Who's who in #globaldev: July 2017 appointments

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Early this month, the White House named Brenda Fitzgerald as the new head of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country’s main public health agency focused on health promotion and security. Fitzgerald is an obstetrician-gynecologist known to have strong connections with high-level Republican officials, including Tom Price, the current U.S. secretary of health and human services, who announced her appointment. “Having known Dr. Fitzgerald for many years, I know that she has a deep appreciation and understanding of medicine, public health, policy and leadership — all qualities that will prove vital as she leads the CDC in its work to protect America's health 24/7,” Price said in a statement. Public health experts and former CDC directors have so far given positive reviews on Fitzgerald’s leadership and public health efforts, particularly during her time as commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Public Health, a position she had held since 2011, and her support for controversial White House issues such as family planning and vaccines. Even Tom Frieden, her immediate predecessor at CDC, praised her efforts on family planning access and promoting early childhood development in Georgia. But barely a month into the job and the new CDC director is already attracting negative attention, mainly for past decisions while working to combat obesity in Georgia and her promotion of anti-aging treatment while in private practice. Fitzgerald’s Power Up for 30 program in Georgia, meant to pump up exercise among students to bring down obesity rates there, was largely financed by soda giant Coca-Cola. Sugary drinks have been widely cited in scientific studies and by public health advocates as key factors in the rise of a number of noncommunicable diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Anti-aging medicine, meanwhile, has raised eyebrows among some public health experts who argue there’s not enough scientific evidence to back its efficacy and worry over its safety. The new White House official will have to face these criticisms along with the administration’s steep U.S. budget cut proposals that could wipe out critical funds for the CDC when it most needs them, given increasing threats to global health security. Georgetown University Medical Center Following his high-profile role as executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Mark Dybul has returned to Georgetown University to lead its new Center for Global Health and Quality, a multidisciplinary, crosscampus initiative aimed at exploring new policies and management strategies to respond to current and emerging global health challenges.Their approach will include employing the use of data and multistakeholder partnerships. “Through the GHQ, we’ll bring together top critical thinkers in academia to form strategic collaborations with a focus on developing and deploying high-quality and efficient strategies,” said Dybul in the statement announcing his new role. “By supporting countries as they tackle major health challenges, we also contribute to economic growth and development.” The new center comes on the heels of the launch of the university’s Global Health Initiative, which will “collectively leverage the research, education and service in global health undertaken by Georgetown faculty, staff and students.” WorldFish International nonprofit research organization WorldFish has found its next director-general: Dr. Gareth Johnstone, its former country director in Myanmar. He brings 25 years of experience in natural resource management to the job, along with a good background and understanding of the organization’s work. Johnstone has expressed his excitement in coming to the role following the organization’s adoption of a new strategy and the launch of a new research program, although he won’t officially start until Jan. 1, 2018. In a statement, his predecessor, Dr. Blake Ratner, highlighted Johnstone’s ability to build “robust partnerships.” “His ability to frame the role of fisheries and aquaculture as a source of innovation to drive entrepreneurship, build rural livelihoods, strengthen climate resilience, and increase gender equality will be key to realizing the ambitious goals we’ve laid out in our strategy,” Ratner said. “I look forward to working with Gareth on a successful handover and wish him every success in his new role.” Global Impact Investing Network Giselle Leung of the Global Impact Investing Network is transitioning from director to managing director at the nonprofit. In her new role, she is expected to provide guidance on how GIIN can further help the impact investing industry, help establish and deepen relationships with partners, and oversee a number of its “field-building initiatives.” Leung has rose up the ranks at GIIN since joining the network in 2010 as founding manager of its Investors’ Council, in which she was credited for getting big organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation, Credit Suisse and the International Finance Corp. of the World Bank Group on board. In 2013, she became senior manager of strategic engagement, before taking on the director role in 2015. “When I first joined the GIIN seven years ago, the impact investing industry was at a nascent stage,” Leung said in a statement containing the announcement of her promotion. “It has been exciting to see the market evolve and engage many mainstream financial players. There is, however, still much more work to do to ensure impact investing reaches its potential. The GIIN is scaling up its work providing investors with the information, tools, and networks they need to be effective impact investors, and I look forward to contributing to those field-building initiatives.” PAHO Foundation Zakiya Carr Johnson, formerly director of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs’ Race, Ethnicity, and Social Inclusion Unit at the U.S. State Department, is joining the PAHO Foundation as its new senior director for development and strategic partnerships. Johnson’s responsibilities center around building long-term U.S.-based partnerships and implement fundraising strategies for the foundation, which helps mobilize resources for the Pan American Health Organization, WHO’s regional office in the Americas. In a news release, PAHO Foundation President and CEO Dr. Jennie Ward-Robinson highlighted Johnson’s understanding of the importance of evidence-based solutions and public-private partnerships to achieve health outcomes, and expressed confidence in the former State Department official’s ability to be an “effective brand ambassador to current and future donors, stakeholders, and partners.” United Nations Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Mukhisa Kituyi will both move on to their second four-year terms as UN Women executive director and U.N. Conference on Trade and Development secretary-general, respectively, according to latest U.N. appointments. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres also appointed Martha Helena Lopez, previously director of human resources at the U.N. Development Program, to assistant secretary-general for human resources management. 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