Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research

The Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, named for the former Congressman—a renowned advocate for health—serves the public's interest by increasing U.S. support for global health research and by engaging America's leading scientists in effective advocacy. Those selected as Society Ambassadors are highly respected "citizen scientists" and advocates committed to making global health research a higher national priority. In consultation with Research!America, they engage policy makers, thought leaders, the media and the public on the value and importance of global health research.

The Rogers Society is comprised of 75 scientific leaders representing a broad spectrum of medical and public health research. The Society is led by an Advisory Council chaired by The Honorable John Edward Porter (R-IL). The Council, composed of significant voices in global health research, public policy and communications, selects the Ambassadors and provides strategic direction to the Society. Read the press release announcing the launch of the Society.

Learn more about the Rogers Society through a short overview of this year's Ambassadors.

Bringing Global Health Research Home

Rogers Society Ambassadors in Georgia, Colorado and Massachusetts met with their federal policymakers to explain the impact of global health research on their states.

The Huffington Post Publishes Ambassadors Mitnick, and Hibberd Opinion Editorial

• Paul G. Rogers Society Ambassador Carole Mitnick, ScD, remembered Sir John Crofton, a pioneer of the six-month tuberculosis treatment by recognizing the potential that Sir John’s research once represented for global treatment, but she laments the lost opportunity caused by decades of neglecting research.

  Read more about why Mitnick advocates for a greater U.S. investment in global health research.
• Paul G. Rogers Society Ambassador Patricia Hibberd, MD, PhD, highlighted the importance of research on the first ever World Pneumonia Day. "We desperately need simple, inexpensive, accurate, and immediate ways to diagnose bacterial pneumonia," said Ambassador Hibberd. "Research can show us how to overcome the barriers. It is only a funding source away."
  Read more about recent research linking H1N1 and pneumonia and the need to use this research to fight pneumonia at home and worldwide.

Rogers Society Ambassadors Act in Face of H1N1, or Swine flu, Virus Threats

Ambassadors in Research!America's Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research have been speaking out about the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. In the Connecticut Post, Michael Cappello, MD, commented, "If there is a big picture lesson, it's that this is a great example of how ineffective national borders are at preventing the spread of disease...As long as I've been in infectious disease research; I've never met a parasite with an ideology."  Read more about their work. 

Addressing the Global Burden of Cancer: Global Health Research Leading the Way

Read about David E. Bloom, PhD and his team's new report on the need for increased investment in cancer research, on Research!America blog.

National radio media tour: Global Road Safety and Injuries

Adnan Hyder, MD, MPH, PhD, and Mark Rosenberg, MD, spoke with radio stations around the U.S. about the recent release of the World Health Organization report, "Global Status Report on Road Safety: Time for Action." Rosenberg informed listeners, many getting ready for summer travel, that "for travelers overseas it's estimated about one third of the American travelers who die overseas die from a road traffic injury. We think that we're at risk from various infections and tropical disease, but the real risk that we face when we travel not only as tourists, but as business people, students overseas, the military, or government diplomats — the biggest risk that we face is being injured or killed in a road traffic crash."

The Baltimore Sun publishes opinion editorials by three Rogers Society Ambassadors:

• In "Obese and Malnourished," Cyril Enwonwu, ScD, PhD, MDS, shows us the link between malnutrition and obesity; "today, global health research tells us that malnutrition is as much about what we eat as what we do not."
• Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, says that "women are dying from domestic homicide at alarming rates, whether in Botswana or Baltimore" and it is all the more disturbing because it is something we can prevent. In her op-ed "Dangerous Times," she writes that she has seen services shrink during this economic downturn while the risk of domestic violence grows.
• Highlighting the threat of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, Carole Mitnick, ScD, writes about the terrors of "Stopping a Killer".

IOM Report on the U.S. Commitment to Global Health Released

The IOM's recent report, The U.S. Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the Public and Private Sectors concludes that the U.S. government and other entities have an opportunity to improve global health at this critical time and should be investing more. The report states that this is an investment in not only the health of developing countries but also in America; we should act in the global interest, recognizing that long-term diplomatic, economic, and security benefits for the U.S. will follow. Read Research!America's statement and view the IOM's full report, including their December 2008 abbreviated report, targeting the incoming Obama Administration, titled: The U.S. Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the new Administration.

IOM working group on global health and U.S. research funding challenges 

The committee convened a full day session on July 7, 2008 to identify and target the gaps and priorities in U.S. contributions to global disease challenges. Experts included three Rogers Society Ambassadors - Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH, Robert Edward Black, MD, MPH and Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD. The session's comments were intended to inform the Institute of Medicine's preliminary report in December and the final report in April. Read key points made during the meeting here.

Top U.S. Global Health Researchers to Push For More U.S. Support

Twenty-five global health research experts were named as the third class of Ambassadors on January 14, 2009. 

Global Health Research Featured in Ad

Society Ambassadors urge our leaders to invest in research to save lives and improve health around the world in an ad that ran in The Hill and other publications.

Ambassador Outreach Highlights

Read more about recent Ambassador visits with their policymakers, delegation and important Congressional committees.

Ambassador Barry Beaty, PhD, a global health researcher at Colorado State University, offered his thoughts on President Obama's speech to the National Academy of Sciences and call for the U.S. to invest at least 3% of its GDP to scientific research.

Prominent U.S. global health researcher-advocate, Scott Ratzan, MD, shares his thoughts on his meetings with policy maker and committee offices as an Ambassador in Research!America's Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research.

Adnan Hyder, MD, MPH, PhD, and Mathuram Santosham, MD, MPH, share their thoughts on their meetings with policymaker and committee offices as Ambassadors.

Please visit our Ambassador outreach page for more highlights.

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A Portrait of Leadership, A Fighter for Health, The Honorable Paul Grant Rogers highlights the major contributions to healthcare reform that Paul Rogers made during his 24 year congressional career and 25 years since as partner with Hogan and Hartson law firm in Washingron DC. The book also presents a study of Rogers' effective leadership style and presents his model of leadership as one to be emulated by leaders of any organization. This book was written by Research!America emeritus board member Roger Bulger, former president of the Association of Academic Health Centers.