Just a week after Barack Obama’s inauguration, and at a conference only a short metro ride from the White House and Capitol Hill, it is hardly surprising that optimism about the new US Presidency fills the air. At least one presenter ended their talk with a slide showing Obama with a speech bubble declaring “Yes, we can!”, to the delight of delegates.

Less expected was the claim by Jim Yong Kim, Professor of Social Medicine at Harvard, that a President Bush initiative might be the biggest step to date in better understanding methods of Type 2 translation. The US President’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) sees the US Government working with international, national and local leaders worldwide to support integrated prevention, treatment and care programs.

The approach rests on the principle of the “Three Ones": one national plan, one national coordinating authority, and one national monitoring and evaluation system in each host country. In other words, every country doesn’t need to do the same thing, but within each country everyone must be on the same page.

To assist with this, there is a concerted focus on developing capacity to achieve and sustain success. There are particular efforts to address problems like the lack of human resources and capacity, limited institutional capacity and weaknesses in the physical infrastructure.

Will PEPFAR ensure that Bush’s legacy is judged more kindly one day?