I don't know how he does it but Dr. @paimadhu rapidly cranked out this wonderful piece featuring me and an all-star roster of amazing colleagues reacting to the welcome decision that the US is not leaving @WHO after all. So nice to read some good news! https://www.forbes.com/sites/madhukarpai/2021/01/20/as-america-engages-with-who-again-an-overwhelming-sense-of-relief-and-hope/?sh=617d2d38c756

“We're hardly at the end of this road but coming back to the table globally at WHO and elsewhere is a heartening mile marker. Now the work begins."

-Dr. @globalgamechngr (Loyce Pace)

“It's a breath of fresh air...It’s the beginning of bringing back public health diplomacy and showing, not telling, that the US will be collaborative and cooperative to combat this pandemic head on with our international public health partners,”

-Dr. @syramadad

"Public health knows no boundaries, and it is foolish to imagine that we can fight a global pandemic - or any health problem - alone."

-Dr. @meganranney

"We should’ve never left. I think leaving is at least partly to blame for the amount of mistrust some subsets of the American people have developed with respect to the WHO, which has been especially challenging to combat in the middle of a pandemic."

-Dr. @maiamajumder

"We need to reinforce the foundation of our global health architecture if we are going to prevent the next pandemic. Covid-19 was the first pandemic of the 21st century but it won’t be the last."

-Dr. @chngin_the_wrld (Steffanie Strathdee)

"The US has returned to the global table. One of the many tragedies of the Trump administration was its turn away from multilateralism and towards nationalism. It’s symbolically so powerful to see President Biden reinstate these ties in his first day in office."

-Dr. @GYamey

"I’m very relieved that there will now be a focused response to the pandemic in the US and rejoining the WHO will be a critical part of that. Hearing Biden’s speech was a breath of fresh air. I think many people had forgotten what leadership sounds like."

-Dr. @jenkinshelen

"We can benefit from collaborations and understand what other countries have learned in the fight against Covid-19."

-Dr. @KrutikaKuppalli

"Being a member state of WHO is utterly essential. It is a recommitment to multilateralism but it's even more than that: WHO needs someone going into fight for them, someone willing to fight the big political battles..."

-Dr. @alexandraphelan

"We’ve continued to work with our WHO colleagues on coordinating Covid-19 responses and much more, like saving the lives of moms and babies around the world. Now we no longer have to pretend that we’re not working with our WHO colleagues."

-Dr. @laurahoemeke

"It's not going to magically fix the pandemic but I think it's good. It shows we're contributing to global solutions, we're signaling that we want to collaborate on global health, not just nationalizing our response."

-Me

"Rejoining WHO is critically important, particularly as a horrible pandemic is affecting the globe. WHO is the one global public health agency and the US had an important role to play in being a partner in its response."

-Dr. @CarlosdelRio7

"By rejoining WHO, US can support the organization responsible for guiding public health guidelines globally."

-Dr. @NathanLo3579

"It not only signals our investment in science and public health, but also global partnerships critical for responding to pandemics and building sustainable programs like genomic surveillance and pandemic prevention."

-Dr. @SaskiaPopescu

"Engaging fully with the WHO, and other world bodies, is part of the social contract that nation states have to abide by. It is the core of multilateral engagements in global health. I am excited that the US will continue to be part of the WHO."

-Dr. @shaileyprasad