Roger Glass Receives 2026 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health

Global health leader recognized for advancing rotavirus research, vaccine development and access, helping save children’s lives worldwide

The CDC Foundation today announced that Roger Glass, MD, PhD, will receive the 2026 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health. Glass is being honored for advancing global child health by identifying rotavirus as a leading cause of severe diarrhea in children and driving global surveillance, vaccine development and policy that have contributed to dramatic reductions in childhood illness and deaths worldwide.

The James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health will be presented this afternoon at the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) annual meeting, taking place in San Antonio, TX. The award recognizes an outstanding leader who has made major contributions to improving public health. It is intended for an individual who has done the most to improve health for the greatest number of people. The monetary award for the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health is $100,000.

“Dr. Glass’ career demonstrates what is possible when scientific discovery is paired with a commitment to ensuring that lifesaving innovations reach the people who need them most,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “His work not only helped establish the global burden of rotavirus and advance vaccines that have protected millions of children but also helped make those vaccines more accessible and affordable in countries with the greatest need.”

Glass, a physician-scientist and global health leader, began his work on childhood diarrheal diseases as a Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service Medical Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assigned to the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research in Bangladesh. At that time, an estimated 3 million children were dying each year from diarrhea, the second most common cause of children under five deaths. In addition, about 85 percent of these episodes did not have a known infectious agent or cause. His research helped demonstrate that rotavirus was a leading cause of severe diarrheal illness, hospitalization and deaths among children under five years of age.

Glass received his PhD from the University of Gothenburg and spent three years working in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at National Institutes of Health (NIH) on molecular virology before returning to CDC in 1986. Over the next two decades, he established and led the Viral Gastroenteritis Unit at CDC, which became a global center for rotavirus epidemiology, laboratory research and training. Through the unit, Glass and his colleagues trained generations of epidemiologists and laboratory scientists from the United States and more than 50 countries to measure disease burden, develop diagnostics, evaluate vaccines and generate evidence to inform vaccine policy. Through biannual international meetings, they helped bring the international rotavirus community together on a mission to advocate for a common vision of reducing the burden of diarrheal disease and deaths worldwide through the use of vaccines.

Recognizing that the greatest burden of rotavirus deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries and concerned that the high price of new vaccines would limit access, Glass and his CDC team turned a longstanding research collaboration with Professor M.K. Bhan, MD, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi into an effort to develop a more affordable rotavirus vaccine for low- and middle-income countries. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Indian Department of Biotechnology and the NIH Vaccine Action Program, they worked with Bharat Biotech to develop and license a rotavirus vaccine that achieved World Health Organization prequalification and could be offered for $1 per dose, a fraction of the price of vaccines from global manufacturers. The vaccine was launched in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and is now widely available through GAVI in low-income countries.

Their effort helped demonstrate a model for developing affordable, lifesaving vaccines in countries where they are needed most. Today, rotavirus vaccines are included in childhood immunization programs in more than 140 countries and have helped prevent millions of deaths and hospitalizations for severe diarrheal disease among children worldwide.

Glass’ influence extends well beyond rotavirus research and vaccines. From 2006 to 2023, he was associate director for International Programs at NIH and the longest serving director of NIH’s Fogarty International Center, which supports research training in global health for United States and foreign physicians and health professionals. Most recently, he has served as president of the CMB Foundation, an American philanthropy advancing medical education and health in Asia.

“Roger Glass advanced global child health by identifying rotavirus as a leading cause of diarrhea and driving global surveillance, vaccine development and policy, with remarkable reduction in deaths,” said Larry Anderson, MD, professor emeritus, Emory University School of Medicine, who nominated Glass for the award. “His impact on global health is amplified by the many leaders he inspired—epidemiologists, laboratorians, clinician-scientists—and the worldwide partnerships he established.”

Glass’ contributions to public health and global health have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal; the U.S. Public Health Service Outstanding Service Medal; CDC’s Charles C. Shepard Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award; the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases; CDC Director’s Award for Innovation, Novel Inactivated Rotavirus Vaccine Team; and Research!America’s Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1991. The mission of the foundation is to identify and honor individuals, organizations or institutions that have made great contributions to the health of the public. The foundation seeks to reward accomplishment rather than promise, practicality rather than theory.

The CDC Foundation is honored to partner with the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation, which established and funds the award. The CDC Foundation manages and administers the Fries Foundation’s public health award programs, which include the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health and the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award.

Nominations and additional information for the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health are available on the Fries Awards for Health nomination page.