BIOGRAPHY - Alan Lopez

Participation in the Network's Paradigm and Applications Working Group (select the appropriate options)

Paradigm Working Groups

 Socio-spatial theory

 Methodologies, tools and techniques

 Scenarios and forecasting

 Sources, data quality and data integration

Application Working Groups

 National and regional socio-economic change

 Population, economic and information flows

 Social and economic networks

 Regional development and community capacity building

 Behaviour and well-being in socio-spatial settings

Publication 1:

Lopez AD, Mathers CD, Ezzati M, Jamison DT, Murray CJL. 2006. Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001: systematic analysis of population health data. Lancet, 367: 1747-57. Key journal article summarizing the principal findings of the 2000 Global Burden of Disease Study.

Publication 2:

Denali G, Vander Hoorn S, Lopez AD, Ezzati M. 2005. The causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk assessment of nine behavioural and environmental risk factors. Lancet, 366: 1784-93. First major reassessment of the major causes of cancer worldwide since the pioneering work of Doll and Peto in 1980.

Publication 3:

Ezzati M, vander Hoorn S, Lawes CMM, Leach R, James WPT, Lopez AD, Rodgers A, Murray CJL 2005. Rethinking the “diseases of affluence” paradigm: multiple nutritional risk factors in relation to economic development. Public Library of Science (PLoS): Medicine, 2 (5): e133. First ever cross-national analysis of how nutritional risk factors change with economic development, refuting the commonly held belief that all physiological risks rise with economic growth.

Publication 4:

Murray CJL, Lopez AD, Wibulpolprasert S 2004. Monitoring global health: time for new solutions. BMJ, 329: 1096-1100. Proposed a framework and mechanism for independent monitoring of progress with global health development.

Publication 5:

Ezzati M, Lopez AD 2003. Estimates of global mortality attributable to smoking in 2000. Lancet, 362: 847-852. Provided methods and results for assessing impact of global tobacco epidemic with annual toll (4.8 million) 40% higher than previously believed.

Publication 6:

Murray CJL, Ferguson BD, Lopez AD, Guillot M, Salomon JA, Ahmad O 2003. Modified logit life table system: principles, empirical validation and application. Population Studies, 57 (2): 165-182. Proposed a new model life table system for use by developing countries and international agencies to more reliably estimate death rates at different ages in developing countries.

Publication 7:

Ezzati M, Lopez AD, Rodgers A, Vander Hoorn S, Murray CJL 2002. Selected major risk factors and global and regional burden of disease. Lancet, 360: 1347-1360. Developed and applied methods for comparative global and regional assessment of major risks to health in 2000.

Publication 8:

Murray CJL, Lopez AD 1999. On the comparable quantification of health risks: lessons from the Global Burden of Disease Study. Epidemiology, 10: 594–605. Laid out the Murray-Lopez comparative risk assessment framework for assessing health risks, which formed the basis of WHO’s 2002 World Health Report and subsequent national adaptations (eg Thailand, Australia, USA).

Publication 9:

Murray CJL, Lopez AD 1996. The Global Burden of Disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press on behalf of the World Bank and WHO. Set out in detail the methods, data sources and key findings of the first ever global assessment of the major causes of disease burden, incorporating both death and non-fatal health outcomes. Has substantially influenced priority setting methods in health in more than 50 countries and in major development agencies such as WHO and the World Bank.

Publication 10:

Peto R, Lopez AD, Boreham J, Thun M, Heath C 1992. Mortality from tobacco in developed countries: indirect estimation from national vital statistics. Lancet, 339: 1268-78. Presented the theoretical basis for, and application of the Peto-Lopez method for estimating deaths from tobacco based solely on vital statistics. Has been widely used for tobacco control policy and advocacy.

Current Research 1:

Burden of Disease

Current Research 2:

Mortality Analysis

Current Research 3:

Epidemiology of Tobacco

Current Research 4:

Global Descriptive Epidemiology

Current Research 5:

Methods for collecting cause of death data in developing countries