George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award, 1977
Armstrong Award in Broadcast Journalism, 1978
National Press Club, 1982
Award of Excellence from the National Association of Black Journalists, 1989
Bob Considine Award of the Overseas Press Club of America, 1994
Front Page Award from the News Women’s Club of New York for "Ebola", 1995
Newsday Publisher’s Award, Best Beat Reporter, 1995
American Association for the Advancement of Science Special Citation for Outstanding Journalism, 1995
The Madeleine Dane Ross Award from the Overseas Press Club for Best Reporting in Any Media on the Human Condition, "Ebola", 1995
Times Mirror Journalist of the Year, 1995
Alumna of the year, University of California in Santa Cruz, 1996
Regents Lecturer, University of California, 1996
Winner, 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism, "Ebola"
Finalist, 1996 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, "Ebola"
Finalist, 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism, team effort for breast cancer series
First Prize, World Hunger Media Award, 1987 (Now called the Harry Chapin Media Awards on hunger)
Presidential Citation, the American Public Health Association, 1996
Distinguished Achievement Award, Educational Press Association of America, numerous stories cited, 1996
Media Health Promotion Award, The County of Los Angeles Health Services, 1997
Best Beat Reporter, Long Island Press Club, for coverage of AIDS, 1997
The 18th Annual Joseph Mountain Lecturer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997
Named "Champion of Prevention" by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 1997
Named "A Distinguished Leader in the Life Sciences" by the National Academy of Sciences, and delivered one of five distinguished lectures at the Academy, 1998
Named "National Public Health Hero" by the University of California School of Public Health, 1998
Recipient of the George C. Polk Award for International Reporting, "Crumbled Empire, Shattered Health", 1998
Honorable Mention, Madeline Dane Ross Award of the Overseas Press Club of America, "Crumbled Empire, Shattered Health", 1998
Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for “Crumbled Empire,” 1998
Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Beat reporting, "Crumbled Empire, Shattered Health", 1998
Recipient of Special Award for "Crumbled Empire, Shattered Health", from the Society of the Silurians
Recipient of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting, Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, 2000
First Place, International Reporting, from the NY Association of Black Journalists for "Orphans of AIDS", 2000
Public Health Hero Award, New York City Department of Health, 2000
Newsday Publisher's Award for Outstanding Specialist Reporting, "AIDS in Africa", 2000
National Book Critics Circle, finalist in the category of General Nonfiction for BETRAYAL OF TRUST, 2000
George C. Polk Award, Best Book of 2000 for BETRAYAL OF TRUST
The Madeleine Dane Ross Award for Reporting on the Human Condition for BETRAYAL OF TRUST, given by the Overseas Press Club of America, 2001
Recipient of honorary doctorate, PhD, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, June 2002
Named "Journalist of the Year" by the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads, Virginia, 2002
BETRAYAL OF TRUST was awarded first prize in the 2002 Medical Book Competition of the British Medical Association
Named Scientiae Doctorem (PhD) Honoris Causa , Georgetown University, 2009
Recipient of the "2002 Research in Action Award" from the Treatment Action Group, New York
Editor-at-Large of SEED Magazine, 2003 -2005
Newsday Publisher’s Award for Outstanding Specialty Reporting, 2003
Garrett is the subject of Cecelia Tichi's book, Exposés and Excess: Muckracking in America, 1900/2000
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003
Recipient of the "20 for 20 Award" for achievements in HIV/AIDS from Bailey House, New York, 2004
National Association of Science Writers Science-in-Society Journalism Award (2006), “The Next Pandemic?” Foreign Affairs (July/August 2005)
American Society of Topical Medicine and Hygiene Honorable Mention for "The Path of a Pandemic," Newsweek, 2009
Recipient of the Honorable Mention award from the American Society of Topical Medicine and Hygiene for the Newsweek article “The Path of a Pandemic” published on May 2, 2009
Named one of the 50 most influential alumni of University of California in Santa Cruz’s, August, 2010
Virginia S. DeHahn Lecture on Health Promotion and Education, Rollins School of Public Health, 2001
25th Anniversary Exploratorium Public Understanding of Science Award, 2002
Doctor of Humane Letters (PhD), Honoris Causa, Illinois Wesleyan University, 1998