Author Archives: The Carter Center

Editor’s note: Makoy Samuel Yibi first met former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1995, after which they formed a strong relationship. In 2008, Yibi received the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Guinea Worm Eradication for his leadership in reducing cases of the disease in what is now South Sudan. He wrote the following elegy […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health Programs, The Carter Center And Adam Weiss, Director, Guinea Worm Eradication Program You may have seen the Carter Center’s announcement on Jan. 24 that only 13 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported globally in 2022. That was an improvement over the previous year’s total of 15 human […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center As we flip the calendar from 2022 to 2023, there is reason to be optimistic about many aspects of public health. Every January, The Carter Center brings news of progress during the previous year in the long battle against Guinea worm disease. I’m not going to […]

By Eve Byrd, Director, Mental Health Program Whenever registered voters cast their ballots, election officials are there to serve them.  But these stewards of democracy are increasingly under attack. In the aftermath of the tumultuous 2020 election cycle, election workers found themselves subject to harassment and intimidation. Many received death threats, and some had to […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President, Health Programs, The Carter Center Kelly Callahan, M.P.H., Director, Trachoma Control Program, The Carter Center Dr. Emmanuel Miri, Nigeria Country Representative, The Carter Center Dr. Zerihun Tadesse, Ethiopia Country Representative, The Carter Center  From the vantage point of a richly resourced and powerful country or society, it’s easy to […]

By Gregory S. Noland, Director, River Blindness Elimination Program, and Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center World Sight Day is the second Thursday in October, and we at The Carter Center and our country offices are doing our part to preserve vision in vulnerable populations through our robust river blindness and trachoma programs. […]

By Adam Weiss, M.P.H. Director, Guinea Worm Eradication Program Some of the hallmarks of the four-decade Guinea worm eradication campaign, led by The Carter Center, are its agility, data-driven decision making, deep-rooted partnerships, and commitment to prioritize the needs of the endemic countries.  With a historic announcement of just 15 human cases coming at a […]

By Kelly Callahan, M.P.H., Director, Trachoma Control Program, The Carter Center Public health work is always challenging, but some seasons are more challenging than others. And wow, have the last three years been challenging — especially in the part of Ethiopia where the Carter Center’s Trachoma Control Program works. The Amhara region of Ethiopia is […]

By Nicole Kruse, Interim Vice President of Development, The Carter Center A family reunion of sorts took place last month in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the annual Carter Center Weekend, when a limited number of friends and supporters gather to catch up with each other, hear from Center leadership and staff, and take part in […]

By Paige Alexander CEO, The Carter Center This month, I was pleased to sign the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases, signifying the Carter Center’s 100% commitment to work with dozens of countries, donors, and organizational partners to tackle these terrible diseases.  The declaration lays out ten actions the signatories promise to take to address […]

By Paige Alexander, CEO, and Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health Programs, The Carter Center We at The Carter Center are grieving the unexpected passing of our friend and colleague, Dr. Stephen B. Blount, who had only recently retired after a remarkable career in global public health.  Steve was the former director of the Carter Center’s […]

By Eve H. Byrd, Director, Carter Center Mental Health Program During the 2022 state legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly voted unanimously to pass the Mental Health Parity Act, ensuring that the state will enforce parity in insurance coverage for behavioral health care for the first time.  The Mental Health Parity Act (Georgia General Assembly […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center There is nothing mysterious about tuberculosis (TB). It has been studied for a long time. We know who the vulnerable populations are, where it is prevalent, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. What is mysterious is the lack of top-tier attention and funding […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center Haiti is frequently in the news for all the wrong reasons: devastating earthquakes, extreme poverty, rampant violent crime, political turmoil. The Carter Center is determined to bring Haiti hope in at least one way, in the area of public health.  The Center’s Hispaniola Initiative works with […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center And Adam Weiss, Director, Carter Center Guinea Worm Eradication Program Despite the enormous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Carter Center and its partner countries drew closer than ever in 2021 to eradicating Guinea worm disease. The work is still far from over, but the […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, M.P.H., Vice President-Health, The Carter Center, and  Gregory Noland, Ph.D., M.P.H., Director, Carter Center River Blindness Elimination Program The elimination of river blindness in Nigeria’s Plateau and Nasarawa states, as confirmed by a recent analysis, shows the value of partnership and persistence in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.  The Carter […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center, and Sarah Yoss, Associate Director of Special Health Projects, The Carter Center When The Carter Center partners with a country to eliminate a disease through its disease-specific programs or otherwise improve health, a related goal is to strengthen the overall health system of the partner country. Strengthening […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President, Health Programs, The Carter Center Only one human disease has ever been eradicated; that was smallpox, in 1980 — a tremendous victory for humanity. The term “eradication” is defined as permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide occurrence of infection caused by a specific pathogen, with no risk of […]

By Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Vice President-Health, The Carter Center and Eve H. Byrd, director, Carter Center Mental Health Program Journalists and the field of journalism are often criticized, in part because they have a habit of telling us truths we don’t want to know or discussing topics we don’t want to think about. But good […]

By Paige Alexander CEO, The Carter Center and Dr. Kashef Ijaz Vice President-Health Programs, The Carter Center The 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly opens Tuesday, Sept. 14. It is a time of great anticipation as representatives of 193 member states come together in the great hall to discuss issues and set an […]