SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that Dr. Tachi Yamada intends to retire from his position at the foundation after serving for five years as president of the Global Health Program.
“Tachi has done a great job of focusing our ability to create and deliver vaccines and other interventions to the people who need them the most,” says Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “He has put our global health programs on a path to success, and we look forward to building on his work.”
“We wish Tachi the best of luck in his future endeavors,” says Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “His sense of urgency and his focus on lives saved as the only true measure of success will be his legacy.”
Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, praises the impact of his work. “Tachi’s leadership has helped keep the global health community focused on results,” says Dr. Chan. “He has built a long-lasting partnership with the WHO and we look forward to remaining deeply engaged with the Gates Foundation.”
During his tenure, Dr. Yamada oversaw the tripling of the global health grant portfolio, and has transformed the way the program tackles the diseases and health conditions of the poor. The foundation has increasingly focused on key strategies in infectious diseases and maternal and child health, and under his leadership has also invested heavily in high-risk, high-reward projects with long-term benefits, such as the creation of new vaccines.
Dr. Yamada will remain in his role until June. The foundation is undertaking a global search for his successor.
“Tachi has built up a strong and innovative team that will benefit the Global Health Program for years to come,” says Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “We will miss his passion and devotion to the mission.”
“It has been my greatest privilege to be able to impact the lives of so many people in need,” says Dr. Yamada. “I will always cherish the friendship and collaboration of my outstanding colleagues who have been my partners in this endeavor.”