The Lancet Profiles Congressional Candidate Nina Schwalbe as a Leading Global Health Voice for U.S. Congress
Prestigious international medical journal spotlights Schwalbe’s decades of global health leadership and her campaign to bring public health expertise back to Congress
For Immediate Release - April 3, 2026
NEW YORK, NY — Nina Schwalbe, Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District, is the subject of a major profile published April 2, 2026, in The Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals. The profile highlights Schwalbe’s extraordinary career in global health and her urgent call to restore scientific expertise and evidence-based leadership to the U.S. Congress.
The profile details Schwalbe’s trajectory from witnessing a measles outbreak at the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand, which first drew her to public health, to leading vaccine procurement and delivery programs that reached more than 100 countries. Her career has spanned senior roles at UNICEF, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, USAID, the Open Society Foundations, and the TB Alliance. At USAID, she founded and served as the first Director of the COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Delivery Initiative.
“I’m running because we are in deep trouble, and we can do better,” Schwalbe said. “We don’t have any congressional expertise in public health. This administration is fueling disinformation, propagating false science, stopping vaccine programs, denying climate change, slashing health and education programs. We urgently need to restore the CDC, the NIH, the FDA, and all the underlying infrastructure, talent, and expertise that keep us safe.”
The Lancet profile features tributes from global leaders across health and government. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark praised Schwalbe’s “transformative leadership,” noting her track record at Gavi in cutting the cost of lifesaving medicines for the world’s poorest. Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar described her as “an astute strategic thinker as well as a passionate advocate” with a record of lasting impact. WHO’s Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health Pascale Allotey called her “a consistent and principled champion of equity, gender equality, and social justice” who combines intellectual precision with deep moral clarity.
Schwalbe holds a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University. She is a Senior Scholar at Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy & Politics and founder of Spark Street Advisors, a think tank advisory service. Her family has lived in New York’s 12th Congressional District for six generations. Schwalbe is running in a competitive Democratic primary field. The primary is scheduled for June 23.
“This moment demands new leadership that protects what matters, rebuilds stronger, and prepares for tomorrow,” Schwalbe said. “Our current administration is destroying health and trust in science, and there is no leadership in Congress stopping it. I will stand up for health, for science, and for democracy.”
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About Nina Schwalbe
Nina Schwalbe is a global health expert and Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District. She has spent her career working to expand access to medicines and vaccines, negotiate lower drug prices for low-income nations, and build the global health infrastructure that keeps communities safe. She holds a PhD and MPH in public health and has worked in nearly 100 countries. Learn more at ninafornyc.com.
Congress must stop Trump’s Unauthorized War: Statement by Congressional Candidate Nina Schwalbe on the US military attack on Iran
For Immediate Release - March 4, 2026
For the second time in two months, Donald Trump has launched an unconstitutional military action against a foreign state without congressional approval.
His justifications for this attack have been directly contradicted by the Defense Intelligence Agency and Pentagon officials, cementing the fact that this is nothing more than an unjustified war of aggression. In no uncertain terms, this is a horrific crime—one that will result in the needless deaths of Iranians, Americans, and people across the Middle East as this conflict escalates.
Our military is the most powerful force on the planet, and it is currently being wielded without checks or oversight by an erratic man willing to use it to settle personal vendettas, with no concern for the cost in human life beyond its impact on his own approval ratings.
I have worked in war zones and refugee camps around the world, and have seen firsthand the consequences of unchecked, irrational violence on human life, especially children. One deadly strike at a girls’ school in Minab has already led to the reported deaths of 165 people, most of them girls aged 7 to 12, and that count is growing. This president made a deliberate choice. He cut PEPFAR — which has saved 26 million lives — and dismantled USAID, which delivered food, clean water, and emergency medicine to hundreds of millions of people around the world. And instead he chose to start a war that takes lives instead of saving them.
"If Congress does not act immediately to pass the Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution to block this unauthorized war, then it is complicit — not only in the current violence, but in every future attack this president, emboldened by inaction, may commit. I call on Representative Hakeem Jeffries to whip every Democratic vote, and on Senator Chuck Schumer to bring the Senate companion resolution to the floor immediately. The Democratic establishment must hold the line. Anything less is a dereliction.
Democrat Nina Schwalbe, public health leader, takes on DC’s political establishment as she files to run in NY-12 primary.
New York, January 9, 2026. -- Driven by the recklessness of the current administration and the failure of the political establishment to stop it, New York health expert and activist Nina Schwalbe has declared herself as a candidate for the open Congressional seat in NY-12.
Nina is a renowned public health leader, vaccine scientist and advocate who has focused her career on fixing broken systems so people can live better, healthier and more affordable lives.
Because of this administration’s failure, America is once again seeing outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, long thought to be vanquished in the US by modern medicine.
“My family has lived in district 12 for six generations. I grew up and gave birth to my two sons here. I cared for my parents as they died here. District 12 is my home,” said Schwalbe.
Nina is a strong negotiator, with “Day One” competence, who gets things done. She has overseen complex institutions, managed large teams and budgets, and delivered public programs to improve people’s daily lives and livelihoods. She is also a small business owner.
In her decades of work across public and private sectors, Nina’s focus has been fixing broken systems. From managing multi-billion-dollar vaccine programs for the US Government and the United Nations to advising New York City and governments around the world on their COVID-19 response, Nina has achieved measurable results, strengthened accountability, and saved lives. If elected, Nina would be the only Democrat in Congress with a PhD in public health.
“Washington is systematically dismantling our democracy, putting New York, America, and the world at risk and Congress is failing to stop it.” says Schwalbe. “This administration is fueling disinformation, propagates false science, and has cut even the most basic services. The list is endless and the attack relentless - stopping vaccine programs, denying climate change, slashing the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, housing and education, bringing fear to communities through unlawful immigration policies, and attacking basic rights. At a time when more and more New Yorkers are struggling with costs, the situation is going from bad to worse.”
Nina will work to restore congressional oversight and funding. “Under this administration, the federal government has taken an ax to our rights - destroying the very systems designed to protect us. We deserve better leadership in Congress. Congress has abdicated its oversight role to solve our nation’s most serious problems and protect the well-being of its citizens starting by carrying out the programs it mandates,” says Schwalbe. “The attack against health is a blatant example of the neglect, ignorance, and malice we face. As an example, the federal government’s job is to decide what vaccines are available at our local pharmacies; guarantee the medicines we take are safe and effective; and stop deadly viruses before they reach New York. When it fails to do its job, as is the case now, we are all more vulnerable.
“I am running for Congress because this moment demands new leadership that protects what matters, rebuilds stronger, and prepares for tomorrow. It's pretty straightforward. Our government is not doing its job. That needs to change, starting now.”
The Nina for NYC campaign has already raised over $200,000 with no corporate PAC money. As a first-time candidate without an existing donor list, this represents a strong start for a competitive race.
Learn more about Nina Schwalbe and www.ninafornyc.com
Contact: Lisa Kovitz. lisa@ninafornyc.com (917) 992-7683