> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Philanthropy 50
  • Nonprofits and the Trump Agenda
  • Impact Stories Hub
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Gates Awards $279 Million to U. of Washington to Track Global Health

By  Alex Daniels
January 25, 2017
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, headed by Christopher Murray, left, takes a big-data approach to health research. Paul Ramsey, chief executive of UW Medicine, says the new funds will help the institute forecast the results of medical interventions before a lot of money is spent on a new approach.
University of Washington
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, headed by Christopher Murray, left, takes a big-data approach to health research. Paul Ramsey, chief executive of UW Medicine, says the new funds will help the institute forecast the results of medical interventions before a lot of money is spent on a new approach.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today awarded its neighbor, the University of Washington, $279 million over 10 years to develop and maintain databases that measure health trends around the globe.

The university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation was created in 2007 after a $105 million grant from the Gates Foundation helped lure three Harvard researchers to the West Coast. Since then, its staff has grown to 300. The institute’s computers analyze data from 2,000 collaborating researchers from around the world. It’s hallmark effort, the Global Burden of Disease project, aims to quantify diseases, risk factors, and injuries in 130 countries.

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 571-540-8070 or cophelp@philanthropy.com

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today awarded its neighbor, the University of Washington, $279 million over 10 years to develop and maintain databases that measure health trends around the globe.

The university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation was created in 2007 after a $105 million grant from the Gates Foundation helped lure three Harvard researchers to the West Coast. Since then, its staff has grown to 300. The institute’s computers analyze data from 2,000 collaborating researchers from around the world. It’s hallmark effort, the Global Burden of Disease project, aims to quantify diseases, risk factors, and injuries in 130 countries.

Rather than study the health of individual patients or of people in batches of a few thousand, the institute’s goal is to track a large range of health indicators, such as the incidence of heart disease, malaria, and child mortality across huge populations. It’s a big-data approach to the study of health that can very quickly determine whether a medical intervention had a positive impact on entire countries.

Paul Ramsey, chief executive of UW Medicine, said the institute’s work can help give lawmakers and clinicians a clear view of the results of new vaccines and health policies. The new funding, he said, will help the institute forecast the results of specific medical interventions before a lot of money is spent on a new approach.

“I’ve been in medicine for 40 years, and I feel like I’ve been waiting the first four decades of my career for the types of improvements we can make in the next five or 10 years,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Since the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa severely tested the response of health organizations around the world, Gates has stepped up its support of projects that measure health indicators. For instance, in 2015 it committed $75 million to the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance network, designed to monitor disease outbreaks. And data collection is a key component of its six-year, $776 million effort to promote nutrition.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Foundation Giving
Alex Daniels
Before joining the Chronicle in 2013, Alex covered Congress and national politics for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He covered the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and reported extensively about Walmart Stores for the Little Rock paper.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
  • Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Podcasts
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    • Impact Stories
    Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Podcasts
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    • Impact Stories
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Gifts and Grants Received
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Chronicle Fellowships
    • Pressroom
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Gifts and Grants Received
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Chronicle Fellowships
    • Pressroom
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Site License Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Site License Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin