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Founder's ProjectsJohns Hopkins UniversityBloomberg American Health Initiative

Bloomberg American Health Initiative

Since 2015, U.S. life expectancy has stagnated or declined – and the United States now ranks 40th in the world in life expectancy, behind most other industrialized countries.

In response to this alarming trend, Bloomberg Philanthropies established the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at Johns Hopkins University in 2016. The endowed initiative supports endowed faculty positions, master’s and doctoral degree student fellows, public health research, and an annual national summit. It seeks to address five of the biggest public health challenges facing the United States: addiction and overdose; environmental challenges; obesity and the food system; risks to adolescent health; and violence.

I‘m passionate and committed to working in and with communities toward a healthier, safer, happier, and more just Philadelphia. During my time in the public health master’s program at Johns Hopkins, I want to better understand how vacancy, disinvestment, litter, and crime influence choices to be physically active – and identify solutions that get people moving.

Kelli McIntyre, Bloomberg Fellow

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative consists of the following areas:

  • Endowment for Chairs, Directors, and Faculty
    Endowing 25 Chairs, Directors, and Faculty as leaders in their fields, working across disciplines and schools at Johns Hopkins University to have the greatest impact on tackling key emerging health issues.
  • Bloomberg Fellows
    Providing 50 tuition-free scholarships each year to students to receive a master’s degree in public health, with the requirement that after graduation they will return to work with their home organizations for at least one year.
  • New Doctor of Public Health Degrees
    Developing DrPH programs that are distinct from typical PhDs as they emphasize “real world” applications rather than academic research and endowing 10-tuition-free DrPH scholarships every year.
  • Endowment for New Research
    Enabling faculty and students to conduct timely and critical research on pressing public health issues to generate important insights and catalyze further funding for research.
  • Convening Support
    Funding to support networking among faculty, students and students’ affiliated organizations including an annual summit of the foremost leaders in the field of public health. The 5th annual Bloomberg American Health Summit was held in December 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s leaders, faculty, fellows, and partners met with elected leaders, key health officials, and leaders of nonprofit organizations from around the country. The Summit highlighted the impact of local public health initiatives, explored implications for national policy, and uncovered opportunities to continue to improve equitable access to quality healthcare.

Video

Highlights From the 2022 Bloomberg American Health Summit

Top photo: Mike Bloomberg delivers remarks during the 2022 Bloomberg American Health Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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