United States

The close proximity of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to Washington, D.C., provides the Center with a unique opportunity to translate research into policy alternatives in a more direct and hands-on fashion. 

It is in the nation’s capital where domestic and international policy issues, including foreign assistance, criminal justice reform, human rights and women's rights can be challenged with key and influential leaders and politicians. Faculty at the Center have been active in taking research findings and using them to brief members of Congress, foreign policy advisors, White House staff and others on specific public health and human rights topics.

At the same time, Center faculty have been called to address health disparities in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., a city which leads the country in the number of HIV cases. It is frequently the most marginalized populations—injection drug users, African-American men who have sex with men, and  incarcerated individuals—who bear disproportionate rates of infection and other health concerns.