Impatient Optimists
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Authors / Biography

Chris Wilson

Title Director, Global Health Discovery
Organization Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr. Chris Wilson, director of the Global Health Discovery program, leads a team that targets fundamental scientific and technological advances in global health that could lead to new ways to prevent, treat, and diagnose disease. Wilson joined the foundation in 2009 as deputy director of the Vaccine Discovery and Human Biology team within Global Health Discovery.

Posts By Chris Wilson

A Grand Challenge: Can Vitamin D Improve Growth During Pregnancy?

December 04, 2012 / Thomas Brewer, Gary Darmstadt, Chris Wilson

We are happy to announce today over $21 million to 14 research teams in six countries within the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative on the topics of "Discover New Ways to Achieve Healthy Growth," and "Biomarkers of Gastrointestinal Function and
Health."

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Grand Challenges Explorations: One Great Idea, Two Pages

April 28, 2011 / Chris Wilson

We’re on the hunt for innovation. The reason why is simple. Innovation fuels progress. And progress is what’s needed to solve the global health and development challenges we face.

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Engaging the Best Minds to Tackle Global Health Challenges

October 29, 2010 / Chris Wilson

One hundred years ago the mathematician David Hilbert formulated a list of important unsolved problems that has encouraged innovation in mathematical research ever since. Seven years ago, inspired by Hilbert’s example, we identified 14 major global health challenges that, if overcome, could lead to breakthrough advances for those in the developing world.

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  • "Our desire to bring every good thing to our children is a force for good throughout the world. It’s what propels societies forward." —Melinda Gates

  • The Global Fund has helped to deliver more than 190 million bed nets to protect families from malaria.

  • "The world faces a clear choice. If we invest relatively small amounts, many more poor farmers will be able to feed their families." —Bill Gates, 2012 Annual Letter

  • "When it come to global health, Bill and I are optimists—but we're impatient optimists. Tremendous progress is being made. But there is still so much we're impatient to see done." —Melinda French Gates

  • In Senegal, 80% of households now have a bed net, helping the number of malaria cases there drop 50% in a single year.

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