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Director's Statement
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington will monitor global health conditions and health systems, as well as evaluate interventions, initiatives, and reforms and as such provide high quality and timely information on health so that policymakers, researchers, donors, practitioners, local decision-makers, and others can better allocate limited resources to achieve optimal results. Multiple global health efforts have sprung up over the past several decades as health spending has risen to unprecedented highs, accounting for 9% of world economic output. Yet a lack of objective, comparable, and comprehensible information on health hinders these various efforts from achieving their highest aims. By attracting a core of talented researchers and collaborating with key actors and institutions to mutual benefit, the Institute will build the needed base of objective evidence about what works and what does not work to improve health conditions and health systems performance. Most importantly, the Institute will make this evidence base freely and readily available in the public domain. Better health information can be expected to lead to more knowledgeable decision-making and higher achievements in health. We are grateful for the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and critical funding provided by Governor Gregoire and the 2007 State Legislature. We also acknowledge the University of Washington for recognizing the need for the highest caliber faculty, staff, and resources and then relentlessly supporting the creation of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Although we cannot guarantee improved health outcomes, we commit ourselves to contributing to a much stronger foundation of publicly available evidence that empowers policymakers, donors, practitioners, researchers, local and global decision-makers, and others to strategically allocate limited resources. Through our efforts to make more information of higher quality available in comparable and comprehensible formats, we hope to spark the spectrum of actions needed to achieve the best possible impact from global health efforts. – Christopher J.L. Murray |
