CDC Foundation and George W. Bush Institute to Partner in $3.6 Million Grant to Address Global Cervical Cancer

The CDC Foundation and the George W. Bush Institute today announced a new partnership to help stem the tide of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries based on a $3.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant, managed by the CDC Foundation, will enable the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to work with the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon® initiative to improve the monitoring and evaluation of cervical cancer screening and treatment programs.

“More than half a million women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, mostly in low- and middle-income countries,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “We can improve programs to screen and treat women, better understand what works to prevent cervical cancer, and save lives.” CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and Center for Global Health will collaborate on the implementation of this project, working with other global partners. While cervical cancer is preventable and treatable, it is the number one cancer killer of women in sub-Saharan Africa and second-most common cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon leverages the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), created under President George W. Bush in 2003, to integrate cervical cancer prevention—including increased access to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, cervical cancer screenings and treatment, as well as cancer education in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Organizing members of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership include the Bush Institute, PEPFAR, Susan G. Komen®, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), along with other private and public partners.

"The Bush Institute operates upon deeply held principles that every life is precious, and that to whom much is given, much is required,” said Margaret Spellings, president of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. “We are proud of the results Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon has already produced, but there’s still important work to be done. The generous support of the Gates Foundation will enable us to more efficiently address the life-saving work of screening and treating cervical cancer.”

The primary activities of this two-year grant include:

• The conduct of rapid baseline situational assessments with reports and strategic consultations with countries to process the results and develop recommendations for improved monitoring and evaluation; and
• The development of global standards, tools and guidance for surveillance and information systems for cervical cancer.

Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are linked to persistent infection with HPV. The disproportionate burden of cervical cancer is highest in countries where effective screening, diagnosis, and treatment is limited or absent. In several Western countries, where screening programs that have been linked to effective treatment have long been established, cervical cancer rates have decreased by as much as 65 percent.

“Central to advancing public health is not only defining and monitoring the problem but also strengthening the data and tools we have to address it,” said Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “We are pleased to work with these global partners on this effort that will ultimately help improve the lives of women in low- and middle-income countries.”

About the George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute, founded by President and Mrs. Bush in 2009, is a public policy center in Dallas with the mission of advancing freedom by expanding opportunities for individuals at home and across the globe. Built on principles that guided the Bushes in public life, the Bush Institute uses leading research to develop and implement policies that offer practical solutions to pressing problems in the United States and abroad. The Bush Institute engages in the following areas: economic growth, education reform, global health, human freedom, military service initiative and women’s initiative. For more information, please visit http://www.bushcenter.org.