Arlington, Va. (December 30, 2024) —The American Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene mourns the passing of President Jimmy Carter on Sunday. There are many things President Carter will be remembered for, but for us at ASTMH—as well as so many others around the world—one aspect of his rich legacy will be his commitment, compassion and dedication to improving the health and lives of people suffering from tropical diseases.
Thanks to his inspirational leadership at the Carter Center, which has long helped to fight neglected diseases like Guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and malaria, we are approaching a future free of Guinea worm disease – a painful parasitic disease with no cure or vaccine that at one time infected 3.5 million people. In November,
The Carter Center estimated only seven cases of Guinea worm left. For that, we at ASTMH, a professional society dedicated to improving tropical medicine and global health, owe President Carter a debt of gratitude.
He graciously spoke to the attendees of our 2001 Annual Meeting in his home state of Georgia. ASTMH Past President Julie Jacobson, MD, DTM&H, FASTMH, also conducted a
Q&A with him in 2021 that was published in our journal. She named him as one of her heroes, saying, “President Carter is the perfect example of a life well-lived. He used every opportunity to continue to fight for peace and health for people around the world. He never sat back on his laurels, he always showed up and was willing to dedicate his own time to get the work done. Now we need to see through his vision for a peace and health that includes a world free of Guinea worm and neglected tropical diseases.”
During our 2023 Annual Meeting in Chicago, we hosted
a special session with The Carter Center that paid tribute to President Carter and the late First Lady Rosalyn Carter. The session highlighted the impact of the dedication, advocacy and diplomacy that the Carters have undertaken as they have waged peace, fought disease and built hope. Their granddaughter, Sarah Carter, PhD, a scientist at Science Policy Consulting LLC in Arlington, VA, was one of the esteemed panelists (pictured below). An
editorial summarizing the Carter's commitment to global health was also published in our journal that month.
Just ahead of his 100
th birthday, in September 2024, ASTMH published a
special supplement of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (pictured above) with a compilation of 16 articles authored or co-authored by leaders of The Carter Center honoring the health legacy of President and Mrs. Carter.
President Carter will remain with us. His commitment, his courage and his humanity will forever inspire us as we continue our fight to save lives around the world.
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A special session at the 2023 ASTMH Annual Meeting in Chicago paid tribute to President Carter and the late First Lady Rosalyn Carter. From left: Don Hopkins (The Carter Center), Kane Farabaugh (Voice of America), Kashef Ijaz (The Carter Center), Sarah Carter (Science Policy Consulting LLC), Julie Jacobson (2021 ASTMH President) and Frank Richards (The Carter Center). Photo courtesy Aidan Kranz/The Carter Center. |