Former Mexican Institutes of Health Director Joins Foundation

SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that Dr. Jaime Sepulveda has joined the foundation’s Global Health Program as director of Integrated Health Solutions Development. Dr. Sepulveda is former director of the National Institutes of Health of Mexico and also Mexico’s former vice minister of health.

In his new position, Dr. Sepulveda will oversee the foundation’s efforts to develop new tools and strategies for diseases and health conditions that claim millions of lives every year in the poorest countries. His specific areas of responsibility will include maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health; vaccine-preventable diseases; and nutrition.

“Jaime is an accomplished health scientist, and throughout his distinguished career he has been a passionate advocate for health,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have him leading our efforts to develop effective new tools to fight the world’s greatest health problems.”

Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Sepulveda served for more than 20 years in a variety of senior health posts in the Mexican government. As director of the National Institutes of Health of Mexico from 2003 to 2006, Dr. Sepulveda oversaw Mexico’s medical research institutes with a combined annual budget of more than $1 billion. He also served as director-general of Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health and dean of the National School of Public Health for almost a decade.

“I am excited and honored to join the Gates Foundation, and look forward to working with the foundation’s grantees, partners, and staff,” Dr. Sepulveda said. “This is an important time in global health research and development—we’re closer than ever to new vaccines, drugs, and other tools that could greatly improve health in poor countries.”

In addition to his research credentials, Dr. Sepulveda is an experienced implementer of effective health programs. As Mexico’s director-general of epidemiology and later vice minister of health, Dr. Sepulveda designed Mexico’s Universal Vaccination Program, which eliminated polio, measles, and diphtheria by more than doubling childhood immunization coverage in two years.

He also established a national health surveillance system that has trained hundreds of field epidemiologists and includes a network of state health laboratories. He is the founder of Mexico’s National AIDS Council, and is credited with helping to implement early and aggressive HIV prevention campaigns.

Dr. Sepulveda holds a medical degree from National Autonomous University of Mexico and three advanced degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

The foundation’s Integrated Health Solutions Development program is one of five teams in the recently reorganized Global Health Program. The others are Infectious Diseases Development, Global Health Discovery, Global Health Delivery, and Global Health Advocacy.