Purpose

In 2018, Professor Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and University of Melbourne Laureate Professor Alan Lopez were jointly awarded the prestigious 2018 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for their pioneering work in establishing and developing the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study over three decades earlier. Subsequently, the GBD has greatly influenced debates about global health priorities and the development of health services and systems worldwide, and enabled the tracking of progress towards global and national health and development goals. Both have donated the shared proceeds of this award to their respective universities to establish the Murray-Lopez Award. The primary aim of the award is to support emerging global health researchers to carry out innovative research to improve the measurement and knowledge about burden of disease in populations.

Nominations are now open for the 2021 Murray-Lopez Award. The Murray-Lopez Award was created in 2020 to support emerging global health researchers to carry out innovative research to improve the measurement and knowledge about burden of disease in populations. Each year, the winner of the University of Washington Murray-Lopez Award will receive the value of $5,000 USD.

Eligibility

Nominations must be submitted on behalf of the nominee. Self-nominations will not be reviewed.

The Murray-Lopez Award is open to individuals who meet the following criteria:

• An early‐career professional (this may include students pursuing a terminal degree and no more than five years post terminal degree)
• Demonstrable evidence that the nominee can carry out Global Burden of Disease (GBD) research⁽¹⁾ of the highest scientific quality, focused on either:
  • Methods improvement; or
  • Application of GBD methods in low and middle income countries (LMIC)⁽²⁾
• Preference will be given to candidates who are based in a LMIC.

(1) “GBD-related research” defined as research or analysis that fits under the rubric of the Global Burden of Disease Study.

(2) “LMIC” defined by the World Bank as: “For the current 2020 fiscal year, low-income economies are defined as those with a GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, of $1,025 or less in 2018; lower middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita between $1,026 and $3,995; upper middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita between $3,996 and $12,375; high-income economies are those with a GNI per capita of $12,376 or more.”

Nominations for 2021 should be received no later than March 29, 2021.