This Supplement was coordinated by Bridges to Development with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The team would like to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their generous funding support which has made it possible to gather and share these stories chronicling the accelerated delivery of new innovations in global health including the introduction of triple-drug therapy for lymphatic filariasis. We also would like to thank guest editor, Eric Ottesen, for his keen and confident direction, insights and timely support in moving along all of the contributions through the peer-review process. The authors themselves must be acknowledged, firstly for their roles in the projects bringing new innovations in global health to those who would benefit from them as well as for the time and energy put into writing these articles to share lessons learned which we hope will help accelerate future innovations in global health. We would also like to acknowledge Nicole Vecchio for coordinating the process with and providing support for the authors on behalf of Bridges to Development. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the excellent and dedicated editorial team at the AJTMH, especially Phil Rosenthal, Cathi Siegel, and Alison Jaeb.
Dedication
We dedicate this supplement to the memory of Dr. Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela, Director, WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. This Supplement documents examples of the best practices and vital problem solving that were exemplified by Mwele. Her determined, no-nonsense, get it done and do it right the first time approach was an inspiration. I recently heard her described as “warm but fierce”, which I think is a perfect description. She was kind and compassionate, focused on the people her work served, and fierce in her fight to get them what they needed. I hope that we can all learn from her dedication and determination to decrease suffering from NTDs and lead the way forward to a world free of these treatable and preventable afflictions. Thank you for all the lessons, my friend.
Julie Jacobson