CDC Foundation Names 2026 and 2027 Fries Prize Recipients

Roger Glass, president of the CMB Foundation and former director of the NIH Fogarty International Center, receives the 2026 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health. His career is marked by the identification of rotavirus as a primary cause of lethal childhood diarrhea, a discovery that catalyzed the development of vaccines now utilized in over 140 countries. This work, which Glass spearheaded during his tenure at the CDC, has saved hundreds of thousands of lives by turning scientific evidence into widespread immunization policy.

Marni Sommer, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, is the recipient of the 2027 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award. Sommer is credited with transforming menstrual health from a neglected topic into a global policy priority. Her research, which began in Tanzania, led to the creation of culturally specific puberty resources distributed to over 2 million students. Her efforts have shifted how governments and humanitarian organizations approach school environments and public facility design.

Glass will receive his $100,000 prize at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in San Antonio this November. Sommer will be honored with a $50,000 award at the Society for Public Health Education conference in Cincinnati in March 2027. Both awards are managed by the CDC Foundation on behalf of the James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation, which has sought to reward practical, proven public health contributions since 1991.