Indian American quits Bush administration

The George W Bush presidency has a year to go, but the exodus of administration officials continues.

A week that saw senior Department of State official Nicholas Burns walk away to private pastures has also seen the resignation of Dr Rajeev Venkayya, special assistant to President George W Bush and senior director for bio-defense on the Homeland Security Council.

Venkayya, who announced that he will join the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, becomes the second Indian American to walk away, following close on the heels of Karan Bhatia, who resigned as deputy United States trade representative in October.

Venkayya, a physician by training and coordinator of US government medical and public health efforts the one to prepare for a potential influenza pandemic, will move from Washington, DC to Seattle, Washington, where he will serve as director of Global Health Delivery in the Gates Foundation's Global Health Program.

He will oversee the Gates Foundation's efforts to help expand the availability of, and access to, effective vaccines, drugs, and other health solutions in the developing world.

He will also lead efforts to prepare for delivery of future health solutions.

The program's president Dr Tachi Yamada said, 'A number of important health interventions currently in late-state development could be on the market in the next several years, and we want to ensure that these life-saving solutions reach those who need them most.

 'Rajeev brings a wealth of experience as both a physician and senior health policy strategist, and we are fortunate to have him heading our efforts in this area.'

The Global Health Delivery team coordinates late-stage development of foundation-funded health technologies and interventions through clinical trials and regulatory approval.

The team also identifies ways to ensure adequate financing to purchase vaccines and drugs, strengthen health supply and distribution systems, address shortage of health workers, and increase public awareness about health.

"Every year, millions of people in poor countries die from preventable causes because they do not receive basic health services taken for granted in rich countries," Venkayya, 40, told rediff.com.

"I look forward to working with the Foundation's grantees and partners to address this critical challenge."

He said during his four years with the Bush administration, his objective was to get "a number of initiatives out the door, which we were able to get done before I left. And, so, it was the right time to turn the reins over to somebody else, with a fresh set of eyes and mind and energy, frankly."

His new post at the Foundation has been created specially for him; Venkayya said it "made for a perfect fit" with the work he had been doing in the administration.

Global Health Delivery is the latest in five teams within the Foundation's Global Health Program. The others are Global Health Discovery, Infectious Diseases Development, Integrated Health Solutions Development, and Global Health Policy and Advocacy.

Venkayya, born in Buffalo, New York, had joined the administration in October 2003; prior to that, he had served as an advisor to the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is an alumnus of the White House Fellows Program (Class of 2002-2003).

Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program is America's most prestigious program for leadership and public service. Fellows typically spend a year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House staff, the vice president, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials.

Among the distinguished alumni are former Secretary of State Colin Powell (Class of 1972-1973), former National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane (Class of 1971-1972), and CNN's senior medical correspondent and neuro-surgeon at Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr Sanjay Gupta (Class of 1997-1998).

Venkayya's parents -- father Vipperla is a retired aerospace engineer who was with the US Air Force, and mother Janaki is an independent businesswoman who is still active — hail from East Godavari District and Hyderabad respectively and live in Ohio. He has one sibling – younger sister Arundhati, who also lives in Dayton, Ohio.