Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit Partners with Bloomberg Philanthropies for Reinvestment in Global Road Safety

The Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU), along with collaborating organizations from around the world, is pleased to join Bloomberg Philanthropies as a partner in its reinvestment in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS). The six-year plan and commitment of $240 million by Bloomberg Philanthropies through 2025 expects to save an estimated 600,000 lives and prevent as many as 22 million injuries in low- and middle-income countries. 

Through the plan, Dr. Bachani and the JH-IIRU team will support evidence-based programs in up to 30 cities to address the death and disability from road injuries. The Unit will implement and oversee the collection of risk factor data to support implementation of road safety programs in these cities, monitor compliance to strengthened legislation, and implement the Global Road Safety Leadership Course, among other roles.

“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and improve global road safety through this investment,” said Director Dr. Abdul Bachani. “Since the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit and others first teamed up for this initiative, we’ve prevented more than 300,000 deaths and as many as 11 million injuries across the world. This additional support is a testament to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ commitment to save lives at a global level, and we look forward to our role as part of this effort.”

Since 2010, JH-IIRU has partnered with organizations such as the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Bank on the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ road safety initiatives across 10 countries (Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, and Vietnam) to save lives and reduce serious injuries from traffic crashes. In total, the JH-IIRU team and its national partners conducted some of the first studies to understand and monitor the status of road safety risk factors. To date, the team has collected over 7.34 million observations on risk factors like drink driving, speeding, seatbelts, and helmet use.

Bloomberg Philanthropies, in 2014, announced its next commitment with BIGRS, further utilizing its network of partners such as JH-IIRU to focus on 10 selected cities (Accra, Ethiopia; Accra, Ghana; Bandung, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Bogota, Colombia; Fortaleza and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Mumbai, India; and Shanghai, China) across the globe. Through BIGRS, JH-IIRU conducted eight rounds of observational studies over five years surpassing 10 million observations. --- parts of this could be blended in the above paragraph.

Furthermore, in 2016, and with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, JH-IIRU and GRSP jointly implemented the Global Road Safety Leadership Course. The program, which aims to enhance effective leadership capacity to optimally address road safety in order to reduce deaths and serious injuries around the world, has been held seven times in Baltimore, Maryland -- near the campus of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health -- and around the world, through regional offerings. More than 400 participants from 60 countries have attended the course, and the next offering will be held in Baltimore later this year.

To learn more about Bloomberg Philanthropies’ reinvestment in global road safety, please click here.