The Bloomberg American Health Initiative Awards $4.5 Million to Six Centers and Institutes to Develop Solutions to Leading Health Challenges

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has awarded $4.5 million to six research centers and institutes at the Bloomberg School over three years. The funding will support infrastructure and projects to address major causes of suffering and premature death in the United States, including suicide, poor diet, violence, overdose, and rising temperatures.

Each center and institute will receive $250,000 per year for three years for a total of $750,000. 

“Each of these centers will generate knowledge and pursue partnerships to save lives,” says Michelle Spencer, MS, deputy director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and Practice Professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management. “These funds will accelerate and increase the impact of their work.”

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative was established in 2016 with a $300 million gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Through education, research, and practice, the Initiative works to improve health and life expectancy in the United States in ways that advance equity, use evidence, and change policy. To date, the Initiative has funded more than 200 projects, including early studies on the value of drug checking to prevent overdose and the implementation of extreme risk orders to reduce gun violence.

Examples of how Centers and Institutes will use the funding include: 

• The Center for Climate Smart Transportation will launch a “Models for Change” series that will translate research focused on community design, transportation, land use, housing, and urban planning into policy briefs and build a repository of ideas to respond to climate change.
• The Center for Human Nutrition will establish a Food Systems Scholar program that will provide an opportunity for Bloomberg School students to work with leading experts in causes and consequences of food insecurity, diet-related chronic disease, food policy, and food system sustainability. 
• The Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy will launch six new research projects at the intersection of suicide prevention and response including an evaluation of suicide prevention efforts tailored to Black youth, who are experiencing rising rates of suicide, and an evaluation of the impact of Medicare Part D coverage expansion on suicide in older adults. 

Other centers receiving funding include the Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Center for Injury Research and Policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Center for Health Disparities Solutions. 

“We are honored to be able to support these centers and institutes as they advance innovative research, engage community organizations, and enhance the training of future public health leaders,” says Joshua Sharfstein. MD, Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement and director of the Initiative at the Bloomberg School. “Their efforts will help develop life-saving solutions, both here in Baltimore, and across the country.”