NEW YORK CITY (July 5, 2005) — The TB Alliance announced the appointment of Ms. Nina Schwalbe as Director of Policy today. Ms. Schwalbe previously directed international public health programs at the Open Society Institute and brings more than a decade of public health experience in international health program implementation and monitoring.
"For the first time in decades, we are making tangible progress toward finding effective new treatments for TB and a supportive policy environment is key to our continued success," said Dr. Maria C. Freire, President and CEO, TB Alliance. "Nina has been on the frontlines of global health policy for many years and has skillfully put TB on the agenda. We are fortunate to have her on board and are confident she will help us deliver on our vision to dramatically improve TB treatment."
Working closely with Dr. Freire, Ms. Schwalbe will lead policy development at the TB Alliance. She will focus on addressing policy barriers to TB drug development and will create concrete policy mechanisms and initiatives to stimulate and expedite TB drug development. A former member of the Stop TB Partnership Board, Ms. Schwalbe spearheaded the drafting of the 2001 Global Plan to Stop TB, the mechanism which governs all global, coordinated TB activities.
"When few people were focused on the joint TB-HIV epidemics, Nina Schwalbe laid the groundwork for effective advocacy on this issue," said Dr. Helene Gayle, Director of the HIV, TB and Reproductive Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "I am confident that Nina will bring the same passion, energy, and direction to the effort to develop a faster, more effective cure for TB."
During her seven-year career with the Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation/OSI), Ms. Schwalbe established and directed the public health program for the Foundation's global network. In that position, Ms. Schwalbe managed a public health program spanning 40 countries and encompassing a range of critical issues, such as health systems, workforce, health policy and vulnerable populations. In addition, she was directly responsible for the foundation's TB and HIV efforts and established the first harm reduction programs for HIV prevention in Russia. Prior to working at OSI, Ms. Schwalbe managed reproductive health programs at AVSC International (now EngenderHealth) and the Population Council in New York, the former Soviet Union and Southeast Asia.
"New TB drugs are critical to addressing the global TB crisis and achieving the Millennium Development Goals," said Ms. Schwalbe. "I am thrilled to help guide the Alliance's work with policy makers, academics, activists, and private sector partners in the effort to develop a faster cure, affordable and accessible to those who need better medicines most."
Ms. Schwalbe holds a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University, a certificate from the Harriman Institute in Soviet Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian and Soviet Studies from Harvard University. Author of several peer-reviewed articles, she has served on the board of the European Observatory on Health Care Systems, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Coalition. Ms. Schwalbe currently serves on the board of the AIDS Foundation East West (AFEW), the Open Health Institute in Russia, and is member of the UN Millennium Project's Task force on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB and Access to Essential Medicines.