Ernest Loevinsohn Joins the Foundation as Director of Global Health Policy and Advocacy | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that Ernest Loevinsohn will join the Global Health Program as Director of Policy and Advocacy on June 21. Loevinsohn has more than twenty years of experience applying strategic vision to complex international issues, most recently with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Loevinsohn will lead the foundation’s efforts to encourage political commitment and effective investment in global health in both donor and developing countries. He will also manage a grant program, oversee work to build evidence to support effective policy making, and help lead the foundation’s work on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

“Ernest’s deep personal commitment to global health is matched by his strong track record working with governments, aid experts, and advocates around the world,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Global Health Program. “His wealth of experience will help ensure that our advocacy work has impact and saves lives.”

The Global Health Policy and Advocacy team works to inspire sustained public and private commitments that lead to improved health in poor countries. It encourages the policies needed to build a more conducive environment for global health investments and to expedite the creation and delivery of new vaccines, drugs, and other health tools. The team also helps create innovative financing strategies that increase the stability and predictability of funding for global health.

“We’ve seen extraordinary progress in global health in recent years,” said Loevinsohn. “I look forward to working with the Gates Foundation and its partners to build on this momentum and spur new action to save lives in the world’s poorest countries.”

At CIDA, Loevinsohn served as Director General for Global Initiatives, leading a large-scale international assistance program providing aid to more than 70 countries. He has also served on the boards of the Stop TB Partnership and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and is Vice-Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Loevinsohn holds a B.A. from McGill University and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.