An article in the April 21 New England Journal of Medicine, titled “Partnerships, Not Parachutists, for Zika Research,” explains why it is critical for research to be conducted collaboratively. Building and strengthening public health capacities (through local ethics review and collaborative research) will not only make for better research, but are also central to the International Health Regulations, an international agreement of all WHO member countries designed to strengthen health security.

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CGIAR is a World Bank subsidiary for sustainable agriculture. Its website and the article below are worth reading for their hard-won thoughtful approach to global development.

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This is a fascinating article on Dr. Jim Kim’s tenure at the World Bank from Foreign Policy magazine. Essentially, there are two big stories in Kim’s career. One is that healthcare is retail, although health systems can be wholesale. What this means is that organizations like the WHO, the World Bank, the Gates Foundations, and others like them can do big things. They can drain swamps, develop vaccines, and eradicate Guinea worm. But the cause of causes remains income disparity and the alienation from power that comes with it. Mao famously wrote that political power comes from the barrel of a gun. But I do believe that political power comes from economic power and control of the means of production (to use a Marxist inflammatory phrase). Second is that poverty and degradation do not respect great women or men. Dr. Kim genuinely is a great man and the story of his work and legacy is a very important read.

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