A message from Schmidt Global Health CEO John Redd

Dear Friends,

Schmidt Global Health made its debut today, with an announcement by Eric and Wendy Schmidt. This nonprofit is working toward a healthy world for all by connecting public health officials and systems worldwide to monitor health conditions, identify emerging threats, and respond quickly and collectively to emergencies. 

Schmidt Global represents an evolution of our work at the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC). The success of SILC—in which many of you played a role—inspired us to think bigger, particularly as the world of public health underwent tectonic shifts in 2025. 

With catalytic support from Eric and Wendy, our team began to explore how SILC’s model—of communicating, collaborating, researching and responding to illness, all with the latest technology—might apply more broadly to help shape a resilient global public health system.  

We made a series of grants starting in mid-2025 to inform our approach. We preserved an essential database of Ebola statistics, symptoms, and treatments—as well as key jobs at WHO that were at risk due to funding cuts—before the current outbreak began. We provided funding for fellowships for early career epidemiologists and supported WHO’s Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) platform. We responded to a measles outbreak in the U.S. and supported epi training in the Pacific Islands. And we strengthened public health monitoring in the U.S. ahead of the 2026 World Cup. 

Through these efforts and others, we’re connecting a wider community committed to a resilient future for global public health at a time of immense need worldwide. We are excited to continue to partner with you as we work together to strengthen our public health systems and achieve a healthy world for all. 

We invite you to learn more at schmidtglobalhealth.org. If you’re in Berlin for the World Health Summit, please join us at 11 a.m. CEST on Tuesday, Oct. 13 to hear directly from Wendy about the role of philanthropy and technology in global public health and to join a panel discussion I will moderate with several Schmidt Global Health grantees about the use of technology in public health and in developing the next generation of public health leaders. You can also tune into a livestream of both Wendy’s remarks and our panel here. 

Thank you for your support and partnership,

John

John Redd, MD, MPH, FACP
Chief Executive Officer