OU International Water Prize

Purpose: The purpose of the OU International Water Prize is to recognize and honor an individual who has made significant international contributions, either through research or teaching or service activities, in the field of water supply and sanitation, with a focus on the world’s poorest living in small villages/communities in rural or remote regions.

Details: The Prize is a biennial award sponsored by the WaTER Center at the University of Oklahoma and made possible by generous gifts from alumni and friends. The inaugural prize winner was selected in 2008 and awarded at the 2009 OU WaTER Conference in late October 2009. The winner received a $25,000 cash reward with half of the reward going directly to Dr. Luby, the recipient, and half going to the WaTER-related non-profit organization of his choice. This is one of the first and largest prizes dedicated to the field of water supply and sanitation in remote areas of emerging regions.

Dr. Stephen P. Luby - 2009 OU International Water Prize Winner

Dr. Luby has worked for the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh since 2004. He is head of the Program on Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Sciences and also functions as the head of Agency for the Centers for Disease Control in Bangladesh. He earned a bachelor of arts in philosophy from Creighton University in 1981 and a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas in 1986. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester-Strong Memorial Hospital. Dr. Luby studied epidemiology and public health in the Epidemic Intelligence Service and the Preventive Medicine Residency of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Luby has authored over 120 scientific articles, the majority concerning communicable disease epidemiology in low-income countries.

Jurors for the 2009 Prize included:

• Greg Allgood, Director of Proctor & Gamble Pur Program
• Michael Campana, Director of the Institute for Water and Watersheds, Oregon State University
• Henock Gezahegn, PSI-Ethiopia
• Daniele Lantagne, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA
• Malcolm Morris, Chairman of Stewart Title Company in Houston, TX and co-founder of Living Water International and the Millennium Water Alliance