10 Questions with the Dean

When Keshia Pollack Porter first came to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2002, she was a new PhD student working to reduce injuries in the workplace.  She was later recruited back to the School’s faculty in 2006 as the Leon S. Roberston Faculty Development Chair in Injury Prevention and an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Eleven years later, she joined the Bloomberg American Health Initiative as one of the first faculty endowed by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. 

Since then, Pollack Porter has been instrumental in shaping the Initiative’s approach to public health policy. We sat down with her to learn more about her work with the Initiative and her hopes for its future.  

I remember being in a meeting with Dean Mike Klag where he mentioned this exciting new initiative. It was little unbelievable – to think about the potential impact of this impressive investment in public health in the U.S.  I remember speaking with, now Director of the Initiative, Josh Sharfstein about it and how I could be involved. And I will never forget sitting in Sommer Hall when it was announced. I remember how privileged and blessed I felt to be able to be part of something that I knew could change lives. 

What was your first Bloomberg American Health Summit like? 

Energizing! I remember being in Washington D.C., with leaders from across the country, including local changemakers, academic powerhouses, and national political and policy leaders. I left that meeting feeling hopeful about all that we could accomplish together. 
 

Over my time with the Initiative, I have had the pleasure of working with several students and Bloomberg School faculty members on projects that I really believe have had, and will continue to have a significant impact on the state of health in America. My favorite project is the Hopkins Judicial Health Notes, which I worked on with Stefanie Carignan. This project is a continuation of my work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts, which assessed the impact of non-health policies on health. Judicial Health Notes provide researchers and practitioners with a process for assessing the potential health and equity impacts of court decisions before they are made or during the implementation of a decision once it is made. These notes are powerful tools because we know that most court decisions—whether they are on education or transportation—have deep effects on health.  While we looked at three cases initially, I have been so pleased to see this work continue to grow and flourish during my time as dean. 

What are some highlights from your time with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative? 

 
Before I became dean, the Initiative was a place where I could translate research into policy — not just identify problems, but build concrete, evidence-based solutions. As a Bloomberg Centennial Professor, a position endowed by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, I had the chance to help shape that approach across the Initiative's work. 
 
I already mentioned the Judicial Health Notes project in 2024, which was so powerful because it was the first tool to our knowledge that focused on courts. Judges make decisions every day that shape health outcomes, often without access to relevant public health evidence — so we built a practical, accessible resource that puts that evidence directly in front of the judicial system. It's a good example of what I think public health should be doing more of: sharing the science when and where decisions are being made. I've also continued to be closely involved in the Initiative's policy package program, which takes that same idea further — analyzing the health impacts of policy more broadly and translating research into actionable solutions that communities and policymakers can use. 
 
Honestly, that work previewed a lot of what guides me now as dean: a belief that public health makes the most difference when we ground it in evidence, center equity, build real partnerships, and act with intention towards the goal of solving problems and not just naming them. 

We have spent the past decade working to improve public health, what is one project of the Initiative you are particularly proud of? 

I think I want to go back to the early days of the Initiative for this one. One of the first high impact projects ever funded by the Initiative was the FORECAST study. This was led by Bloomberg Professor of American Health Susan Sherman and studied the efficacy of using fentanyl test strips as a strategy to reduce opioid overdoses in the U.S. When this project came out, our country was in the thick of the combined crises of fentanyl and opioid overdoses – something that has thankfully decreased in recent years. Through this project, Susan and her team demonstrated that this technology was accurate. Moreover, providing these test strips, opened a new line of communication for that individual to seek treatment and recovery options. Today, Bloomberg Fellows are distributing fentanyl test strips in emergency rooms, stocking them in public health vending machines, and they are noted widely in harm reduction communities as a promising strategy to reduce overdose rates.  

What do you think makes the Initiative different than other programs in schools of public health across the country? 

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative is a program that I wish every public health school in the country could have, but we are so fortunate that we get to call it our own. What stands out to me most is the Fellowship program. Every year I have the privilege of going to the Bloomberg American Health Summit where I meet countless Bloomberg Fellows. Each one is deeply engaging and working on something that I know will change the world. These Fellows are not typical public health students; they are individuals who chose to complete a rigorous Masters or Doctorate degree at the number one school of public health while continuing to work in their communities. In the classroom, they bring life experiences that you just do not get unless you leave the world of higher education. We will learn something one week, and the next they have stories for me about how they used the lesson and applied it to get legislation passed or build a stronger system for their community. They are putting public health into action, and I am forever impressed by the Fellows.  

What are your goals for the future of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative? 

I have many! I want the Initiative to continue changing lives and increasing life expectancy in communities across the country. I want the Initiative to continue funding life-saving work that shapes the future of public health. I want the Initiative to continue training the next generation of public health leaders, especially from non-health sectors, who are determined to leave the world a better place than they found it. This is a very challenging time for public health and programs like the Bloomberg American Health Initiative make it possible for people to dream a little bigger and make an impact. It equips the people doing the work with the tools to do even more, and I truly hope that that never changes. 

What are your hopes for the future of public health? 

My hope is that public health becomes something people feel in their daily lives, not just something they hear about during a crisis. We've spent the last few years proving how essential this field is — now I want to see us build the workforce, the tools, and the partnerships that make that impact durable. To get there, we must do more than simply aim to rebuild what was lost – we must help shape systems, policies, and practices that are more effective, more resilient, and more agile. We must restore trust in science and expertise through new ways of communicating with and listening to the public, always with humility. That means training the next generation of public health leaders differently: equipping them not just with epidemiology and biostatistics, but with data science and AI fluency, advocacy, and policy change. If we get that right, public health stops being reactive and becomes something that's woven into how every community, company, and government makes decisions. 

How do you think we can all work together to turn those hopes into reality? 

It starts with listening — to the communities we serve, to each other across disciplines and perspectives, and honestly, to the data itself. No single school, sector, or government can solve the challenges ahead alone. That means academia partnering more closely with industry and policymakers, and schools of public health being willing to rethink how we train people.