Health is multifaceted, a fact that was reflected in the industry-spanning community gathered Tuesday night at the TIME100 Health Impact Dinner honoring some of the most influential people leading this fast-moving field.
The latest annual TIME100 Health list, which debuted in 2024, highlights scientists, doctors, advocates, educators, and other changemakers working to navigate a year unlike any other in global health, punctuated by conflict and upheavals, while gazing into an uncertain future.
TIME CEO Jessica Sibley kicked off dinner by announcing the launch of a new coverage initiative, TIME Longevity, which aims to capture the people, institutions, and innovations redefining what it means to live longer and age healthier. TIME senior correspondent Alice Park then led a panel discussion on the next era of cancer treatment and diagnosis.
As the dinner wrapped up, four TIME100 Health honorees gave toasts about fighting to restore respect for science, making innovations in public health accessible to those who most need it, supporting the mental wellness of LGBTQ+ youths, and turning a personal near tragedy into nationwide impact.
Ensuring scientific progress doesn’t stop
Bill Nye, advocate, science educator, and TV host, donned a signature bow tie as he took the stage. Over the past year in particular he’s been using his celebrity to bring awareness to the importance of supporting scientific research and to urge citizens to speak out to lawmakers about the disruptive reductions made by the Trump Administration at vital agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and NASA.
But, “strangely enough, this would be the time you’d want to be born,” he says. “More people around the world are better off now than ever before in human history.”
That is thanks to the body of knowledge accrued by science over the course of this history, through studies in evolution, genetics, and DNA. This arc of discovery led to recent medical breakthroughs that have unlocked the potential to free families from genetic ailments that have plagued them for generations. For Nye’s family, that includes a neurological disorder called Spino Cerebellar Ataxia. “We are living at this extraordinary time with genetic research, and this is of great interest to me and my family,” he says.
“What a remarkable time in health care, where we are all able to understand these genes and do something about it,” he continues. “Meanwhile, funding is being cut. Support of health care or scientific research in health care is being cut. But this will not last. We are going to work together.”
Harkening back to evolutionary biologists Darwin and Wallace who concluded that all living things share a common ancestor, Nye says: “My friends, all of us, we are more alike than we are different. … So let’s work together and make the world better for everyone.”
Finding remedies for malnutrition and its indignity
Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed, executive director of ICDDR Bangladesh, spoke about how treating malnutrition improves human dignity for more than 200 million women and children worldwide. For the last 40 years, he’s been working to improve and simplify the treatment for malnutrition. Research has gradually revealed that malnutrition is not only caused by lack of food but also by intestine-damaging bacteria introduced through poor hygiene that can result in poor nutrient absorption. Based on these findings, Ahmed and Dr. Jeffrey Gordon from the Washington University at St. Louis developed a treatment that incorporates beneficial gut bugs that could be easily dispensed into food products by local producers.
“We now know more about what causes malnutrition … we also have a number of remedies,” he says. “The problem is, how do we take these remedies to the people who need it most, be it in Africa, in South Asia.”
Promoting affirmation over fear
Ronita Nath, vice president of research at the Trevor Project, first shined the spotlight on her fellow honorees in the room. “Your breakthroughs are redefining what’s possible in health and humanity, and it’s a privilege to stand alongside you this evening,” she says. Nath then toasted “every LGBTQ+ young person daring to live authentically in a world that too often misunderstands them” and shared her own experience raising a transgender child.
“Watching him blossom has been a masterclass in what happens when affirmation outruns fear,” Nath says. “Our research at the Trevor Project shows that when even one adult—whether a parent, teacher, or doctor—affirms a transgender young person’s identity, their odds of attempting suicide drop by roughly 45%. In our house, that statistic has a face, a mischievous smile, and an ever‑expanding Lego collection.”
She ended her toast commending the coalition of supportive parents, researchers, crisis counselors, who chose to be brave, dedicated, understanding, and empathetic.
Changing a ‘heartbreaking reality’
Damar Hamlin, NFL player and philanthropist, tells the crowd that “if you had told me just a couple of years ago that I’d be giving a toast at the TIME100 Health Impact Dinner … I probably would’ve told you you were crazy.” But life doesn’t always go as planned, he acknowledges. His sudden cardiac arrest on the field in 2023 and the journey that followed have made him realize that his mission is bigger than football.
“The work I’ve done in the heart health space … it carries a much deeper weight,” he says “Sudden cardiac arrest is still the leading cause of death in sports. That’s a heartbreaking reality—one that I now live with every day. And because of that, I’ve found my new life mission: to make sure every kid chasing their dreams can do it safely.”
For the past two years, he’s been raising awareness about the importance of CPR and heart health education, pushing to make AEDs more accessible, and working with partners like HeartMates and the American Heart Association.
“Before I close, I want to leave you with something that’s been on my heart: Fear has energy. It can hold you back—or it can push you forward. It’s not about avoiding fear, but facing it and choosing to grow through it. The biggest part of my comeback wasn’t physical—it was about belief. I knew I could do it,” Hamlin says. “So tonight, I raise this toast to the fighters, the dreamers, and the believers; to those who face fear, do the work, and show up with purpose. Here’s to all the impact we make together.”
The TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Shaping the Future of Health was sponsored by Novartis and FIGS.
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