Dr. Blair Gifford will be recognized as one of the recipients of the 2015 Excellence in Global Health Award on behalf of the Center for Global Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. The purpose of this award is to recognize and publicly honor those individuals, institutions or organizations based in the state of Colorado that have made an exemplary contribution to the improvement of the health of populations in low and middle income countries over an extended period of time.

It is quite unusual for a Business School professor to be included in such a group, something Dr. Gifford felt honored by – saying, “The Global Health Award is very prestigious for those in the medical field, namely doctors and public health professionals. To be recognized as a Business Professor makes it that much more special.”

Blair Gifford, Ph.D., is Professor of Global Health Management in the CU Denver Business School and the Colorado School of Public Health at CU Anschutz.  He manages the International Health Management certificates in the nationally ranked MBA/Health and Executive MBA/Health programs in the Business School.

Dr. Gifford founded the Center for Global Health at CU in 2003 and was the Center’s first Director.  In 2012, Center for Global Health was designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Promoting Family and Child Health—one of two entities in the Americas to hold this designation.  The Center currently has $12.5 million in grants.

Also, Dr. Gifford started Global Health Connections (GHC) in 2006.  GHC is an educational outreach not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing people together to solve global health issues.  Many alumni of the MBA/Health programs at CU serve on the Board and in other capacities at GHC.  GHC opened a maternity center at Haitian-owned and operated CAMEJO Hospital in Leogane, Haiti in October.  The Center will undoubtedly save many lives.  Only 25% of Haitians receive care from a health professional during a birthing episode.  Accordingly, Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the western hemisphere.

Dr. Blair Gifford was named one of 30 New Century Fellows by the U.S. State Department (Fulbright Program) in 2009.

Dr. Gifford joins the distinguished group below of past award recipients.

Past Awardees:

2008: Jim Jackson of Project CURE

2009: Warren Berggren, MD and Gretchen Berggren, MD

2009: Eric Simoes, MD

2010: Robert E. Booth, PhD

2010: Charles Steinberg, MD

2013: Thomas Campbell, MD

2013: Mickey Richer, MD, DTMH

2014: Carl Bartecchi, MD

2014: Susan Niermeyer, MD, MPH, FAAP

2014: Calvin Wilson, MD

This award will be given at the annual Global Health Symposium, scheduled for November 20, 2015 at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Gifford will be joined by one other recipient for 2015: Dr. P. K. Vedanthan who established the non-profit organization, International Asthma Services (IAS) in 1986.