Every day, Treatment Action Group’s (TAG) TB team wakes up looking forward to contributing towards ending a global health crisis. At TAG, that’s the reality for our dedicated teams fighting to end the pandemics of HIV, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis (TB). What does our work look like in action? Here we step into a day in the life of our TB program co- directors, Mike Frick and Lindsay McKenna, who have both been at TAG for 12 years, to see how their advocacy for better TB research and policy — made possible by your support — are driving meaningful change to save lives and empower communities affected by TB.
Lindsay and Mike introduce the campaign.
6:00 AM – RISE AND SHINE: THE DAY BEGINS
The sun is barely up, but Mike is already in motion. Mike fuels up with a quick cup of coffee and a light breakfast. No time to linger — he’s got early calls to prep for.
7:00 AM – EARLY MORNING, GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
When you work with partners across time zones, early and late calls are part of the deal. Today, Mike is leading a virtual presentation, bringing together global partners to discuss the latest TB vaccine trials and how civil society can gear up for new TB vaccine policy planning. With exciting developments in the TB Vaccines Pipeline Report — including promising candidates in late-stage trials — the conversation is all about informing global advocates about the latest scientific developments.
Learn more about the latest TB vaccine research here: TAG’s TB Vaccines Pipeline Report.
While Mike is presenting on TB vaccines, Lindsay is leading a virtual meeting with the chairs of the Global TB Community Advisory Board (TB CAB). Hosted by TAG, the TB CAB is a group of community activists from HIV and TB networks around the world that works to ensure TB research is driven by the needs and priorities of communities affected by TB and that the resulting innovations are accessible to everyone, everywhere. Today’s agenda? Prepping to meet with TB researchers about clinical trials that will combine new drugs to address the unmet needs of people affected by extensively drug-resistant TB. It’s all about making sure science addresses the needs and priorities of the most TB affected communities.
Learn more about the Global TB CAB here: 10-Year TB CAB Anniversary Evaluation Report and Podcast.
8:00 AM – HEADING INTO TAG HQ
Lindsay and Mike are off to the TAG office. While many TAG staff work remotely, having a central base is a game-changer — especially on jam- packed days like today. As Lindsay and Mike take the subway from their homes in Brooklyn to TAG’s office in Manhattan they’re already responding to emails, checking in with partners, and gearing up for a day filled with advocacy, strategy, and maybe even a brisk debate over local lunch shops.
9:00 AM – TALKING TB VACCINE READINESS
Senior TB Project Associate Erin McConnell arrives at the TAG office, greets the team, and jumps right into a meeting with Mike. On today’s agenda? A deep dive into a recently launched TB vaccine readiness survey.
With support from Wellcome — the UK’s largest health charity — TAG is gathering insights from community stakeholders to ensure communities and civil society organizations have the resources they need to engage in the rollout of new TB vaccines, once they prove safe and effective. Mike and Erin are eager to see how to unlock resources for community and civil society to play a transformative role in shaping new TB vaccine policy.
10:00 AM – EXPEDITING ACCESS TO NEW DRUGS
As Mike battles his overflowing inbox, Lindsay is fine-tuning an open letter urging pharmaceutical companies to provide pre-approval access (also known as compassionate use) to new TB drugs in late stages of development for patients with extensively drug-resistant TB — people who have run out of good treatment options and are often being treated with toxic medicines that may require prolonged hospitalizations. The goal? To ensure transparent, accessible pre- approval access as a core element of person-centered care for drug- resistant TB.
Learn more about TAG’s work on pre-approval access here: Position Paper and Statement on Addressing the Needs of People with Extensively Drug-resistant TB.
11:00 AM – SPEEDING UP TB DETECTION AND LINKAGE TO APPROPRIATE TREATMENT
With TB Project Associate Teju Dharmapuri Vachaspathi, Lindsay works to refine a training on TB diagnostics Teju is preparing for a community workshop TAG co-hosted with KNCV in Hanoi, Vietnam. The workshop is part of a Unitaid-funded project focused on how best to ensure newly diagnosed people with TB receive the best available standard of care for treating drug-resistant TB. Diagnosis is the first step for linking people to appropriate TB treatment so community advocates need to know how TB tests work and in what combinations and at what levels of the health system they should be available.
Learn more about other resources TAG developed to support community and civil society advocates here: An Activist Guide and Community Materials on Drug-Resistant TB.
12:00 PM – REFUELING!
Even TB advocates need a break. Lindsay steps out for lunch with Erin at one of the many mediocre lunch spots around the TAG office. Meanwhile, Mike opts for a favorite form of self-care — some refreshing laps at the YMCA pool, clearing his mind for the upcoming afternoon’s work.
1:00 PM – DEFENDING SCIENCE
Mike dives into an important writing project upon his return. He’s working with long-time TAG consultant and collaborator, Gisa Dang to document the new U.S. administration’s attacks on scientific progress, especially policies and actions that violate the human right to science. With a deep history of working on “right to science” initiatives at TAG, Mike is more committed than ever to fighting for policies that promote scientific progress and access to innovation.
Learn more about TAG’s right to science here: https://www.treatmentactiongroup.org/resources/tagline/tagline-may-2020/.
3:00 PM – STRONGEST TOGETHER
Every other week Mike, Lindsay, Erin, and Teju get together in the TAG office to meet with Communications, and Policy Team members Kendall Martinez Wright and Lizzy Lovinger, on Zoom. This week’s team meeting focuses on an early draft of an NIH policy brief written by Lizzy Lovinger, TAG’s U.S. and Global Health Policy Director, and pulling together information about high-priority TB trials and research infrastructure the new U.S. administration has put at risk. It’s vital to share this latest data with allied organizations, TB R&D funders, and the media.
Here’s how vital NIH is to TB research: Tuberculosis Research at the National Institutes of Health: Saving Lives, Shrinking Costs, Fueling American Jobs and Innovation.
4:00 PM – RESEARCH ON TB TREATMENT
It’s been a meeting-heavy day for the team as we join Lindsay an hour into a very prominent aspect of the TB team’s work, research. She’s working on TAG’s latest TB Treatment Pipeline Report, which covers recent advances in the development of new treatments for tuberculosis — including clinical trials of regimens designed to improve treatment for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB. This work takes months of research and exemplifies the scientific knowledge fundamental to TAG’s evidence-based approach to advocacy.
5:00 PM – BROADWAY MEETS IMPACT
Lindsay and Mike join a call with Tamrin Goldberg, TAG’s beloved emcee of our Research in Action Awards, to express their appreciation for her work producing the recent TB fundraiser, A Bit More Rouge . . . The event featured the electrifying cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
7:00 PM – COOKING TO END THE DAY
Lindsay’s husband, Nate, gets home shortly after she does. They pull out the ingredients for a new chicken cutlets over arugula recipe and swap work stories while they cook (Nate does all the cooking, and Lindsay is great company). In Crown Heights, Mike is the chef. Tonight, he’s making a favorite, miso roasted salmon. Preparing and enjoying a home-cooked meal with his partner Zach is how Mike relaxes to prepare for the week ahead.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this inside look at the incredible work of our TB team — proof of the real impact made with your support. For over 30 years, we’ve remained steadfast in the fight against TB and other pandemics, thanks to generous supporters like you.
But right now, we’re facing simultaneous political, scientific, and funding crises. Ongoing and unpredictable federal budget cuts threaten our ability to continue this vital work. That’s why your support is more important than ever.
The good news? Your gift can go even further. Thanks to a generous $42,000 board match, every donation made will be doubled, maximizing your impact.
Stand with us today. Make a gift and help us push forward in the fight — because together, we can’t afford to slow down. Thank you for being part of TAG’s mission.
Mark Harrington
Executive Director