The Minister of Health, Dr Agnes Binagwaho will today, during an event in Washington DC, receive the Roux Prize award which was bestowed upon her for her contribution in turning data and evidence into health impact.

The award, which is being given for the second time, is worth $ 100,000 (Rwf73.6m).

The first winner, who got the award last year, is Harvard-trained epidemiologist and mayor of Cali, Colombia, Dr. Rodrigo Guerrero.

Binagwaho was specifically recognized for using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data and evidence from her ministry’s own data-gathering efforts to ensure the country’s limited resources are saving the most lives and reducing suffering.

According to a statement, Binagwaho who worked directly with patients as a physician, has been an active user of GBD since 2012 and eventually joined the GBD enterprise as part of the international collaborative network, which now totals more than 1,400 contributors from 115 countries.

“The Global Burden of Disease, by creating and generating data, helps us understand where we need to invest the next dollar, the next effort, the next education initiative,” she is quoted in the statement as saying.

GBD is a systematic, scientific effort to quantify the comparative magnitude of health loss due to diseases, injuries, and risk factors.