The U.S. Green Building Council has honored a University of Virginia School of Medicine researcher with a fellowship in recognition of his work to help design schools, homes, offices and neighborhoods that promote health and well-being.

The council has named Dr. Matthew Trowbridge as its 2013-14 Mark Ginsberg Sustainability Fellow. The fellowship, along with a $350,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will bolster Trowbridge’s work to assist development of improved health metrics for use within the green building industry to help promote healthier built environments.

“The opportunity to work directly with the U.S. Green Building Council and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help forward their shared mission of providing healthy and sustainable places to live, work and play is very exciting,” Trowbridge said.

Trowbridge’s efforts represent an extension of his work examining the effect of built environments on critical public health issues, such as childhood obesity, traffic safety and pre-hospital emergency care.

In announcing the fellowship, Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the Green Building Council, noted the importance of Trowbridge’s pioneering research and work with groups such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research.

“Matt’s work in the field of human health and the built environment is crucial to our goal of realizing a future in which all people can enjoy the benefits of buildings that enhance their health and comfort, not compromise it,” Fedrizzi said. “I applaud his dedication to this important work and congratulate him on a remarkable achievement.

“The buildings in which we live and interact are critical determinants of our ability to lead healthy and productive lives, and Matt’s pioneering research into the field will help lay the foundations for green buildings and communities that extend and enrich human lives while protecting our most precious resource: the earth we all call home.”

The recognition of Trowbridge’s work follows last fall’s selection of U.Va. Medical Center as the first winner of the Sustainability Award from the University HealthSystem Consortium. The award honored the Medical Center’s commitment to being a responsible steward of resources and the environment as it provides leading-edge care to patients.

All new buildings at the Medical Center are required to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified. The Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center achieved a LEED Gold certification.