A Tribute to Dr. Bill Foege, a Hero of Global Health

In These Times with Bill Nigut · Jun 6, 2026 · 51m

Four months ago on January 24, Dr. Bill Foege, widely considered to be one of the giants of global public health, died at age 89. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Foege developed the strategy that eradicated smallpox. For that and much more, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Although his health was in a steady decline, especially in the months before his death, Dr. Foege agreed to join us for an episode of In These Times just 12 days before his death. We asked him to talk about his remarkable life and career. He also issued a stark warning about…