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Department of

Health, Behavior and Society

We discover and apply ways to change human behavior to improve public health.

Health, Behavior and Society Headlines

What We Do in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Our Department is dedicated to research, education, and practice on public health issues rooted in human behavior and social conditions—from smoking and substance use to diabetes and HIV and more. We develop and evaluate individually targeted interventions, work with communities to address social factors that affect health, and improve  public policy and other structural factors to improve the health of millions at a time.

Learn how the Department of Health, Behavior and Society partners with communities to change behaviors, eliminate health disparities, and improve the health of their citizens.

Health, Behavior and Society Highlights

3,000+

professional publications by HBS faculty as of August 2020

57

full-time HBS faculty

2

HBS faculty members named to the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health

75+

full-time HBS master's and doctoral students

Health, Behavior and Society Programs

We offer three master's degrees, one PhD, and seven certificate programs focused on behavioral and societal impacts on public health.

We also offer two combined bachelor's/master's degrees to Johns Hopkins University undergraduate students of all majors. 

Master of Science (ScM) in Genetic Counseling

Onsite | Full-Time | 2.5 years

The ScM in Genetic Counseling is designed to prepare graduates to provide genetic counseling with an emphasis on clients’ psychological and educational needs.

Health, Behavior and Society Faculty

Get to know our HBS faculty members.

Sean Allen
Associate Professor
Health, Behavior and Society

Sean Allen, DrPH, MPH, uses research to inform drug policies and eliminate health disparities among people who inject drugs.

Stella Babalola
Professor
Health, Behavior and Society

Stella Babalola, PhD, uses research to support the design and evaluation of social and behavior change interventions.

Harry Barbee
Assistant Professor
Health, Behavior and Society

Harry Barbee, PhD ’20, is an interdisciplinary social scientist who aims to identify, understand, and improve health and aging outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer populations.

Support Our Department

A gift to our department can help to provide student scholarships and internships, attract and retain faculty, and support innovation.