GBD Collaborator Network
On this page
- Open call for Collaborators
- Get started
- GBD Collaborator Portal
- About the GBD Collaborator Network
- Who are GBD Collaborators?
- What Collaborators do
- How the Collaborator Network works
- Time commitment
Open call for Collaborators
We are delighted to announce a new call for Collaborators to join the GBD Collaborator Network. After a brief pause to enhance the Network, we are now accepting new applications and look forward to the valuable contributions you will make.
Get started
- Apply: Help us get to know you by completing the GBD Collaborator application. You will be asked to provide your current CV and have the opportunity to let us know your areas of interest and expertise. We will notify you of your application status within six weeks.
- Learn: If your application is approved, you will be invited to complete the Introduction to the GBD course. Upon completion of this mandatory course you will take a short assessment, demonstrating your knowledge of the GBD study foundations. This is generally expected to take around three hours and must be completed within one month of application. The GBD online training is available for free to current GBD Collaborators and applicants to the GBD Network. Please refer to the Collaborator Portal or contact [email protected].
- Enroll: Once you have completed the Introduction to the GBD course, you will receive full access to the GBD Collaborator Portal.
- Participate: Once you have joined the Network, there will be many opportunities to engage with the GBD study, such as participation in technical consultations, collaborating on scientific publications, sharing data to strengthen the estimates, or explaining how the GBD has been used to develop health policy.
- Advance: Once you are a member of the Network, you may apply for designation into another tier when you meet the eligibility criteria.
If you are not presently a member of the Network but believe you meet the qualifications to become a GBD Principal Collaborator, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. You may also use this email to nominate someone else as a GBD Principal Collaborator.
GBD Collaborator Portal
We have launched a new GBD Collaborator Portal which provides all Collaborators with centralized access to virtual trainings and educational resources, information on engagement opportunities, a place to update their profile, and more.
The new portal is only available to GBD Collaborators. Please consider joining the GBD Collaborator Network if you would like access to this resource.
Current GBD Collaborators should email [email protected] to set up an account.
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 of expertise to conduct the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and its affiliated research projects. The GBD study 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 study has generated substantial scientific, policy, and even public interest across many different countries.
Who GBD Collaborators are
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:
- Demography (all-cause mortality, population, fertility, or migration)
- Specific diseases, injuries, impairments, or risk factors
- Epidemiology for a specific country and/or region
- Health policy and practice
- Other skills and expertise as necessary to achieve the aims of the GBD enterprise
To date, there are over 11,000 Collaborators in the Network, located in 163 countries and territories. GBD Collaborators come from various work sectors and institutions, including research and scientific institutions, to health care delivery and policy, and multilateral organizations. GBD Collaborators include researchers, scientists, university professors, policymakers, government health officials, staff of non-governmental organizations and nonprofit organizations, graduate students, and professionals implementing public health programs or interventions.
Spotlight on: Dr. Elizabeth Wangia
Get an inside look at the people behind the research with the Collaborator Spotlight series! In Issue 01, Dr. Elizabeth Wangia takes us through a day in her life working as a monitoring and evaluations specialist in Nairobi, Kenya. She discusses her current projects outside of GBD, career advice, book recommendations, and more.
What Collaborators do
In several countries that IHME produces the subnational GBD estimates for, such as Ethiopia, Brazil, Italy, Pakistan, Poland, India, and Indonesia, Collaborators have formed GBD country networks or initiatives to help strengthen capacity-building and amplify the relevance of subnational GBD estimates for policy planning and practice.
Collaborators play a critical role in the GBD study, including:
- Strengthening the input data, methods, and estimates. Collaborators participate in technical consultations, review estimates via early access prior to the completion of each GBD round, and provide access to and knowledge of input data sources.
- Collaborating on or leading scientific publications related to their areas of expertise. Collaborators provide critical and substantive feedback on manuscripts in development. GBD Senior, Lead, and Principal Collaborators may also submit proposals to lead their own publications.
- Disseminating and applying the GBD findings for a range of purposes including further research, policy, and practice.
How the Collaborator Network works
In 2024, we adopted a new membership model that introduces progressive membership tiers to better serve the Network. Membership tiers allow for greater participation in scientific publication, policy development, knowledge exchange, and training in health metrics. The membership model presents a clear pathway for involvement in and progression through the Network and recognizes active participation as essential to maintaining a robust scientific community.
There are four tiers:
- Tier 1: GBD Collaborator
- Tier 2: GBD Senior Collaborator
- Tier 3: GBD Lead Collaborator
- Tier 4: GBD Principal Collaborator
Each tier has its own admission criteria, membership term limit, and renewal requirements, as detailed in the next sections. Individuals may apply for any tier, provided they meet the admission criteria. Progression is not required, and individuals may participate within the same tier indefinitely.
Collaborator tiers
Role
GBD Collaborators may engage in any of the following activities according to their interest:
- Access free population health metrics trainings
- Review GBD data sources
- Review GBD preliminary estimates
- Participate in technical consultations
- Join virtual meetings, webinars, and networking events
- Utilize GBD for policy, practice, and research
- Co-author GBD publications
Eligibility
Interested individuals must meet all the following minimum requirements. If the applicant does not meet the requirements, they may be admitted following favorable review by GBD leadership.
- Have education or work experience in a relevant field.
- Must clearly state interest in and reason for wanting to be a Collaborator.
- Be at least 18 years of age and have attained a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.
- Be in good professional standing with all relevant licensing bodies and professional boards.
- Must not have received money from the tobacco industry in the last five years.
- Have successfully completed the online Introduction to the GBD course training, which may be accessed after the application is submitted and reviewed.
Membership term
Two years. At the end of two years, membership is automatically renewed if the Collaborator has actively contributed to any of the membership activities listed above. If not, membership lapses and the individual will need to reapply to rejoin.
Role
GBD Senior Collaborators may participate in all the activities of the previous level, plus:
- Lead their own GBD publication as a first author
- Participate in in-depth scientific consultations on methods, data, models, and interpretation
Eligibility
Interested individuals should meet the following criteria:
- Not be the subject of any conduct complaints.
- Have published at least four GBD publications.
If you meet the criteria to be a GBD Senior Collaborator, we will automatically inform you by email.
If you meet the criteria but have not been notified, you may apply to be a GBD Senior Collaborator through the Collaborator Portal. After logging into the Portal, select Apply to change tier.
Membership term
Two years. At the end of two years, membership is automatically renewed if the Collaborator has actively participated in any of the activities above. If not, membership lapses and the individual will need to reapply to rejoin.
Role
Lead Collaborators may participate in all the activities of the previous two tiers, plus:
- Receive priority consideration on proposals for GBD publication topics
- Contribute to GBD curriculum development
- Receive priority consideration for visiting scholar appointments at IHME (dependent on funding availability)
Eligibility
Interested individuals should meet the following criteria:
- Have one year of experience as a GBD Senior Collaborator (or equivalent) in good standing, plus
- Have completed any three of the following:
- Been a first or senior author on a GBD publication
- Conducted a systematic review for a GBD condition or data landscape for a country
- Completed additional health metrics trainings
- Demonstrated experience using GBD for policy or planning
- Authored a policy briefing, report, or presentation for key stakeholders
- Organized a GBD event assessing the data, methods, results, implications, and use for policy or practice
If you meet the criteria, you may apply to be a GBD Lead Collaborator through the Collaborator Portal. After logging into the Portal, select Apply to change tier.
Membership term
Two years. At the end of two years, membership is automatically renewed if the Collaborator has actively contributed to the activities listed above. If not, membership lapses and the individual will need to reapply to rejoin.
Role
GBD Principal Collaborators may participate in all the activities of the previous three tiers, plus:
- Act as a media spokesperson and/or commentator for the GBD
- Contribute substantially to GBD scientific, policy, or training initiatives
- Be considered to serve on the GBD Scientific Council
Eligibility
Interested individuals should meet the following criteria:
- Provide expertise and leadership that fulfills a study need, and
- Have completed any three of the following:
- Been a first or senior author on four GBD papers
- Conduct two systematic reviews or data landscapes
- Demonstrate high-level experience using GBD for policy or planning
- Possess effective working relationships with key study stakeholders
- Author two policy briefings, reports, or presentations for key stakeholders
- Actively contribute to GBD-related knowledge exchange and capacity-building activities
If you meet the criteria, you may apply to be a GBD Principal Collaborator through the Collaborator Portal. After logging into the Portal, select Apply to change tier.
Membership term
Three years. Membership is renewed based on mutual interest.
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.