START Commemorates Successful 5th Year of Collaboration with the Gates Foundation

On May 19, 2016, Strategic Analysis, Research & Training Center students, faculty and staff gathered at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to celebrate a productive and impactful academic year.  This annual celebration has become a much-anticipated tradition, providing a time to reflect on the University of Washington’s Partnership Programs’ contributions to the foundation over the last year and look ahead to future collaboration and achievement.  The START team was joined by peers from three other UW Partnership Programs, housed in the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, the Foster School of Business, and the College of Education.

Opening remarks were provided by Miguel Veiga-Pestana, the foundation’s Chief Communications Officer, and Trevor Mundel, President of the foundation’s Global Health Division. The two of them, and along with BMGF Global Programs UW relationship manager, Saara Romu, and foundation Program Officers, spent the remainder of the evening connecting with students and faculty. Dr. Mundel, whose programmatic teams are among those who engage START on projects, gave high praise to START and its impact, citing a recent work order featured at a BMGF Healthy Birth, Growth and Development convening that captured the attention of Bill Gates himself.

During the 2015-2016 academic year, START completed 16 Research Requests for Gates Foundation Program and Strategy teams, with 11 currently underway. During this same time, 17 Research Assistants, including four Global Innovation Fellows from the Foster School of Business, have gained valuable training and mentorship through START’s model.