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About the GBD Collaborator Network

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington engages a large network of individual collaborators with specialties in various topic areas to conduct the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and its affiliated research projects. The GBD is a systematic, scientific effort to quantify the comparative magnitude of health loss due to diseases, injuries, and risk factors by age, sex, and geographies for specific points in time. It is the largest, most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide. This study allows decision-makers to compare the effects of different health conditions. The GBD has generated substantial scientific, policy, and even public interest across high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

Who are GBD Collaborators? 

Collaborators play a critical role in the GBD study. From data analysis to policy use, there are many ways for GBD Collaborators to contribute to the GBD and affiliated research projects. IHME serves as the coordinating center and engages Collaborators on topics according to their areas of expertise. Members of the Network are specialists in many areas related to population health with expertise falling into one or more of the following categories: 

  • Expertise on demography (all-cause mortality, population, fertility, or migration) 
  • Expertise on specific diseases, injuries, risk factors, or impairments 
  • Expertise on the epidemiology for a specific country or countries 
  • Expertise in health policy 
  • Other skills and expertise as necessary to achieve the aims of the GBD enterprise 

Requirements

The GBD Collaborator Network continues to build and sustain an even larger and more diverse group of individuals from around the world. All individuals interested in applying to become a Collaborator must meet the following minimum requirements:  

  1. Education in a relevant field (at least a bachelor's degree) or relevant work experience. (Please see the GBD Protocol for the list of relevant fields) 
  2. Applicant must work in a relevant sector (academic; local, national, or international governance; health care delivery; private or nonprofit sector)  
  3. Applicant must be in good professional standing with all relevant licensing bodies and professional boards.  
  4. Conflicts of interest with the GBD enterprise must be individually disclosed. 

Time Commitment

The time commitment for GBD Collaborators is flexible, Collaborators are welcome to contribute to a range of GBD projects and activities but may decide their own time commitment. 

To learn more about GBD and affiliated research projects, and being a member of the Collaborator Network, please review the GBD Protocol. 

Get started 

First, each applicant must review the GBD Protocol. We highly recommend that you review the entire protocol before applying as it has essential information about the GBD study and the Collaborator Network. 

Once you have reviewed the protocol, and you are ready to apply, the next steps are: 

  1. Apply: this is a brief questionnaire that will supply some general information about you, such as your contact information and institution affiliation. We will review this application to ensure you meet the minimum requirements as outlined above. 

  2. Enroll: If you meet the minimum requirements, we will invite you to enroll and share your areas of expertise and interests so that we may facilitate your participation as Collaborator. If for some reason you do not meet the requirements, we will contact you with further information and next steps. 

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis and may take up to 4 weeks or more to review, depending on the volume of applications. 

 

Contact us 

For questions about the GBD Collaborator Network, please contact the GBD Secretariat at [email protected].