Atlanta lost a giant of a man with the passing of Dr. William “Bill” Foege, someone whose life was dedicated to improving the global health and quality of life of everyone.
Foege literally was a shining light in Atlanta, Georgia, the nation and the world.
We have Foege (pronounced FAY-ghee) to thank for the eradication of smallpox when he was at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency he later ran. ScienceHeroes.com credits Foege with saving 122 million lives.
But that was only the beginning of Foege’s impact on global health.
In 1984, Foege co-founded the Task Force for Childhood Survival (later renamed the Task Force for Global Health), an entity that forged collaborations among a myriad of international organizations and pharmaceutical companies. The Task Force’s original goal was to boost global childhood vaccination rates from 20 percent to 80 percent.
Foege also served as director of the Carter Center from 1986 to 1992, helping former President Jimmy Carter launch his efforts in treating and curing diseases in the most impoverished places in the world.
Then Foege joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a senior advisor to help guide the entity’s strategic work in global health.
I really got to know Foege in 2012 when he had returned to Atlanta from Seattle, quickly realizing I was in the presence of greatness.
We can thank Foege for helping make Atlanta the center for global health, one of the most significant contributions we have made in the world.
During an interview in 2012, Foege reaffirmed the vision that Atlanta not only had global health organizations but multiple corporations and nonprofits working around the world.
“All the pieces are there,” Foege told me. “All you have to do is light the match.”
Foege and his protégé Mark Rosenberg worked on the creation of the Georgia Global Health Alliance to bring all the pieces together. Unfortunately, that effort faced several hurdles – and it is still a dream that needs to be realized.
When Foege was awarded Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen Jr. Prize in Social Courage in 2012, I remember his presentation to students did not focus on the complexities of diseases, vaccines and treatments. Instead, most of the images were of children.
“I tell students to love science but don’t worship it,” Foege said at the time. “There’s something better than science, and that is serving humanity.”
Foege had a way of just saying the unvarnished truth.
“Smallpox was a disease of poverty,” Foege said. “The single biggest problem we have in public health is poverty.”
The last time I saw Foege was in May 2025 when he attended MAP International’s annual Bill Foege Global Health Awards. Unfortunately, by that time, we were all witnessing the dismantling of much of the nation’s global health infrastructure. Even vaccines that had prevented so many deaths were under attack.
Once again, Foege voiced simple truths. “The power of science doesn’t come from its existence,” he said. “The power comes from its use.”
Wonderful tributes have been shared about Foege’s life. Here are a couple: Emory University’s remembrance, the New York Times’ obituary and Mark Lannaman’s commentary.
I’ve also included a number of articles I’ve written (see below) over the years about Foege’s and his quest to make Atlanta an even more significant nexus of global health.
We owe it to Foege to keep that vision alive by bringing together all the global health and development entities in Atlanta to rededicate their efforts to collaborate in making the world better for all.
Lastly, it has been a longstanding goal of mine to help reignite the Shining Light Award, which was an annual honor designated by the Atlanta Gas Light and WSB to recognize people who have made incredible contributions to our city and our world.
Foege deserves a Shining Light Award so his light will continue to shine in our city!
Previous SaportaReport articles about Bill Foege and Atlanta’s role in global health:
Column: Task Force expanding global health mission April 2011
Seattle and Atlanta are centers for global health; but Seattle does a better job selling itself May 2011
Our own local global hero — Bill Foege — says poverty is the ‘single biggest problem’ in global public health March 2012
A big day for Dr. William Foege and the Task Force for Global Health April 2012
Effort under way to brand Atlanta as global health center June 2012
An amazing tale of three men and a miracle drug changing lives of millions October 2012
Georgia Global Health Alliance taking shape with help from Seattle model September 2015
Task Force celebrates 30 years of global health equity and compassion October 2015
A global goal: Vaccinate one billion people in the next 100 days June 2021
Atlanta’s dean of global health Bill Foege celebrated for his contributions
Bill Foege says global health initiatives are needed now more than ever May 2025
Leave a comment