Seattle infectious disease research center hosts “Rally for Global Health”

Seattle infectious disease research center hosts “Rally for Global Health”

Published 4 May 2015

 

Fourteen million people die from infectious diseases around the world every year. The Seattle, Washington-based Center for Infectious Disease Research (formerly Seattle BioMed) hosted the “Rally for Global Health” last week to raise awareness for the Washington state global health and life-sciences industries and formally launch a petition urging congress to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health. During the event, the Center for Infectious Disease Research, which is the largest independent nonprofit in the world focused solely on infectious disease research, officially announced the organization has changed its name and is no longer Seattle BioMed.

The Center for Infectious Disease Research (formerly Seattle BioMed) hosted the “Rally for Global Health” last week to raise awareness for the Washington state global health and life-sciences industries and formally launch a petition urging congress to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health.
“We are extremely excited to have the support of Gov. Jay Inslee and our coalition of global health leaders and research organizations as we raise awareness for the dire need to increase funding for the NIH,” said Alan Aderem, Ph.D., president and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research. “The stakes couldn’t be higher. There are millions of lives depending on new scientific breakthroughs, which require increased funding capacity.”
The speakers at the event expressed her support for increased NIH funding through a video message that played during the event.
“I congratulate you on the past forty years and look forward to forty more,” said Inslee. “Let’s keep this momentum going, let’s keep this investment going, let’s keep this rally going and I look forward to doing that!”
During the event, the Center for Infectious Disease Research, which is the largest independent nonprofit in the world focused solely on infectious disease research, officially announced the organization has changed its name and is no longer Seattle BioMed.
“Our new name and brand represents the purpose, promise and global reach of our organization and better position us to raise public awareness and support for the critical research we conduct that is essential to saving the lives of the fourteen million people who die from infectious diseases every year,” said John Aitchison, Ph.D., scientific director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research.