Remarks

Signing Ceremony
Protea

Right Honorable Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Speaker of Parliament,
Honorable Dr. Christine J.D. Ondoa, Minister of Health,
Executive Director of the Global Health Initiative, Ms. Lois Quam,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
All protocols observed,

Good afternoon.
I am pleased to see so many friends and colleagues in the room today. This is probably one of the largest gatherings of senior Ugandan health officials this year. 

Your presence, your time, your support, clearly shows the importance the Government of Uganda gives to improving the health and wellbeing of Ugandans, particularly women and children.  Thank you for coming.

Now it is my honor to welcome Ms. Lois Quam, the Executive Director of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative and the senior official in charge of all U.S. international assistance in the health sector. 

She has been charged with implementing a bold new approach for America’s health policy – a new initiative for how we advance our humanitarian values and strengthen our partnerships with countries in global health, with emphasis on the health of women, newborns and children. 
Ms. Quam's distinguished career spans the private and public sectors with remarkable leadership and management experience.  She spent 17 years at UnitedHealth Group in the State of Minnesota where she helped build the company into one of the fastest growing health-care organizations in the United States, and led the formation and growth of United’s public and seniors businesses.  She chaired the Minnesota Health Care Access Commission, where her work led to the creation of a new legislation and MinnesotaCare, a health plan that covers thousands of Minnesotans.  She then took her health care reform experience to the national level, serving as a senior advisor to First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1993 and 1994. 
At Pipar Jaffray, a U.S. investment banking firm, Ms. Quam enhanced the company’s leadership in health care and emerging alternative energy and clean technology sector.  She later became the founder and chief executive officer of Tysvar, a privately held, Minnesota-based strategic advisory firm, to continue her work on clean technology and health care.
Throughout her life, Ms. Quam has been a leading advocate for universal health care reform, especially in rural and underserved areas. We are honored to have her here with us today and look forward with great anticipation to hearing her remarks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Executive Director of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative, Ms. Lois Quam.