By Jennifer Slyker

We in the global health community are greatly encouraged by the work of Congress to increase funding to the National Institutes of Health and continue the Fogarty International Center’s mission to improve health around the world, as well as grow our next generation of researchers.

While the 2017 Fiscal Appropriations preserved the Fogarty International Center through the end of September, Congress will soon begin debating funding for 2018. And Fogarty may be on the chopping block again.

Fogarty was started in the 1960s to bring together thousands of “the best scientific minds around the world to address critical global health research problems.” Since its establishment, Fogarty has trained 26,136 people in medical research; it has been a cornerstone of training global health leaders. More than 244 students have received Fogarty funding at the University of Washington alone, including myself and many of my faculty colleagues. One UW Medicine scholar is now a minister of health in Liberia. Another is minister of health in Peru. Another is in charge of malaria programs at the World Health Organization.

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Read the entire op-ed on The Seattle Times

Jennifer Slyker is an Assistant Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine & Public Health, and co-director of the Global WACh HIV Core. In 2000, she traveled to Kenya with Fogarty support to begin her career studying HIV/AIDS in children. She currently mentors two Fogarty trainees who are doing pediatric HIV research in Kenya., Assistant Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington Schools of Medicine & Public Health, and co-director of the Global WACh HIV Core. In 2000, she traveled to Kenya with Fogarty support to begin her career studying HIV/AIDS in children. She currently mentors two Fogarty trainees who are doing pediatric HIV research in Kenya.