Networking in the United States

Dr Niresh Bhagwandin of the MRC's Business Development division recently undertook a study tour of the USA on invitation from the US Department of State's prestigious International Visitor Leadership Programme

The International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVP) seeks to build mutual understanding between the United States and other nations through carefully-designed professional visits to the US for current and emerging foreign leaders.

Each year, participants from all over the world are selected by the US embassies in their respective countries to meet and confer with their professional counterparts in the US. Nearly two hundred current and former heads of government and state, as well as many other distinguished world leaders in the public and private sectors, have participated in the programme thus far.

During his study tour, Dr Bhagwandin visited Washington DC, Boston, San Francisco, Iowa City and Atlanta. His goal was to learn from the experiences of American organisations charged with developing and implementing national disease prevention programmes, similar to those undertaken by the MRC.

Dr Bhagwandin met with administrators, policy makers and researchers to discuss best practice in the areas of proposal development, programme management and fund-raising as they apply to the fight against the major diseases. He also discussed methods and strategies for fund-raising from public and private sources, and ethical issues related to fund-raising and medical research.

"The schedule of visits was very hectic - I had an average of three meetings a day," said Dr Bhagwandin. Fortunately, he didn't have to travel alone: "I was privileged to be accompanied throughout the trip by an official of the US Department of State," he said.

"I was also proud to be able to inform the organisations I visited about the aims and objectives of the National Programme of Research in AIDS that is being proposed by the MRC. In turn, I had the opportunity to see examples of health-related outreach programmes in the US."

In San Francisco, Dr Bhagwandin was a guest of honour at the Citizen Diplomacy Host Evening of the International Diplomacy Council of San Francisco. "While enjoying the evening friends and members of the council, I was introduced to the audience by the chairperson of the council. He then caught me off guard by handing over the podium and asking me to speak about my purpose and experiences in the US. I remembered standing there, with all eyes focused on me as I spoke about the HIV/ AIDS pandemic in South Africa. It was the highlight of my visit."

But it was not all work and no fun. "I was invited to enjoy the hospitality of several homes, which gave me an understanding of what life is like for ordinary Americans. I also attended a major baseball match in Atlanta and enjoyed the US independence day celebrations as well."

Dr Bhagwandin says he has made valuable contacts during his visit, which will be professionally useful. "On the whole, the trip was hugely rewarding," he said.

From left to right: at the Citizen's Diplomacy host evening, a briefing with the US State Department, and a visit at an AIDS orphanage in Boston.