Bloomberg American Health Initiative
Since 2015, U.S. life expectancy has stagnated or declined – and the United States now ranks approximately 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. Previous Bloomberg American Health Summits have been held in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia featuring Bloomberg American Health Initiative leaders, faculty, fellows, and partners, along with with elected leaders, key health officials, and leaders of nonprofit organizations from around the country. Summits highlight the impact of local public health initiatives, explored implications for national policy, uncovered opportunities to continue to improve equitable access to quality healthcare, and more.
Top photo: Mike Bloomberg delivers remarks during the 2022 Bloomberg American Health Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.