Academy President, Jo Ivey Boufford, MD, Named Global Health Research Ambassador

NEW YORK CITY, July 11—Jo Ivey Boufford, MD, President of The New York Academy of Medicine, has been named as an Ambassador in Research!America’s Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research. Dr. Boufford is among 24 of the nation’s foremost experts on global health who have been newly selected to advocate for the need for greater U.S. investment in research to improve global health.

Dr. Boufford will work to raise the visibility of global health research through the news media and in meetings with policy makers, opinion leaders and the public. A central message of Ambassadors is the importance of effective collaboration among the nation’s government, industry, academic, patient advocacy, and philanthropic research sectors.

“Investing in global health research is the smart thing to do for America and the right thing to do for the world,” said The Honorable John Edward Porter, chair of the Society’s Advisory Council and Research!America board chair. “Dr. Boufford has personally seen the value of saving lives and protecting health around the world, and her insights will help bring this important story to more Americans.”

Dr. Boufford is a national authority on healthcare and public health policy. During her impressive career, she has served as President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation under Mayor Koch and served under President Clinton as Principal Deputy and Acting Assistant Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Boufford is now the Foreign Secretary for the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an appointed, four-year post in which she serves as a senior adviser on international matters to IOM President Harvey Fineberg, MD, PhD. She is a professor and former dean at New York University (NYU) and last fall, she successfully launched a new master’s program in Global Public Health, a unique collaboration of five schools at NYU.

The Paul G. Rogers Society, named for the former Florida Congressman and renowned champion for research to improve health, was established in 2006 by Research!America with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In its first two years, the Society’s Advisory Council—which includes three Nobel Laureates—selected 51 of the nation’s leading global health experts to serve as Ambassadors.

Research!America is the nation's largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, it is supported by 500 member organizations that together represent the voices of more than 125 million Americans. Visit www.researchamerica.org for more information.

Founded in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit institution whose mission is to enhance the health of the public. Our research, education, community engagement, and evidence-based advocacy seek to improve the health of people living in cities, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. The impact of these initiatives reaches into neighborhoods in New York City, across the country, and around the world. We work with community based organizations, academic institutions, corporations, the media, and government to catalyze and contribute to changes that promote health. Visit us online at www.nyam.org. # # #

Posted on July 11, 2007

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Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
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amartin@nyam.org

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