GHTC also featured a digital exhibit on diagnostic tools as an often underrecognized driver of global health progress. Now in its seventh year, the Innovating for Impact Awards celebrate US commitment to global health R&D and honor the multisector partnerships and policymakers helping to transform breakthrough scientific research into lifesaving technologies for unmet global health challenges.  View photos from the event on Flickr.Learn more about the initiative and past honorees.

Today, the Supporting Innovative Global Health Technologies (SIGHT) Act, a bill spearheaded and endorsed by GHTC, was introduced in the US House of Representatives. Below is a press release from the bill's sponsors, which quotes the executive director of GHTC.WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) introduced the Supporting Innovative Global Health Technologies (SIGHT) Act of 2023. The bipartisan bill to empower the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to boost its research and development capabilities for health care technologies in low and middle income countries abroad."The United States must remain a leader in health technology innovation at home and abroad," said Congressman Fitzpatrick. "Our bipartisan bill aims to address global health issues and provide further research and development in order to help save millions of lives on the world stage.”“We need stronger American investments to tackle the global health challenges of the 21st century,” said Congresswoman Salazar. “The SIGHT Act establishes a program dedicated to research at USAID, allowing us to better focus our energy on transformative tools that can save lives and drive down costs. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill to improve healthcare outcomes for the most vulnerable.”"COVID-19 laid bare that we must ensure populations at home and abroad have the resources to innovate rapidly, and that global health directly impacts economic stability and prosperity. As health emergencies continue to affect communities worldwide, it's important that we invest in organizations with a track record of successfully advancing global health. One great example is USAID," said Congresswoman Houlahan. "I am proud to introduce this bipartisan piece of legislation to support USAID, enabling them to advance cross-cutting research and development and respond quickly to emerging public health threats."“We applaud Reps. Fitzpatrick, Houlahan, and Salazar for recognizing both the need and the opportunity to elevate USAID’s role in global health R&D,” said Jamie Bay Nishi, executive director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), which represents 45 nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and aligned business committed to advancing innovations that save lives worldwide. “R&D partnerships led by USAID have been instrumental in saving millions of lives around the world—while also stimulating investments that create jobs here in the United States. It’s good to see Congressional leaders committed to intensifying the agency’s impact by encouraging USAID to go beyond a disease-specific approach and embrace a disease-agnostic approach—to pursue R&D partnerships that address the biggest priorities in global health, whatever and wherever they may be.”The SIGHT Act is also endorsed by:1. 3rd Stone Design2. Advancing Synergy3. American Academy of Pediatrics4. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene5. AVAC6. BEMPU Health7. BIO Ventures for Global Health8. Bugworks9. Catalysts for Change10.  Center for Global Health Innovation11.  CEPI U.S.12.  Coalition for Health Research and Development13.  CORE Group14.  Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung15.  FIND16.  FREO2 Foundation17.  Global Health Council18.  Global Health Strategies19.  Global Health Technologies Coalition20.  Global Impact21.  Hemex Health22.  IAVI23.  Innovative Vector Control Consortium24.  International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases25.  International Vaccine Institute26.  Makerere University School of Public Health27.  Management Sciences for Health28.  Mbarara University of Science and Technology29.  Medical IMPACT30.  Medicines for Malaria Venture31.  MRIGlobal32.  Pandemic Action Network33.  Panorama34.  PATH35.  Pathfinder International36.  Policy Cures Research37.  Population Council38.  Population Services International39.  Rice University Institute for Global Health Technologies Coalition40.  Sabin Vaccine Institute41.  Sightsavers42.  Sinapi Biomedical43.  Society for Children Orphaned by AIDS Inc.44.  South Africa Health Technologies Advocacy Coalition45.  Speak Up Africa46.  The BroadReach Group47.  The Task Force for Global Health48.  Treatment Action Group49.  Unlock Aid Coalition50.  White Ribbon AllianceRead the text of the bill here.