A Tribute to William H. Foege, M.D., M.P.H.

After eight years of service, William H. Foege, M.D., M.P.H., has retired from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation board of directors. Dr. Foege previously served for seven years on the prestigious international jury of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian award.

Dr. Foege is a world renowned epidemiologist who worked in the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. Dr. Foege became Chief of the CDC Smallpox Eradication Program and was appointed Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in 1977.

In 1984, Dr. Foege and several colleagues formed the Task Force for Child Survival, a working group for the World Health Organization, UNICEF, The World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Its success in accelerating childhood immunization led to an expansion of its mandate in 1991 to include other issues which diminish the quality of life for children.

Dr. Foege has championed many issues, but child survival and development, injury prevention, population, preventive medicine, and public health leadership are of special interest, particularly in the developing world. He is a strong proponent of disease eradication and control, and has taken an active role in the eradication of Guinea worm, polio and measles, and the elimination of River Blindness. By writing and lecturing extensively, Dr. Foege has succeeded in broadening public awareness of these issues and bringing them to the forefront of domestic and international health policies.

Dr. Foege received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, in addition to many other awards during the course of his career. He also holds honorary degrees from numerous institutions, and was named a Fellow of the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 1997. He is the author of more than 125 professional publications.

It is with profound gratitude that we thank Dr. Foege for his exemplary service on the Hilton Foundation board. We were fortunate to benefit from both his broad vision of life as well as his deep knowledge of the health field. His personal style motivated others to want to engage and explore issues further. While we are sad to be losing an influential and prominent member of our board, we remain grateful that Dr. Foege raised the bar of our deliberations. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Steven M. Hilton
Chairman of the Board
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation