Resolve To Save Lives

Resolve to Save Lives was created in 2017 by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through his work in government and with philanthropy, Dr. Frieden pinpointed a unique problem: no one is thinking about how to systematically combat the world’s leading killers. Heart disease carries the distinction of being the world’s #1 cause of death. And few organizations raise their focus from one disease to look at epidemics as a whole—and how they can be prevented. Resolve to Save Lives is committed to saving lives from these preventable causes by partnering with government and civil society to implement scalable, proven strategies.

We prioritize partnerships with national and local organizations in low- and middle-income countries to co-create, advocate for, and scale up activities in heart disease prevention and epidemic preparedness. We work with global organizations to produce and promote policies that maximize health gains. Our funders include Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Philanthropy Partners, which is funded with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation. We are resolved to save lives.

Our mission is to save 100 million lives from cardiovascular disease and to prevent epidemics. 

Resolve to Save Lives helps governments and civil society implement scalable, proven strategies to prevent millions of deaths from cardiovascular disease and epidemics. We focus on accelerating action in low- and middle-income countries through speed, simplicity, and scale. In our first four years, we have worked with countries to help protect millions of people from exposure to artificial trans fat, we've partnered with countries that are treating more than 2 million patients for high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), and have supported more than 20 countries in Africa to improve epidemic preparedness and response.