United to Beat Malaria

?? I was honored to represent New York in the United to Beat Malaria Leadership Summit this week, meeting with congressional staff to advocate for U.S. leadership in the global fight against malaria. Though my day-to-day is spent running multiple companies, I believe deeply in taking time to serve our communities — and our world — however I can. Public service like this reminds me why we do the work we do, and how interconnected our futures truly are, and I was so pleased that I could enlist my son to join and participate this year during his spring break. We championed continued support for transformative programs like the President’s Malaria Initiative, The Global Fund, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — not just for their life-saving impact, but for their strategic importance. These initiatives: ? Save lives and build health equity ? Protect U.S. armed forces stationed in malaria-endemic regions ? Strengthen global health security ? Counter China’s growing influence by positioning the U.S. as a partner of choice through soft diplomacy and investment in health systems Global health is not just a humanitarian cause — it’s a strategic investment in a safer, more stable world. #UnitedToBeatMalaria #GlobalHealthSecurity #SoftPower #NationalSecurity #TheGlobalFund #PMI #Gavi #MalariaNoMore #ForeignPolicy #USLeadership #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #ChinaInfluence #SmartPower #socialimpact Patrick Sieyes Margaret McDonnell Maegan Cross

So grateful for the chance to join again this year! Malaria is both preventable and treatable, and with continued support and collaboration, we can see it gone within our generation.

Thank you to Gates Foundation, SC Johnson, Novartis Global Health, and Vestergaard for sponsoring this year's Leadership Summit! With their partnership, we educated our #BeatMalaria champions and highlighted to Congress how malaria programs are lifesaving, cost-effective, and strategic investments that keep all of us safer.??? ?? ??

It was a great experience representing Nevada with the UNLV PARAVEC team at the United to Beat Malaria to Beat Malaria Leadership Summit 2025 in D.C. We advocated on Capitol Hill for life-saving malaria and global health programs. Thank you to United to Beat Malaria for the invite—and to everyone fighting for a healthier world. Together, we can beat malaria! #UnitedToBeatMalaria #GlobalHealth #UNLVPARAVEC #Nevada #EndMalaria #Malaria

When I immigrated to Texas at the age of 11, I never imagined I’d one day walk through the halls of U.S. Congress to advocate for what I believe is right. El Salvador is known as “The Country of Smiles,” where its values have taught me about the sanctity of life—because without life, we have no more Constitutional rights. This past January, I was laid off from my role as a Program Analyst in the Office of HIV/AIDS at USAID. Every choice I’ve made over the past decade has been in service of this ideal. It was the greatest honor of my life to work toward the eradication of #HIVAIDS. #PEPFAR has been the most significant contribution by any government to end a disease in the history of humankind. It is not often that we get to do so much for so many with so little. What amazes me most are the statistics. A child dies from HIV every hour, and a child dies from malaria every minute. When Americans are asked how much we should spend on foreign aid, they say around 10%. Yet, we actually spend less than 1%. Some argue that #PEPFAR is overfunded—but in my view, everything else, including #PMI, is actually underfunded. When I spoke to congressional offices, I shared my work with the Pediatric & Maternal HIV Branch (PMB). My colleagues were like the Avengers—each with a unique and superhuman ability. They are the most intelligent and compassionate individuals I’ve ever had the honor to work with. As professionals, they taught me how to do so much with so little. As people, they taught me about kindness. Their common denominator was their love for children. When I think about children, I think about my 3 year old niece Arlette who was diagnosed with leukemia. I think about the strength of her parents. I think about the future she deserves. And I cannot fathom what parents must feel in other parts of the world when their children die from HIV or malaria. I shared about Arlette because her constitutional right to life must be protected—and so must the right of millions of innocent children around the world. Even though these past few weeks have been some of the most difficult in my life, I recognize I am privileged. I have friends and family who care for me, who understand me. Thank you to United to Beat Malaria and to the United Nations Foundation—to Maegan Cross, Leander Vergara, Oumoul B., and Executive Director Margaret McDonnell. Because of you, I was able to reconnect with my colleagues, to hug them, to cry with them, and to grieve. Thank you for creating an inclusive environment, and for your incredible generosity. — The song “Sombrero Azul” was written in honor of the resilient spirit of Salvadorans during the Civil War. I was born six years after that period of armed conflict, and I’ve always wondered how my people survived such immense suffering. As a Salvadoran American, I hold on to its words: “Even though progress is slow, it's still progress. Keep going.” I am human. I am not perfect, and I know so little. But still—I will keep going.

This past week, I had the privilege of joining advocates from across the country at United to Beat Malaria's leadership summit in Washington DC. Malaria is a treatable and preventable disease, and I am dedicated to eradicating it in my generation. I had the opportunity to share my talking points on stage at the summit ahead of meeting with our representatives in Congress, and I will be participating in the Move Against Malaria 5K with other members of the Lamb Lab for World Malaria Day on April 25! Please consider donating (or joining!) to my team! https://lnkd.in/eNPRYCYq

Over the weekend, I had the profound honor of engaging with policy makers from the house and senate and across all political parties. As a public health professional, policy is a big determinant in how many people and how much access we have to healthcare. As a United to Beat Malaria advocate, this is very close to me. One of my research papers was on Malaria and the impact of the disease on pregnant women and prenatal care. In 2023, there were around 263 million people that had contracted malaria and 94% of those cases were in sub Saharan Africa. Malaria is a disease that has cure readily available, we need to ensure that it accessible to people everywhere. Malaria doesn’t know any borders and neither should the cure. It is more important now that we continue funding for research, treatment, prevention strategies and education for Malaria. It takes less than 1% of the total US budget to ensure continued funding for Malaria, Measles, HIV and contribute to Gavi, PMI, UNICEF and more. Thank you to the offices of LaMonica McIver Mikie Sherrill for Governor Rob Menendez Bonnie Watson Coleman and the offices of Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim for meeting with us and allowing us a space to advocate for continue funding for Malaria. A huge thank you to United to Beat Malaria for this honor. Together we can #beatmalaria

The #BeatMalaria Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, is one of the most inspiring events on the malaria calendar. As global health faces a moment of recalibration, we really shouldn’t have to ask whose lives matter most. Silence is not an option. This week, we held 178 meetings with Capitol Hill lawmakers, reinforcing the bipartisan support malaria has enjoyed for decades. The economic case for malaria elimination resonated strongly in every office we visited: ?? Eradicating malaria could unlock $12 trillion in economic benefits. ?? Reducing malaria by 90% by 2030 could boost global trade by $80 billion. ? Increasing investments in next-gen bed nets could prevent 1 billion cases and save 1.3 million lives by 2030. As Congress reviews fiscal year 2026 appropriations, maintaining level funding of $795 million for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and $2 billion for The Global Fund will make the world safer, stronger, and more prosperous. ?? And if that's not enough, remember: the mosquito is the deadliest creature on Earth. Last year, 597,000 pregnant women and children under five died from malaria—a preventable and treatable disease. I can’t thank the United to Beat Malaria team enough for your exceptional passion, perseverance, and urgency in this fight! #EndMalaria #GlobalHealth #SaferStrongerMoreProsperous Margaret McDonnell Chris Moore Harsh Y. Patel Maegan Cross Lama Khachab Candice Woods Emile Dawisha Leander Vergara Alison Oliveira Wheeler Patricia Isabel Sanchez Bao Peter Yeo

Daniel Ufere, Strategic Partnerships Manager, SC Johnson Healthier World Initiative, speaking at the 2025 Beat Malaria Leadership Summit: "SC Johnson Guardian? spatial repellents were designed with end users in mind. The product is simply hung up inside a home and is able to provide protection for up to 12 months." #beatmalaria