An Inside View of Health in Kenya

As we write this, the Commission on Smart Global Health Policy is traversing Kenya.

The Commission went to Africa to witness first-hand the outcomes of U.S. investment in global health, as well as the challenges that remain. And thousands more observers are following along, because the Commission is offering an unprecedented level of openness and transparency. That's why Blue State Digital was brought in: to create a new kind of website for a new kind of Commission.

The phrase "blue ribbon commission" often suggests a cadre of experts dreaming up Big Ideas in an ivory tower. But that's not what the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) had in mind when they convened the Commission on Smart Global Health Policy. CSIS is one of the world's preeminent international policy institutions, with a network of thousands of experts. And the Commission they assembled is a veritable who's who of global health, foreign policy, and national security experts.

Yet these days, more Americans than ever have on-the-ground experience with global health. CSIS understood that a 21st century think tank needs a way to tap into that grassroots expertise. SmartGlobalHealth.org is the nexus for that community to come together. Through the site, the Commission is soliciting questions and ideas about how to make U.S. investments in global health more effective and efficient - input that will inform and improve the Commission's final report to be released in January 2010.

BSD also notes with pride that founding partner Joe Rospars sits on the Commission, alongside such luminaries as former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, former CentCom Commander Admiral William J. Fallon (ret.), President and CEO of CARE Helene Gayle, and many others.

During the three days of the Commission's trip to Kenya, we're helping CSIS flood the site with exciting news, from first-hand observations to deeper thoughts to snapshots of the places they've visited. Commissioner and Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) has been making headlines as he Twitters live from Africa on his Blackberry. Sample tweet: "Kismumu: talking w/ orphans and vulnerable children of HIV/AIDS scourge. Resilience!"

And as the Commissioners digest what they've seen over the coming weeks, expect to see more extensive analysis as well as videos from the BSD team that's capturing it all on film. It's all part of the broader effort to bring home the issue of global health and why it matters to average Americans.

Keep watching for more ways to participate as the Commission sharpens its focus on more specifics, and enlists more and more grassroots experts on global health. If you're one of them, this is your chance to make a difference.