William Herbert Foege[1] (/ˈfeɪɡi/FAY-ghee;[2]fay-ghee; born March 12, 1936) is an American physician and epidemiologist who is credited with "devising the global strategy that led to the eradication ofsmallpox in the late 1970s".[3] From May 1977 to 1983, Foege served as the director of theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.
Foege also "played a central role" in efforts that greatly increasedimmunization rates in developing countries in the 1980s.[4]
In June 2011, he authoredHouse on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox, a book on modern science, medicine, and public health over the smallpox disease.[5]
On September 23, 2020, he sent a private letter toCenters for Disease Control and Prevention DirectorRobert R. Redfield urging him to acknowledge in writing that the CDC had responded poorly toCOVID-19 and to set a new course for how CDC would lead the United States' response, calling the White House's approach "disastrous."[6]
In his younger days he was inspired by the life of his uncle, a Lutheran missionary toNew Guinea.[4] He became interested in science at age 13 when working at a pharmacy, and read extensively about the world (e.g.,Albert Schweitzer's work in Africa) while in abody cast for several months at age 15.[9] When a teenager he expressed a desire to practice medicine in Africa.[4]
Directors of Global Smallpox Eradication Program, from left:J. Donald Millar (1966-'70), William H. Foege (1970-'73), andJ. Michael Lane (1973-'81) reading news of smallpox's eradication in 1980
While working for the Centers for Disease Control in Africa as chief of the Smallpox Eradication Program, Bill Foege developed the highly successful surveillance andring vaccination strategy to contain smallpox spread. This greatly reduced the number of vaccinations needed, ensuring that the limited resources available sufficed to make smallpox the first infectious disease to be eradicated in human history.[citation needed]
For his efforts to eradicate smallpox, Foege was the co-winner of the 2020 Future of Life Award along withViktor Zhdanov. "We're all indebted to Bill Foege and Viktor Zhdanov for their critical contributions to the eradication of smallpox, which demonstrated the immense value of science and international collaboration for fighting disease", said António Guterres, Secretary General, United Nations.[14] Dr. William MacAskill who wrote an article about "Smallpox was one of the worst diseases to ever befall the human race, and its eradication is one of the greatest achievements of humanity. Bill Foege and Viktor Zhdanov should be celebrated for their contributions, and should inspire us today to take effective action to tackle the world's most pressing problems."[15] In consideration of the achievements of Zhdanov and Foege, Bill Gates added, "They (Viktor and Bill) are phenomenal examples of what it means to harness science for global health”.[16]
He is noted for his height of 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m).[3][25] Foege and his wife Paula had three sons, the eldest of whom died in 2007.[26] He has been described as a "religious man";[27][28] between 1997 and 2006 he served on the Board of Regents of Pacific Lutheran University.[29][30]
The William H. Foege building, named in his honor and dedicated in 2006, houses the University of Washington School of Medicine's Departments of Bioengineering and Genome Sciences.[3]
Ross DA, Hinman AR, Saarlas K, Foege WH (2003). "Foreword". In O'Carroll PW, et al. (eds.).Public health informatics and information systems. Berlin: Springer. pp. v–vii.ISBN0-387-95474-0.OCLC133157982.
Foege WH; et al., eds. (2005).Global health leadership and management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.ISBN0-7879-7153-7.OCLC57579300.
Foege WH, Amler RW, White CC (September 1985). "Closing the gap. Report of the Carter Center Health Policy Consultation".JAMA.254 (10):1355–8.doi:10.1001/jama.254.10.1355.PMID4021014.
McGinnis JM, Foege WH (March–April 1999). "Mortality and morbidity attributable to use of addictive substances in the United States".Proc Assoc Am Physicians.111 (2):109–18.doi:10.1046/j.1525-1381.1999.09256.x.PMID10220805.
^abMaynard S (October 7, 1998). "Families that work – an occasional series: Rev. William A. Foege's family never had much money, and never felt deprived".The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington).
^Graham K, Heys S (December 12, 1985). "A global vision to save millions – William Foege wants all world's children immunized by 1990".The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution.
^MacAskill, William (November 16, 2020)."Future of Life Award".Future of Life Institute. Archived fromthe original on November 9, 2021. RetrievedDecember 9, 2020.
^Gates, Bill (November 16, 2020)."Future of Life Award".Future of Life Institute. Archived fromthe original on November 9, 2021. RetrievedDecember 9, 2020.
^"Research Report 1998"(PDF). London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 7, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 28, 2009.
