Posted on September 14, 2005

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Gates Foundation Global Health Director Resigns

Dr. Richard Klausner, director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's global health program, has resigned his position and announced that he will launch a new venture in Seattle, the Seattle Times reports.

According to Klausner, the move was unrelated to an earlier Times story which reported that the Government Accountability Office had begun looking into his role in a $40 million contract awarded to Harvard University when he was director of the National Cancer Institute. While Harvard was being considered for the contract, Klausner was under consideration for two jobs at the university, including its presidency. Although neither position was offered to him, soon after leaving NCI in the fall of 2001 Klausner joined the board of a for-profit Boston company co-founded by the Harvard researcher who had won the NCI contract.

"This is an unfortunate coincidence of timing," said Joe Cerrell, director of global health advocacy for the Gates Foundation. "The decision has been in the process for some time now." Cerrell added that Klausner and foundation president Patty Stonesifer had mutually agreed that it was time for a change in leadership. "While he is a brilliant scientist and a visionary, Rick and the president decided the program was at a point where it could benefit from new vision," Cerrell said.

Klausner told the Times that he is not ready to announce his new venture except to say it will be based in Seattle. "It will be here where I won't have to travel all the time."

Mundy, Alicia. “Congress Investigating Gates Foundation Exec.” Seattle Times 9/09/05.

King, Warren. Mundy, Alicia. “Gates Foundation Exec Quits.” Seattle Times 9/13/05.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Location(s): Seattle, Washington

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