Jaime Madrigano Appointed as New Bloomberg Associate Professor of American Health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has appointed Jaime Madrigano, ScD, MPH, as a Bloomberg Associate Professor of American Health in the area of Environmental Challenges in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. The Department spans two schools at Johns Hopkins University—the Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering. This is an endowed position supported by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Madrigano is an environmental epidemiologist committed to research that advances holistic, equitable solutions to protect the public from the growing threat of climate change. Her research examines how environmental pollution and extreme weather—alone and in combination with neighborhood and socioeconomic factors—impact population health. Her work emphasizes environmental justice with the goal of reducing population-wide environmental health disparities.

“We are excited to have Dr. Madrigano join the Bloomberg American Health Initiative,” says Dean Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD, ScM. “In this new role, she will take her work on environmental health disparities in bold new directions. Her deep experience in policy and her passion for equity-informed research put her in a strong position to address the growing impacts of climate change—one of our most pressing public health issues.”

Madrigano uses epidemiologic methods to inform policy, and her research has been cited in multi-agency climate and health preparedness efforts within New York City. She has worked with local health departments and community-based organizations across the Northeast to conduct health and environmental needs assessments. She currently leads a study investigating heat vulnerability in New Orleans and a national study examining the role of green space in healthy aging.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Jaime Madrigano has been named a Bloomberg Associate Professor to spearhead the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s Environmental Challenges efforts,” says Marsha Wills-Karp, PhD, chair of the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. “With Jaime’s combined expertise in air pollution and environmental epidemiology, we fully anticipate that she will propel EHE’s efforts focused on identifying equitable policies to mitigate climate change-induced health impacts.” 

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Madrigano worked for RAND Corporation, where she led research that assessed whether community resilience mitigates the health impacts of natural disasters. She also directed research that examined the relationship between systemic discriminatory practices and inequitable environmental burdens in the U.S. This work culminated in an online tool that explores the environmental impacts of historic redlining in 202 communities across the country.  

In her new role, Madrigano chairs the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s steering committee on Environmental Challenges.

“We’re delighted that Dr. Madrigano will be a leader of the Initiative’s work to tackle environmental challenges,” says Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. “She combines a deep understanding of environmental health with a strong appreciation of environmental justice. This allows her to develop and advocate for creative and realistic solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems.”

Madrigano completed a Doctor of Science in Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2011. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Earth Institute and the Climate and Health Program at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University from 2011 to 2013. She also received a Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1998 and a Master of Public Health from Rutgers University in 2005. Madrigano serves on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Board of Scientific Counselors Executive Committee.

“I’m glad to welcome Dr. Jaime Madrigano as a Bloomberg Associate Professor of American Health at Johns Hopkins,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions. “As we confront climate change and address health disparities, Dr. Madrigano’s research and teaching is more important than ever. I’m looking forward to seeing the lifesaving work she will lead at Hopkins.”

This professorship endowment is part of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, which provides endowment support to at least 25 positions. The Initiative focuses on addressing major health challenges facing the nation, including food systems for h