Today, my ARPA-H colleagues and I celebrate our first 100 Days together. I am immensely proud and energized by the phenomenal progress we have made as a young agency since I was sworn in on October 11, 2022, as ARPA-H’s inaugural director.

We are a spirited organization, always seeking to move beyond the status quo. We are building a detailed framework to accelerate high-impact solutions to the most challenging of health problems. At ARPA-H, technical excellence, deep curiosity, and a commitment to diversity and equity are essential pieces of every strategy, big idea, and agency priority that we set. I am deeply grateful to lead such a visionary agency comprised of multitalented people all committed to serving the American people.

Starting up a federal agency involves examining every decision and determining whether it can support our mission to accelerate better health outcomes for everyone, from budget to contracts to engagement to strategic planning. We’re looking at best practices from across both the government and industry to make sure we’re positioning ARPA-H Program Managers to hit the ground running, ready and supported in establishing the most ambitious and innovative programs to tackle the hardest of public health problems. Most importantly, we are creating a culture that encourages creativity and risk-taking so that not only our Program Managers, but all of our teams, can challenge the status quo, and even fail sometimes (but dust off and pick right back up!).

And while we celebrate this 100 Day Milestone today, we are just getting started! We will continue to build the agency through hiring dynamic Program Managers (more on that coming soon); building mutual understanding of the ARPA-H process and the most urgent needs of patients through dozens of meetings with diverse stakeholders; and advancing our mission by launching ARPA-hard programs that address the public health challenges affecting our communities.

A Few 100-Day Achievements:

• We are LIVE – The ARPA-H website and social media channels are vibrant and always engaging. We are excited to be starting conversations with the American people – including an in-person launch at Howard University last fall – that will carry into our recruitment and program discussions. Check out my conversation with Howard University’s Senior Vice President of Health Affairs, Dr. Hugh Mighty, about ARPA-H and its process, priorities, and commitment to equity!
• We are hiring – We are reviewing hundreds of candidates in the Program Manager pipeline — all of whom represent an expansive range of expertise on a diversity of topics! And we’re building an A-team of staff across our agency, all with a deep passion to drive our mission forward. Interested in joining the ARPA-H team? Learn more about career opportunities here.
• We are listening and turning what we learn into action – The agency is building strong relationships with partners across a broad spectrum of interests and specialties – we’ve met with innovation hub communities, intragovernmental partners, members of Congress, universities, companies, private investors, patients, patient advocacy organizations and professional associations. To connect with ARPA-H, write to us here or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter!

And the list goes on!

Thank you to my ARPA-H colleagues for making my first 100 days impactful, invigorating, and full of optimism for the future of our agency and of health. It is an honor to be ARPA-H’s first director, and I am proud to work toward such a crucial mission. Together, we are accelerating better health outcomes for everyone.

Here’s to the next 100 days — and beyond!