CDC Foundation Announces Recipients of the 2026 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health and the 2027 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award

ATLANTA, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The CDC Foundation today announced the recipients of two esteemed awards recognizing outstanding contributions to improving the public's health and health education. This year's James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health award recipient is Roger Glass, MD, PhD, president of the CMB Foundation and former director of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Fogarty International Center. The 2027 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award recipient is Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

The James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health recognizes an outstanding leader who has done the most to improve health for the greatest number of people. Glass is recognized for advancing 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.

The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award recognizes a distinguished leader who makes significant contributions to health education and health promotion through program development or delivery, policy, advocacy or research. Sommer is recognized for transforming menstrual health into a recognized global public health priority.

"Drs. Glass and Sommer exemplify the spirit of the Fries Awards through careers that have transformed public health and improved countless lives around the world," said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. "Dr. Glass's pioneering work to reduce the burden of childhood diarrheal disease has saved hundreds of thousands of lives through scientific discovery, collaboration and vaccine innovation. Dr. Sommer has elevated menstrual health from a neglected issue to a global public health priority, changing how governments, educators and health leaders support the health, dignity and well-being of girls and women worldwide. The work of Drs. Glass and Sommer demonstrates the extraordinary impact evidence, partnership and perseverance can have on improving health for generations."

Glass is a physician-scientist and global health leader whose work transformed the prevention of childhood diarrheal diseases worldwide. Early in his career, he established rotavirus as a leading cause of severe diarrhea disease that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young children each year, providing critical evidence for vaccine development and introduction. He later founded the Viral Gastroenteritis Unit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which became a global center for rotavirus research, surveillance and training. Working with partners in India and around the world, Glass and his CDC colleagues advanced the development of an affordable rotavirus vaccine, expanding access to lifesaving immunization in countries with the highest burden of disease. Through partnerships with governments and other organizations, Glass helped build national tracking systems and inform policies that have contributed to rotavirus-vaccines being introduced in more than 140 countries, dramatically reducing severe illness and deaths among young children around the world.

Sommer is a global leader in menstrual health whose research and advocacy helped transform a once-overlooked issue into a recognized health priority. Beginning with foundational research among schoolgirls in Tanzania, she documented how menstruation, puberty and inadequate health education affected girls' dignity, well-being and school participation. She translated those findings into culturally tailored puberty books for girls and boys, with more than 2 million copies distributed across 10 countries and helped build the evidence base for menstrual health education, supportive school environments and national monitoring. At the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Sommer has also advanced practical guidance for humanitarian settings, menstrual-friendly public facilities and government policies designed to improve the health and well-being of girls and women.

Glass will be honored with the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health award and receive a monetary award of $100,000 at the American Public Health Association's (APHA) annual meeting taking place in San Antonio, TX, November 1–4, 2026. Sommer will be honored with the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award and receive a monetary award of $50,000 at the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) taking place in Cincinnati, OH, March 17–19, 2027.

The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation is a nonprofit corporation incorporated 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.

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners to support the public health system, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in preventing and responding to threats to health. In this role, we are focused on one priority: building catalytic, flexible and impactful partnerships—with corporations, organizations and individuals—to help improve the health and lives of people in all communities, everywhere. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information. Follow the CDC Foundation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter and TikTok.

SOURCE CDC Foundation