Decatur: A Window to the World of Global Health

Business E-News - September 2019

A worldwide organization that calls Decatur home, The Task Force for Global Health is an independent NGO founded in 1984 by former CDC Director Dr. Bill Foege. Initially focused on increasing global childhood vaccination rates, The Task Force now addresses large-scale health problems affecting hundreds of millions of people in more than 150 countries, all coordinated from its Decatur headquarters.

“We’ve become a hub for global health because we’re close to Emory, the CDC, and The Carter Center,” said Poul Olson, chief development officer for The Task Force. “Over the years, we’ve also learned Decatur is ideal for visitors because of MARTA and ease of access to the airport, plus its walkability to hotels and restaurants.”

The Task Force aligns the efforts of eight global health coalitions working to eliminate diseases and protect the health of populations. Its Decatur location includes a 15,000-square-foot conference center that hosts numerous global health summits. In fact, the selection of the influenza strains to include in this year’s flu vaccine for the Southern Hemisphere was made at The Task Force by a conclave of experts from all across the world.

“Our role is at the 30,000-foot level,” said Olson. “The decisions we make here with our partners ripple all the way out to villages in Ethiopia and beyond. Our model is built on the premise that the issues of global heath are far too big for any one organization to solve on their own. We help bring together partner organizations to make the biggest impact.”

Given its inspiring mission and ideal location, The Task Force has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, doubling in size since 2014. “Many of our staff of 140 live within biking or walking distance, which is a huge value-add,” added Olson. “People simply love to live and work here in Decatur!”