The rural United States is sometimes defined as the leftover places, the spaces on the map that exist between U.S. metropolitan areas. Parkes Kendrick of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation starts our coverage this week with a fascinating examination of the staggering variation in health outcomes in those leftover places, especially among American Indian or Alaska Native populations. In particular, she digs deep into the example of Jefferson County, Oregon.
Next, we have a frank and wide-ranging interview with Ambassador-at-Large John Nkengasong on his role leading the newly established U.S. Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, the largest reorganization of U.S. global health programs in a generation. We drill down on the practical implications of the reorganization, early goals, and how daily life could change for the bureau’s roughly 350-member staff. The ambassador also pushes back on criticisms of the Pandemic Fund and expresses his hopes for more collaboration with China.
Summer is winding down and, needless to say, it has been a hot one. July 2023 marked the warmest month globally on record, with especially hot temperatures in parts of South America, North Africa, North America, and the Antarctic Peninsula. The evidence of the health consequences of that extreme heat abounds, including the smoke-related harms of wildfires, near-record cases of dengue in the Americas, and locally acquired malaria cases in Washington, DC. David P. Fidler closes out our week with a review of the diplomatic efforts in the lead-up to the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties and the prospects for action.
As always, thank you for reading.—Thomas J. Bollyky, Editor
