Dr. Richard J. Jackson, a renowned environmental health expert, will receive the 2015 Henry Hope Reed Award from the University of Notre Dame on Saturday, March 21 at the John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium in Chicago. The award will be given in conjunction with the Richard H. Driehaus Prize honoring architect David M. Schwarz.
“Dr. Richard Jackson’s research has made the world aware of the influence of the built environment on our health. We have created a world of industrial scaled zones that hinders the ability of everyday citizens to lead healthy lives. Dr. Jackson’s research has demonstrated how cities with mixed use, pedestrian-friendly urbanism provide an environment that promotes health and well-being that is superior to that of our sprawling suburbs,” said Michael Lykoudis, Driehaus Prize jury chair and Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture. “In the midst of a national debate on health care, he has realigned the focus to include a holistic approach to fitness that examines the causes of poor health rather than just the cure.”
“I welcome the recognition of Dr. Richard J. Jackson as the recipient of the 2015 Henry Hope Reed Award,” said Richard H. Driehaus, founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Chicago-based Driehaus Capital Management LLC. “His research into the health advantages conferred by walkable environments emphasizes the overall importance of traditional and sustainable urban design.”
Jackson currently serves as professor of environmental health at the University of California, Los Angeles' School of Public Health. He graduated from the University of California School of Medicine at San Francisco. He then earned his master of public health from UC Berkeley and began working as a public health medical officer with the California Department of Health Services. In 1994, Jackson was selected to be director of the National Center for Environmental Health. In 2003, he served as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director’s senior adviser and co-led the organization’s strategic planning process related to health systems.
Jackson is co-author of the 2004 book “Urban Sprawl and Public Health.” He also hosted a four-hour PBS series titled "Designing Healthy Communities." In 2005, he was selected to serve on the national board of directors of the American Institute of Architects. His lectures have been influential in convincing urban planners, developers, builders and elected officials to create environments that promote exercise, socialization and health.
The Henry Hope Reed Award is given to an individual working outside the practice of architecture who has supported the cultivation of the traditional city, its architecture and art through writing, planning or promotion. The $50,000 award is presented annually through the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, whose unique curriculum emphasizes classical architecture and traditional urbanism.
Contact: Mary Beth Zachariades, School of Architecture, 574-631-5720, mb.zachariades@nd.edu