EPISODE · Feb 11, 2026 · 1H 30M
The Jodidi Lecture with Atul Gawande / The Mechanics of Public Man-Made Death: USAID’s Destruction At One Year
from Weatherhead Events · host Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University
Speaker Atul Gawande, John and Cyndy Fish Chair in Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Samuel O. Thier Professor of the Practice of Surgery, Harvard Medical School; writer, The New Yorker. Chair Erez Manela, Acting Center Director (2025–2026); Director, Graduate Student Programs; Faculty Associate. Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, Department of History, Harvard University. All events hosted or sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Events here are also available to watch on video at our YouTube channel. Follow the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs:Weatherhead Center WebsiteEpicenter WebsiteFacebookLinkedInInstagramBlueskySimplecastYouTube
Embed this episode
What this episode covers
The Trump Administration’s abrupt dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has triggered a wave of already hundreds of thousands of deaths, mostly of children, around the world. Atul Gawande—former leader of global health at the agency—draws on data, historical parallels, and on-the-ground fact-finding to reveal how gains against malnutrition, infectious disease, and child mortality are being rapidly reversed. Gawande argues that this is a case of “public man-made death,” and calls for accountability and renewed commitment to lifesaving global health efforts.
Ready to play
The Jodidi Lecture with Atul Gawande / The Mechanics of Public Man-Made Death: USAID’s Destruction At One Year
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.