May 3, 2021, 8:16 am
By Dr. Kashef Ijaz
Dr. Kashef Ijaz is vice president for health programs at The Carter Center.
Global mental health has been called the “silent,” “parallel,” or “next” pandemic.
In fact, mental health was deteriorating even before the COVID-19 crisis unfolded. In 2018, The Carter Center contributed to a Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health, which says that “the global burden of disease attributable …
June 15, 2020, 9:00 am
By Kelly Callahan
Kelly Callahan, M.P.H., is director of the Carter Center’s Trachoma Control Program.
When COVID-19 appeared, the first thing public health experts advised us all to do was to wash our hands frequently and thoroughly. This is excellent advice, and it’s what the Carter Center’s Trachoma Control Program has been teaching people for 20 years.
As humans, changing our behavior is …
May 11, 2020, 12:23 pm
By Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters
Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters is the CEO of The Carter Center.
At this time of great challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been deeply moved by the commitment of our Carter Center staff to our mission to help the world’s poorest people. Indeed, our aim to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope has never been more …
December 17, 2019, 11:21 am
By Abeer Al Fouti
Abeer Al Fouti is Executive Director of Global Initiatives, Alwaleed Philanthropies.
You almost certainly have never heard of Guinea worm disease. It doesn’t generate news headlines, is not often top of mind for global health experts, and does not attract large-scale funding for eradication efforts. Yet we are close to eliminating this devastating disease, with just a final effort required …
July 15, 2019, 1:10 pm
By Angelia Sanders
Angelia Sanders is associate director of the Carter Center’s Trachoma Control Program and vice chair of the International Coalition for Trachoma Control.
Natural disasters, conflict, and other factors can force entire populations to leave their homes and seek safer living conditions elsewhere. Such people are known as internally displaced persons (or IDPs) if they move within their home country or …
April 24, 2019, 8:00 am
By Hunter Keys
In the poor neighborhoods where malaria festers in the Dominican Republic, people describe someone who hustles through everyday life as a chiripero, a “lucky sort.”
March 22, 2019, 9:01 am
By The Carter Center
In this short video, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expresses support for the global campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease and partner efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases.
Dr. Tedros personally thanks former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for his leadership in the fight against Guinea worm and The Carter Center for being a cornerstone of the campaign.
“Our ultimate …
June 19, 2018, 11:15 am
By The Carter Center
Ambassador (ret.) Mary Ann Peters is the chief executive officer of The Carter Center.
It’s no secret that this world is full of problems—some big and terrifying, some small and trivial. It may seem overwhelming at times, but it doesn’t have to be paralyzing.
Wisdom and experience teach us that when faced with a difficult situation, the best approach is …
February 21, 2018, 1:44 pm
By The Carter Center
For these boys, freedom from a disfiguring disease means freedom to pursue their dreams on the diamond.
Angel Ciriaco and Rigoberto Bryan are best friends who live in San Pedro de Macoris, a province in the southeastern Dominican Republic. The two 16-year-olds like to talk about school, about girls, and most of all about baseball.
Baseball is a big deal …
December 13, 2017, 8:59 am
By Adamu Sallau
Scientific or logistical challenges aren’t the only issues Carter Center personnel have to deal with while tracking down, treating, and preventing neglected tropical diseases in remote places. Cultural issues often play a role as well, and we have to handle them respectfully and sensitively.
For example, in many places, ponds and rivers are considered to be sacred dwelling places of …
August 25, 2017, 9:15 am
By Dean G. Sienko
Dr. Dean G. Sienko, Vice President, Health Programs, The Carter Center
At The Carter Center, we never want anyone to be dependent on us. All of our programs are designed to solve problems, and to help our partners build their own capability, resiliency, and self-reliance. We believe in meaningful partnerships, not only with donors and governments but also—and most importantly—with …
August 3, 2017, 7:14 am
By The Carter Center
Juliana Onwumere is a neglected tropical disease coordinator in Imo state ministry of health. As The Carter Center and partners fight to eliminate river blindness disease in Nigeria, one of Onwumere’s tasks is to collect black flies to be tested for evidence of the disease.
The Carter Center is one of eight semi-finalists in the MacArthur Foundation competition for …
July 20, 2017, 12:41 pm
By Frank Richards
Dr. Frank Richards leads the Carter Center’s efforts to eliminate river blindness (also known as onchocerciasis), a parasitic disease transmitted by the bites of infected black flies.
There’s a famous line in the movie “Jaws” – after the stunned sheriff sees the monster shark for the first time, he says to the shark hunter: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”…
June 9, 2017, 3:34 pm
By Dr. Emmanuel Miri
Dr. Emmanuel Miri is the country representative in Nigeria for The Carter Center.
Gabriel Ani is a farmer and schoolteacher in the Ndiulo Enugu-Nato village in Enugu State, Nigeria, who loves his community and is loved back. Gabriel is a community volunteer drug distributor — the hands, feet, and heart of our River Blindness Elimination Program. For nine years, he …
January 12, 2017, 2:35 pm
By The Carter Center
In this exclusive interview, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter ventures behind-the-scenes of “Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease,” an exhibition created in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, open at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum through Oct. 9.
The exhibition highlights the challenges of eradicating neglected tropical diseases, and President Carter notes that he would “put an …
