TDR Reflects on 40 Years

In 1974, the 27th session of the World Health Assembly called for the "intensification of activities in tropical disease research" and the "strengthening of research and training activities", particularly in developing countries. By November of that year, TDR, the Special Programme in Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, was in operation. Their main principles were to promote and conduct research equitably, and to provide access to this knowledge and the resulting tools to the most vulnerable and hard to reach people. It has been 40 years since that initial start, and many lessons have since been learned. In this special collection of articles, former and current TDR staff provide their views on key challenges during the 40 year history, and explain how and why the approaches and work plans changed through time. As the needs in the countries evolved, so too has the Programme.

Image Credit: WHO/TDR/Andy Craggs