Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ the Gates Foundation have awarded a major donation to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The $540.2 million, 10-year grant will help the health institute expand the availability and geographic detail of health data used by governments, researchers and health professionals. The investment will support the expansion of the Global Burden of Disease study, along with IHME’s health forecasting and global health-spending research.The grant is the largest charitable grant ever given to the University of Washington and will expand the Global Burden of Disease study from about 925 locations to nearly 5,000. “Reliable and independent evidence can mean the difference between reacting to a health crisis after it has taken hold and acting early enough to change its course,” said Dr Christopher J.L. Murray, IHME director and professor of health metrics sciences.
Gates Foundation grant will expand Global Burden of Disease study
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is a large-scale assessment of health trends and conditions across countries. Under the new grant, IHME will expand the number of locations covered by the study, providing more detailed local-level information.The 10-year funding will also support IHME’s work on health forecasting and future scenarios, as well as its tracking of health spending worldwide. Together, these areas are intended to provide information on current health conditions, potential future changes and how health resources are being used.Murray, who is the grant’s principal investigator, began the GBD study in the early 1990s and has led its development through a research network that now includes more than 20,000 collaborators across more than 150 countries and territories.
University of Washington and Gates Foundation expand health research partnership
The Gates Foundation and the state of Washington provided the founding investment that established IHME at the University of Washington in 2007. The institute operates as an independent research organisation within the UW School of Medicine and makes its research and findings freely available to countries, researchers and communities.The new grant builds on the foundation’s longstanding support for IHME and its work in health measurement. The institute has developed methods and standards used in health metrics research and has worked with researchers and institutions worldwide to expand the use of health data.“Every government and funder faces difficult decisions about where to invest limited resources for greatest impact, and those decisions depend on trusted evidence,” said Mark Suzman, Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation. “For nearly two decades, IHME has been one of the foundation’s most important global partners, helping us, governments, researchers, and global health partners around the world understand where health is improving, where progress is stalling, and where action is needed most. Our long-term commitment recognises the value of this work to strengthen a shared evidence base that will continue to inform decisions to improve—and save—millions of lives.“
IHME to provide more local health evidence
The expanded research comes as countries face multiple health threats alongside pressure on public and global health budgets. IHME’s work under the new grant will focus on producing more detailed, timely evidence to help governments and health organisations identify health needs and assess possible future scenarios.“Reliable and independent evidence can mean the difference between reacting to a health crisis after it has taken hold and acting early enough to change its course,” Murray said. “This investment will allow us to provide high-quality evidence at a much more local level and help leaders understand not only where health is improving or worsening, but which decisions can make the greatest difference for people.”The University of Washington said the investment will expand IHME’s existing research activities and its ability to provide health evidence in Washington, across the United States and internationally.“The Gates Foundation has been a steadfast partner of the University of Washington for decades, and we are grateful for its generous support. The UW is committed to improving the health of people in Washington and around the world, and this investment will expand IHME’s already significant impact, which will mean longer, healthier lives for countless people,” said UW President Robert J. Jones.Timothy Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine, said the grant would support IHME’s continued work providing health evidence to decision-makers.“We are deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for this extraordinary investment in IHME and the University of Washington School of Medicine,” said Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine and dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine. “Their longstanding partnership has helped make it possible for IHME to deliver trusted health evidence around the world. This new grant will extend that impact by giving leaders data that are comprehensive and comparable to guide decisions that help improve the health of communities and save lives.”The grant will provide IHME with 10 years of funding for the expanded GBD study, health forecasting and health-spending research, while its findings will remain freely available to users regardless of their income or access to commercial data systems.
