[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 114 (Friday, June 30, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E626-E627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING DR. EMILE-BACKER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 30, 2023

  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a 
Proclamation honoring Dr. Magalie Emile-Backer.
  Whereas, Dr. Magalie Emile-Backer is a native of the Republic of 
Haiti and migrated to the United States as a child.
  Whereas, beyond science, Dr. Emile-Backer is an entrepreneur, 
investor, trusted community leader and advocate for global diaspora 
communities. From research to her community advocacy in global 
development, her life's work and vision is to leave a legacy of 
economic freedom in low middle income countries (LMICs) and to service 
the vulnerable by being a vessel for God's work.
  Whereas, as a community advocate, Magalie spearheaded COVID-19-
related initiatives throughout the African-Caribbean diaspora to 
address vaccine hesitancy, economic impacts of COVID and other civil 
society engagement programs including World AIDS Day, Malaria Nothing 
but Net campaigns, COVID townhalls, and advocacy for recent Census, 
etc.
  Whereas, she is a global health advocate committed to health systems 
strengthening in the U.S., particularly, in developing nations. Her 
life's work is improving global health and eradicating poverty through 
creative community-based development solutions for economic 
empowerment.
  Whereas, since 2010, Magalie and her husband Firmin Backer, Co-
Founded the Haiti Renewal Alliance (HRA), a non-profit based in the 
Washington, DC area committed to promoting business development and 
foreign/diaspora direct investment for the socioeconomic growth of the 
Caribbean, especially, Haiti. HRA's motto is building sustainable 
institutions through infrastructure and trade opposed to perpetuation 
of aid and charity.
  Whereas, HRA convenes, connects and brokers through strategic 
community engagement partnership models. In 2021, HRA launched another 
platform in partnership with USAID, diaspora partnership accelerator 
(DPA), in response to the growing call to action around diaspora direct 
funding models. HRA's Diaspora Framework and integration models provide 
innovative solutions in a resource constraint global development 
landscape.
  Whereas, after the 2021 Haiti Earthquake, through her advocacy for 
empowering localization, she helped raise 1M through HRA's corporate 
donor strategy and other govt donor grants to help direct funding to 
diaspora locally led projects.
  Whereas, the campaign also help create OneDiaspora, a network of 
diaspora, private sector and local NGOs committed to strengthening 
community-based initiatives and localization priorities. HRA has become 
a leading

[[Page E627]]

institution focused on strategic global development consulting, 
effective community-based engagement, particularly, diaspora and 
private sector integration for sustainable growth and investment.
  Whereas, Dr. Magalie Emile-Backer has over 20 years experience 
conducting research in the biopharmaceutical industry and federal 
government. She is currently a Director in Vaccine Safety, at Moderna 
Therapeutics, supporting the manufacturers global health safety 
surveillance for the COVID-19 pandemic and global expansion of its 
innovative mRNA science portfolio. Prior to Moderna, Magalie has served 
as a biomedical research SME at NIH and supported the nation's COVID-19 
response within ASPR/HHS.
  Whereas, Dr. Emile-Backer holds a clinical doctorate from Howard 
University, Bachelors from Temple University and postdoctoral 
fellowship training from Rutgers University, and Hoffman Laroche 
Pharmaceuticals, as well as, several certifications and publications in 
major scientific journals. Magalie serves on several community, 
scientific and county boards (e.g. Alexandria Commission on HIV, 
Myocarditis Advisory board and Fairfax Health systems).
  Please join me in congratulating Dr. Emile-Backer for her extensive 
work recognizing Caribbean Heritage Month.

                          ____________________