By Michael W. Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)
Dr. Amy Campbell Speaks in Support of the 2030 Global Sepsis Agenda
Amy Campbell, Ph.D., RN, CPHQ, LSBB (Quality Nurse Specialist, ECU Health) is always showing up for sepsis!
When I mentioned to Dr. Campbell, who is also the chair of our Sepsis Advisory Board, that the Global Sepsis Alliance had invited me to speak at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, I was not thinking that she would come and speak at the event. Well, perhaps I was hoping she would, but the distance between North Carolina and Manhattan is more than 500 miles (entailing more than a 9-hour drive or an almost 2-hour flight).
Then, when Dr. Campbell enthusiastically said that she would LOVE to speak at the UN event, we had to figure out the logistics – would Dr. Jashi write her a letter inviting her to speak, would ECU Health allow her to take time off work and on a day she was supposed to speak about sepsis, could she get a flight or train ticket to the New York area, and where would she stay?
From when I first mentioned the event to Dr. Campbell on Friday to three days later on Monday – all of the above questions were hurriedly answered in the affirmative!
I would like to thank ECU Health for allowing Dr. Campbell to come and speak at the UN event (and for featuring her on the ECU website) and to Dr. Campbell for reminding us that beating sepsis doesn’t end with diagnosis and treatment. Patients who suffer from sepsis often have long-term effects – from not being able to remember how to tie shoes to amputation of limbs.
2030 Global Sepsis Agenda
At the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) unveiled its 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, a transformative roadmap to confront one of the world’s deadliest conditions—sepsis. In collaboration and support from leading organizations like the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA), UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, and Sepsis Stiftung, this 2030 Sepsis Agenda highlights the urgent need to tackle sepsis, which claims nearly 14 million lives annually and leaves survivors with long-term disabilities.
As the Global Sepsis Agenda emphasizes:
A hospitalized patient with Sepsis is more likely to die than a patient with a heart attack or stroke, yet Sepsis is still not treated with the same urgency as other critical conditions. Research and development (R&D) funding to generate knowledge and innovations, including novel vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics or AI tools are also limited. The quantity and quality of epidemiological and clinical data remain scarce to inform policy actions, especially in LMICs. The 2020 publications on the global burden of Sepsis established foundational evidence; however, the Sepsis response needs more sustainable data reporting and analysis systems through routine administrative health statistics, Sepsis registries or specialized studies to inform relevant policies and action.
Speaking in support of the Global Sepsis Agenda were:
- Connie Newman, MD, FAMWA (MWIA Vice President for North America and Representative to the United Nations)
- Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite, MD (President, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health)
- Eleanor Nwadinobi, MD (President, Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA)
- Konrad Reinhart, MD (President, Sepsis Stiftung)
- Tedros Ghebreyesus, Ph.D., (WHO Director General)
- Mariam Jashi, MPH, MD (CEO, Global Sepsis Alliance; Secretary General, MWIA; Global Board Member, UNITE)
- Ciaran Staunton (Founder, END SEPSIS, The Legacy of Rory Staunton)
- Thomas Heymann (President and CEO, Sepsis Alliance)
- Michael Wong, JD (Founder and Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety)
- Amy Campbell, PhD., RN, CPHQ, LSBB (Quality Nurse Specialist, ECU Health and Chair, Sepsis Advisory Board, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety).
Sepsis is not just a medical emergency but a global health crisis, impacting communities, healthcare systems, and economies worldwide. With 20% of global deaths attributed to sepsis, the GSA’s agenda aims to shift the global health landscape, building on the 2017 World Health Assembly Resolution on Sepsis, which marked a turning point in international recognition of this condition. However, sepsis continues to be under-prioritized, and the 2030 Sepsis Agenda seeks to change that through five strategic pillars.
The 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis: A Call to Action
At its core, the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis sets ambitious targets, including reducing sepsis incidence by 25% and improving survival rates by over 20% from 2017-2020 baselines. It aims to elevate sepsis to the forefront of global health policy and action. The agenda’s five strategic pillars form the foundation for a multi-sectoral response to sepsis:
- Political Leadership and Multilateral Cooperation
- Health System Readiness for Sepsis and Its Sequelae
- Whole-of-Society Response
- Sepsis Research and Innovations
- Sepsis in Pandemics and Other Emergencies
Dr. Amy Cambell and Beating Sepsis
Dr. Campbell has also represented PPAHS as a member of the Scientific Committee for the 2024 World Sepsis Spotlight on the “Unmet Need in Sepsis Diagnosis and Therapy”, for which PPAHS has provided CME credits for clinicians.
Additionally, here are two great articles featuring Dr. Campbell and sepsis:
- Wong, M., “Winning the war against sepsis” [Interview with Amy Campbell], Open Access Government, July 2024
- Wong, M. & Campbell, A. “Lessons From the Covid Pandemic to Fight Common Infections and Sepsis“, Open Access Government, October 2023.
Thank you, Dr. Campbell, for showing up for sepsis!