Update: The David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture that was originally scheduled for October 7 (then postponed because of the shutdown) has been re-scheduled for December 2, 10:30-11:30 am. 

Bill Gates, co-chair and trustee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver the annual lecture, “Why the Future Needs Biomedical Innovation,” in Masur Auditorium (Building 10) on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.  The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and the Fogarty International Center cosponsor the annual lecture series. 

Known for his philanthropy, Mr. Gates advocates for research and innovation to help people live healthy and productive lives. He is also an outspoken supporter of federal investment in basic scientific research.

In 2000, he and his wife Melinda established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve international public health through the development of vaccines, therapies, diagnostics, agricultural products, and other technologies and to partner with the private and public sectors to ensure that these technologies can be delivered successfully to the people who need them. In the United States, the Gates Foundation supports innovations that improve public education. To date, the Gates Foundation has invested $27.6 billion in grants.

The Gates Foundation also partners with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) to support global health research. Through this collaboration, ongoing programs are studying diseases such as malaria, enteric infections, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, as well as training researchers and medical personnel in the developing world.

For those who cannot make it to NIH, Masur Auditorium, in the Clinical Center, it is being webcast: www.videocast.nih.gov