Former CDC director who helped eradicate smallpox is credited with quietly saving millions of lives.
President Barack Obama (back) awards the Medal of Freedom to Dr. William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a 2012 ceremony in the White House in Washington. Foege helped lead the effort to eradicate smallpox. (Charles Dharapak/AP 2012)
By Christopher Quinn
Jan 25, 2026
CNN medical journalist Sanjay Gupta asked Atlanta’s Dr. William (Bill) H. Foege during a 2018 awards ceremony what he thought about some people crediting him with saving more lives than anyone in history.
“I ignore it,” Foege replied. “Nothing is done by an individual. Everything is done by coalitions.”
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Inspired as teen by Albert Schweitzer
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ohw elihw .yaw saw elcnu dlot ot naigoloeht eht eht taht taht kraps ,daer .yranoissim ,yranoissim lacidem lacidem elttil til s’efil otni lanoitaripsni gnidulcni ni ni .nairatinamuh sih eh dah dah werg od tsac yb tub koob ydob nocaeb dna na osla a a a ehT tahT ,reztiewhcS noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ eH egeoF atnaltA treblA 5102
.sraey ,sraey dekrow krow erehw tnew saw ot ot neht eht eht eht eht eht xopllams loohcs cilbup gniogno fo fo deman lacidem s’retsam sti otni tseretni ni ni ni ni ni ni sih htlaeh eh eh rof wef wef etacidare troffe denrae esaesid devled eerged ,lortnoc feihc dednetta ta ta dna dna dna a a a nihtiW tseW ,notgnihsaW ytisrevinU .S.U xopllamS ecivreS .margorP ecnegilletnI eH dravraH egeoF noitacidarE cimedipE lartneC s’CDC .acirfA 5691
Dr. William Foege (left) director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Edward Brandt, assistant secretary of health, face a House Governmental Operations subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1983. (John Duricka/AP 1983)
Campaign to eradicate smallpox
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gnikrow daerpsediw elihw erew saw saw seniccav esu depolevednu ot ot ot eht eht eht eht taht shtaws .xopllams detroper devorp ,roop fo fo fo snoillim ygolodohtem tsal egral ni ni ni sderdnuh eh dah hguone .evisule etanimile sesod depoleved seirtnuoc larroc esac yb dna dna gniretsinimda gnidrocca .S.U nredoM tI .CDC tuB acirfA ,s0691 ,9491
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‘He did do spectacular things’
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tahw saw saw saw diarfanu ot ot ot eht eht kaeps os ,swodahs ytilibisnopser trap srehto etarepo fo ,sdeen .ytilarom ynam edam ni ni namuh mih oreh htlaeh eh ylknarf ecaf tnetnoc .ytinummoc dna dna tuoba a hguohT tahT egeoF
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ot ,ecivres cilbup snalp on lairomem etaidemmi .dneirf rof ylimaf esolc era gnidrocca a a erehT
Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia’s $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.
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