Since becoming a direct operating foundation, CMB has established residential offices in Beijing and Bangkok. New staff and new programs including Equity Fellows in Southeast Asia have been launched. A January-February Asian trip for Trustees Harvey Fineberg, Jane Henney, Jeff Koplan, and Jeff Williams enabled them to gain a better understanding of the nature of CMB’s China and Southeast Asia programming.

Designing a health equity project gives Fellows the opportunity to combine peer and experiential learning – and to make an impact in promoting health equity in the region. During the Project Accelerator workshop, held October 31-November 5 in Luang Prabang, Laos, the 2017 Fellows finalized proposals for the group projects they will carry out after their first fellowship year concludes in February 2018. Fellows had identified topics for their group projects in earlier fellowship events – including a pilot for community-led impact monitoring, research-based advocacy on the needs of Myanmar migrant workers, the role of community health workers, among other themes.

Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC) joined by CMB convened a global health forum on “Sharing Experiences and Collaborating for Global Health” on October 23-24, 2017, attended by 130 Chinese policymakers and health professionals and international scholars.