Finding meaningful answers to global health questions is hard, because, well, they are global. World leaders will convene next week to consider the massive and growing global health issue of non-communicable diseases. In the months leading up to the U.N high-level meeting, there has been an enormous amount of energy applied to laying ground work that will support identification of answers to the complex issues associated with NCDs. Among the activity swirling around the high-level meeting it is easy to lose sight of why effective answers are needed in the fight against NCDs…it’s about people we will never meet. Right now, a person with diabetes has been waiting for hours in a dusty corner of a clinic in east central India to spend a few moments with a nurse. A person with a heart condition is doing the same in Kenya and yet another suffering from cancer awaits care in the south of Brazil. Right now, there is a person who we will never meet who needs an answer.
No single company, organization or government can find these needed answers. Only through extraordinary partnership will we collectively find meaningful answers. Today, Lilly announced the Lilly NCD Partnership. The goals of the program—
- Explore and research comprehensive models of care for people who have diabetes through partnership with leading global health organizations.
- Report as soon as possible about what we are finding so others can evaluate and replicate should they like and then advocate that the best answers and approaches be expanded.
Lilly has been involved with diabetes care for nearly 90 years and in that time we have been enriched by the people we serve. For the many we will never meet, our passion to find answers is fueled by our desire to make a significant contribution to humanity by improving global health in the 21st century. We are leveraging an increasing array of assets and expertise in this pursuit and the Lilly NCD Partnership is another step forward.
We are inspired by the complex NCD issue; we are honored to have a committed array of partners in Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa. I applaud and ask other organizations joining in the effort to find answers to the NCD issue to bring their full assets and expertise to bear so collectively we can help those we may never have the chance to meet but who await an answer.
About Tracy Sims: Tracy J. Sims is the Senior Advisor of Global Health Programs, and Vice-President of the Lilly Foundation at Eli Lilly and Company. Mr. Sims is responsible for leading strategy development and tactical implementation of Lilly’s global corporate responsibility programs. Mr. Sims oversees staff that is deployed globally in support of the global health strategy. Mr. Sims joined Lilly in 1995 and since has held several sales, marketing, corporate affairs, and strategy leadership roles. Prior to joining Lilly, Mr. Sims held positions with the American Diabetes Association. Mr. Sims is a member of the Board of Directors for the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, which focuses on improving the health status of youth in Indiana.
