Public Health Medical Doctor and Professor of Public Health
M.D. from the University of Washington
Retired Emory University School of Public Health, World Health Organization, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Carter Center, The Center for Disease Control

William H. Foege

There is a common ethical mandate that pushes human beings to do the good, but if one can’t, to do no harm. As a physician, a humanist, and a man of faith, William Foege has been in pursuit of both demands throughout his life. He has succeeded well in his efforts.

Dr. Foege’s academic work includes a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran Uni-versity, his M.D. from the University of Washington medical school, and a master in public health degree from Harvard University. His academic training placed him in a remarkably providential position to engage the ancient enemies that had plagued so much of the poverty stricken developing world—small pox, polio, measles, and other epidemically volatile dis-eases. He has spent much of his working life providing ways for the world’s peoples to have more robust lives and opportunities.

Bill Foege’s life bridges the major institutional sectors of American society—government, the academy, the private sector and its foundations, non-governmental organi-zations, and the church. He currently works as a senior health advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and as a Presidential Distinguished Professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Previously, he has been the executive director of the Centers for Disease Control, the Global Vision 2000 program, and the Carter Center. His journey on behalf of the world’s health has included stops at the World Health Organi-zation, the Immanuel Medical Center in Nigeria, and the Carter-Menil Human Rights Foun-dation. And he has been recognized with doctorates, honoris causa, from Harvard University, the Northeastern Ohio Universities’ College of Medicine, and Pacific Lutheran University.

His life history portrays one who sees human health as related to all of human ex-perience. Health cannot be divorced from human rights, and what ails the individual always has a public community dimension. Indeed, even global peace is linked to humanity’s strug-gle for health and growth as Dr. Foege’s involvements, writings and memberships attest.

Dr. Foege’s influence is felt widely due to the many organizations that have asked him to serve on their boards of directors. CARE, Pacific Lutheran University, the Global Health Council, the Rockefeller Foundation, the MacAurther Foundation, the Christian Children’s Fund, the American Cancer Society, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Centers for Disease Control are just some of the institutions that have sought out Bill’s gifts and experience. He has been published widely in national and international journals, peri-odicals, and books.

Perhaps a look at some of his recent writings on small pox—a disease that has been conquered through the efforts of Dr. Foege and others—points out another quality of Wil-liam Foege. The quality is vigilance, on behalf of others. As identified in an earlier article for The Lutheran, he is the world’s doctor. And so he is.