IHME to offer $100,000 prize for disease burden research

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a global health research institute at the University of Washington in Seattle, is awarding $100,000 to an individual or group using disease burden data in innovative ways to make people healthier. The award, known as the Roux Prize, was established in 2013 and has to date been awarded to Dr. Rodrigo Guerrero, a Harvard-trained epidemiologist and the mayor of Cali, Colombia, and Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, a trained pediatrician and Minister of Health of Rwanda. Winners could come from government agencies, charities, academic institutions, or local communities, according to IHME, and nominations are welcome from around the world — the only requirement being that the nominee has used disease burden evidence to improve health at the local, national or global level. The IHME team selecting the winner tends to look for nominees who have “in some way challenged conventional wisdom” and who have “pushed and pushed” for change, William Heisel, director of global engagement at IHME, told Devex. Heisel also emphasized that the winner doesn’t have to be a “top tier” official, but can be lower level staff or a community health worker, for instance, working hard for change using disease burden evidence. While preference is given to individuals, groups are also eligible for the award. Nominations can be submitted online before March 31, 2016. To read additional content on global health, go to Focus On: Global Health in partnership with Johnson & Johnson.