About the Hopkins Sommer ScholarsThe Hopkins Sommer Scholars Program is named in honor of Dean Emeritus Alfred Sommer. In the footsteps of earlier public health leaders, Dr. Sommer followed a remarkable scientific insight with perseverance and ingenuity to save the sight and lives of millions of children. In 1982, while reviewing data from his study of childhood vision problems in Indonesia, Dr. Sommer noted that children with mild cases of an eye disease called xerophthalmia were also dying at alarming rates. Dr. Sommer, an ophthalmologist and epidemiologist, soon proved that vitamin A deficiency dramatically increased childhood morbidity and mortality from infectious disease, and that a 4-cent dose of vitamin A not only prevented and cured eye disease but also reduced childhood deaths by 34 percent. Based on his work, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and their partners now annually provide more than 400 million vitamin A supplements to children around the world, saving literally hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The goal of the Hopkins Sommer Scholars Program is to develop the next generation of public health leaders. Each Hopkins Sommer Scholar comes to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with inspiration, experience and education. They leave with greater knowledge, enriched skills and the confidence to lead others to new frontiers in the field of health. |
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"From Al Sommer, I learned that it’s better to follow your passion—even when it looks like a disorganized path—than to follow the road most likely traveled."Melva Green, MD, MPH
Sommer Scholar Alumni
"Health investment, in both the short and long run, is as important as any other human capital investment in the future growth of a community."Fred Selck, MA
Sommer Scholar, PhD Student, Health, Policy and Management
“I believe that a vaccine for malaria, despite being an extremely challenging endeavor, is indeed possible." Sapeckshita Srivastava
Sommer Scholar, PhD Student, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
"A career in public health is a calling that holds endless possibilities for learning and service."Melissa Gilkey, MPH
Sommer Scholar, PhD Student, Health, Behavior and Society
"The desire to make a tangible, positive difference inspires me to devote my career to serving people and bringing them hope."Lynn Huynh, MPH
Sommer Scholar Alumni
"I want to return to Sri Lanka, not just with more medications, but to help bring lasting change."Shruti Gupta, MPH
Sommer Scholar Alumni
“I hope to help advocacy organizations better guide our nation’s approach to solving health problems."Jonathan Kromm, MHS
Sommer Scholar, PhD Student, Health, Policy and Management
“As global citizens, we all have a responsibility to advocate for a healthy, sustainable global society."Vandana Sharma, MD, MPH
Sommer Scholar Alumni
“Health is a fundamental right we can never stop striving to achieve – and I fully intend to spend my life doing so."Crystal Ng
Sommer Scholar, MPH Student
“I want to bring hope to people who have felt forgotten"Amy Gueye
Sommer Scholar, MPH Student
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