USAID's 50th Anniversary

The United States has a long history of helping people in need, in countries around the world. At times, this has meant helping a nation recover from a disaster or helping families access basic food and shelter to survive. In 1961, with Americans feeling increasing dissatisfaction with the foreign assistance structures that were currently in place, President John F. Kennedy reorganized U.S. foreign aid programs and created the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by executive order.

Since that time, USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty and engaging in democratic reforms. USAID focuses its investments on innovative, cost-effective solutions that save millions of lives and create the conditions so that assistance will no longer be needed, while ensuring that America's long-term national interests are served.

In this section, leading USAID officials speak with Impact Editor-in-Chief Marshall Stowell about the agency’s comprehensive approach to tackling the world’s most serious health challenges and its vision for creating sustainable health systems for future generations. PSI hopes the interviews below will further the global dialogue on the impact and importance of U.S. foreign assistance programs.

• Susan Brems, Ph.D., Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Global Health at USAID
• Amie Batson, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Global Health & USAID's Deputy of the Global Health Initiative
• Tim Ziemer, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator of the President's Malaria Initiative
• Richard Greene, Director of the Office of Health Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition at USAID
• Robert Clay, Director, Office of HIV/AIDS, Bureau for Global Health at USAID
• Scott Radloff, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health at USAID

Want to find out more about USAID's game-changing solutions that are saving lives and creating opportunities? Check out this series of infographics that spotlight USAID's innovative, cost-effective solutions that transform lives on behalf of the American people.

For more information, visit USAID's 50th Anniversary website.