Thankyou Debbie

Over the last seven years, Debbie Briggs has been synonymous with GARC for many in the rabies field. Her leadership has enabled a small organization to have international influence.

With a background in both human and animal rabies prevention and diagnosis, she had been a principal investigator on clinical trials, served on the WHO Expert Committee for rabies, and run a large rabies diagnostic laboratory, amongst other positions. Approaching retirement in 2006, she decided to make this experience benefit those who needed it most.

Realizing the hopelessness that the most afflicted communities face without help to prevent rabies, Debbie reached out to the world's other leading rabies experts to join her and use their knowledge and experience to help change the situation.

Starting with the premise that communities can help themselves if given the right information and tools, GARC has transformed the field of rabies prevention by raising awareness of this neglected disease and developing tools for communities to take ownership of and improve their own rabies prevention programs.

GARC’s novel initiatives developed under Debbie’s leadership showed enormous vision: the Partners for Rabies Prevention group; the World Rabies Day campaign; the pilot projects in Philippines and now Indonesia, and the Rabies Blueprint, and, above all, building a rabies community and giving it a voice. These projects were built by uniting everyone with a role to play in rabies control – from individuals in their village to international health organizations.  Her passion and ability to engage players at all of these different levels have been critical to GARC’s success.

Her work with GARC has been recognized by a Louis Pasteur Oratory Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for the Prevention and Control of Rabies in India. She was made a Purpose Prize Fellow in 2012, and in 2013 she led GARC to win at the UK Charity Awards in the category of Healthcare and Medical Research.

However, those working most directly with Debbie know that she is not one to sit admiring her trophies on a shelf. We learned from her in depth rabies knowledge and her experience in the field, but also found out how much the personal stories motivated her – of village women in India empowered to help their communities, of the tragedy of losing a child to rabies. Whilst she is quoting GARC’s successes in statistics, she is thinking of each individual person in those numbers, empowered to save their life or that of others through access to information about rabies. For many, many people in the rabies field, Debbie has been a valuable colleague, a strong advocate for rabies control and above all a friend.

As her coworkers in GARC, we thank Debbie for her immense commitment to GARC over the last seven years, we allow her a little time off for relaxation and to pursue her other interests and talents, but we also look forward to continuing to work with her as she remains an integral part of GARC, serving on the board of directors.

Thank you Debbie.