Upholding Public Health

The 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit brought together hundreds of people on the front lines of public health to learn from community leaders and national experts in Baltimore.

Speakers at the 2025 Summit included leaders from state and federal public health agencies, political figures, faculty from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, journalists, and leaders of community organizations. Fellows and collaborating organizations also had exclusive access to workshops to learn new skills and explore opportunities to work together to build a better tomorrow. 
 

View a recording of the summit

Baltimore has something different going on right now. Baltimore has momentum. You can feel it in the air. You can feel it in the work that people are doing. Baltimore also has the means right now to really respond, not only to overdose deaths, but to a myriad of other issues, and has already been responding to help families, to help communities.

Michelle Taylor, MD, DrPH, MPA

Commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department

Watch the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit now!

Additional 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit Videos

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General

Welcome Remarks: Joshua Sharfstein and Michelle Spencer

Bloomberg American Health Initiative Director Joshua Sharfstein and Deputy Director Michelle Spencer welcome you to the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
General

Welcome Remarks: Dean Keshia Pollack Porter

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean Keshia Pollack Porter welcomes Bloomberg Fellows, Faculty, and collaborating organizations to the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
General

Welcome Remarks: Ron Daniels

Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels welcomes Bloomberg Fellows, Faculty, and collaborating organizations to the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
General

In Conversation: Advancing Health in Baltimore City

Dr. Michelle Taylor, Commissioner of Health, Baltimore City Health Department, speaks with Bloomberg American Health Initiative Deputy Director Michelle Spencer about her strategies to continue to advance the health of people living in Baltimore.

General

Interview: Dr. Kelly Henning and Richard Hughes IV

Dr. Kelly Henning, public health program lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies, joins Richard Hughes IV, Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University Law School and Partner at Epstein Becker Green discuss vaccine policy across the United States at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
General

Protecting Public Health

Yolanda Jacobs, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2883, joins Bloomberg American Health Initiative Director Joshua Sharfstein to discuss strategies to protect public health at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Initiative.

Addiction & Overdose

Fellow Spotlight: Shelina Davis

Bloomberg Fellow and CEO of the Louisiana Public Health Institute Shelina Davis shares more about her journey to public health at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
Addiction & Overdose

Bridging the Divide: A Public Health Approach to Drug Policy

Michael Botticelli, Former Director (Obama Administration) of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy shares his approach to drug policy at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Addiction & Overdose

Beyond the Settlement

Bloomberg Fellow and Senior Reporter at KFF Health News Aneri Pattani speaks with Sara Whaley, Executive Director of Overdose Response, City of Baltimore, J.R. Westberg, Bloomberg Fellow, Opioid Response Coordinator, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and Nidhi Sachdeva, Director of Strategic Health and Opioid Initiatives, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners about opioid settlement funds and how communities can use them to build a safer future.

Addiction & Overdose

Expanding Access to Harm Reduction on Tribal Lands

Bloomberg Fellow and Senior Reporter at KFF Health News Aneri Pattani speaks with Cathy Chavers, Former Bois Forte Tribal Chair and The Honorable Philomena Kebec, Bloomberg Fellow, Economic Development Coordinator, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Chief Judge, Sokaogon Chippewa Community Tribal Court, about bringing harm reduction strategies to Tribal communities in the United States.

Adolescent Health

Fellow Spotlight: Lilly Boquin

Lillian Bocquin, Bloomberg Fellow from the Honestly: Sexual Health Collective for Youth, shares more about her journey to public health at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Adolescent Health

The Science of Adolescent Development

Lisa Lawson, President and CEO of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, delivers a keynote address about the Science of Adolescent Development at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Adolescent Health

Restorative Practices in Schools: Implications for Youth Mental Health

Jo Napolitano, Senior Reporter at The 74, speaks with Benjamin Brooks, Senator, State of Maryland, 10th Legislative District of Baltimore County, Dr. Tamar Mendelson, Bloomberg Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Dr. Sarah Murray, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about the importance of restorative practices in schools at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Adolescent Health

Recess in Schools: A Lack of State Policies

Jo Napolitano, Senior Reporter at The 74, speaks with Dr. Erin Hager, Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Nikil Saval, Senator, State of Pennsylvania, 1st Senatorial District of Pennsylvania, and Lysa Ratliff, Chief Executive Officer, KABOOM!, about the importance of recess in adolescent development at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Fellow Spotlight: Jay Franzone

Bloomberg Fellow Jay Franzone shares more about his journey to public health at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Gaining Ground to Advance Safety

Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director at Moms Demand Action, delivers a keynote address at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Bridging the Gap: Data, Leadership, and Safer Communities

Jennifer Mascia, Senior News Writer at The Trace, speaks with Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin about building safer communities at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Bloomberg Fellow Waymaker: Dr. Maria Coss

Bloomberg Fellow from the Puerto Rico Department of Health, Dr. Maria Coss, shares her approach to reducing suicides in Puerto Rico at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Protecting Women, Saving Lives

Dr. Michele Decker, Bloomberg Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Charvonne Holliday Nworu, Founder and Principal Consultant, Rooted Health Strategies, and Dr. Tiara Willie, Bloomberg Associate Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discuss strategies to protect women in the United States.

General

AI in Public Health: Balancing Innovation, Equity, and Ethics

Dr. Elizabeth Stuart, Bloomberg Professor of American Health, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, speaks with Dr. Kadija Ferryman, Faculty, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Dr. Irene Dankwa-Mullan, Chief Health Officer, Marti Health and Board Member, Hurone-AI, about balancing innovation, equity, and ethics as AI enters the public health setting.

General

Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society

Dr. Arline T. Geronimus, Professor, Health Behavior & Health Equity, University of Michigan; Member, National Academy of Medicine delivers a keynote address about Weathering at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Environmental Challenges

Fellow Spotlight: David Harvey

Bloomberg Fellow David Harvey shares more about his journey to public health at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
Environmental Challenges

Protecting Planetary Health

Dr. Samuel S. Myers, Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health, delivers a keynote address about how we can protect the health of the planet at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Environmental Challenges

Heat and Climate Change

Zahra Hirji, Climate Reporter for Bloomberg News, joins Dr. Bharat Jayram Venkat, Director, UCLA Heat Lab and Dr. Ben Zaitchik, Morton K. Blaustein Chair and Professor, Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences for a discussion about the impact of heat and climate change on health.

Environmental Challenges

Urban Sprawl in the U.S.

Zahra Hirji, Climate Reporter at Bloomberg Green speaks with Dr. Shima Hamidi, Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about urban sprawl in the United States and its impacts on health in communities across the country.

Environmental Challenges

Community Power, Policy Impact

Joanne Kenen, Journalist-in-Residence, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Contributing Writer, POLITICO Magazine speaks with Dr. Matthew S. Tejada, Senior Vice President of Environmental Health, Natural Resources Defense Council, about how community action can spur change at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Food Systems for Health

Fellow Spotlight: Jay Cutler

Bloomberg Fellow Jay Cutler shares more about the importance of data when developing policies at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Food Systems for Health

Feeding the Future: The Importance of School Lunch Programs

Matti Gellman, Food Reporter at The Baltimore Banner speaks with Crystal FitzSimons, President, Food Research & Action Center, Ali Wohlgemuth, Bloomberg Fellow, Bay Area Community Resources, and Dr. Erica Pan, Director and State Public Health Officer, California Department of Public Health, about the importance of school lunch programs for feeding young people in America.

Food Systems for Health

Community Engaged Development of Nutrition Curriculum

Dr. Tara Maudrie, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan and Dr. Donald Warne, Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health discuss how to develop community engaged nutrition programs in Tribal communities across the country.

Food Systems for Health

Bloomberg Fellow Waymaker: Cody Bloomfield

Bloomberg Fellow Cody Bloomfield shares more about how she has been working with Hunger Solutions New York to bring food equity to schools in New York.

Food Systems for Health

Food is Medicine

Dr. Yeeli Mui, Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health speaks with Dr. Steven Chen, Chief Medical Officer, Alameda County Recipe4Health, Erika Hanson, Clinical Instructor, Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Harvard Law School, and Jordan Smith, Bloomberg Fellow, Hawai’i Good Food Alliance about the importance of nutritious food at the 2025 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

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There’s so much work to be done beyond just passing laws … partnering with local organizations that connect people to housing, to food, to health care … normalizing conversations in your community about what safety really means. That’s how culture shifts. These solutions might not make headlines, but they make a difference and that’s what’s important.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala

Executive Director of Moms Demand Action