American epidemiologist William Foege, the tenth Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose efforts in the public health field helped lead to the eradication of smallpox, died on Jan. 24 at 89 years old.
Although best known for his efforts in eradicating smallpox in West and Central Africa during the late 1960s, in 1997, Foege joined Emory University’s faculty as a Presidential Distinguished Professor of International Health at the Rollins School of Public Health.
While Foege retired from the university in 2001, he remained a Presidential Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Health and is the namesake of Emory’s William H. Foege Global Health Fellowship Program.
Born on March 12, 1936, in Decorah, Iowa, Foege obtained his B.A. from Pacific Lutheran University before attending medical school at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1961, Foege began working with the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), a two-year post-doctorate training program in epidemiology. After his work with EIS, Foege spent a short time with the Peace Corps in India. Foege then began the Master of Public Health program at the Harvard School of Public Health, receiving his M.P.H. in 1965.
In 1966, the CDC asked Foege, who was running a Lutheran church mission medical center in Nigeria, to consult on their smallpox eradication program. His work eventually led to the eradication of smallpox. Foege tackled this through surveillance, vaccinating individuals closest to and who may have come in contact with smallpox.
Foege was appointed head of the CDC in 1977, where he faced three health crises. The first of which took place in 1980, when women first began experiencing symptoms of what we now know as toxic shock syndrome. Foege’s work on this case led to the discovery that certain types of tampons could cause the disease.
The second dealt with Reye’s syndrome among children, a rare condition that leads to liver failure and brain swelling. The CDC began to recognize a link between this syndrome and aspirin, and after many studies and pushback from the aspirin industry, the government mandated that warning labels be printed on aspirin bottles.
The third proved to be more challenging, as in June of 1981, the disease now known as AIDS began. The CDC under Foege published the first prevention information about the infection. The information they published in 1983 still applies to prevention today.
However, after six years as CDC director, Foege resigned in 1983.
Foege's involvement with public health, however, did not end when he resigned. Foege founded the Task Force for Child Survival and Development in 1984, a global health nonprofit working to reduce child mortality by strengthening health care and addressing problems such as malnutrition and malaria. And, from 1986 to 1992, Foege served as the executive director and fellow for health policy of the Carter Center.
The CDC established the William H. Foege Award in honor of Foege. Foege himself has received numerous recognitions for his work in public health. These awards includesthe Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind in 2007 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
Amelia Bush (28C) is double-majoring in English and PPL (philosophy, politics and law). She is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and enjoys walking around its many lakes. Outside of the Wheel, you can find her reading, scrapbooking, or attempting a New York Times crossword.
