Deans of the Bloomberg School
Ellen J. MacKenzie
2017-present
Ellen J. MacKenzie is an expert on trauma care systems and policy and a Johns Hopkins faculty member since 1979. A Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, she became dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on October 1, 2017.
Michael J. Klag
2005-2017
Michael Klag is an internationally known expert on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular and kidney disease, and a Johns Hopkins faculty member since 1987. Under his leadership, the School established more than 10 new centers and institutes, including the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities.
Alfred Sommer
1990-2005
In an incredible career marked by lasting contributions to ophthalmology, epidemiology, micronutrient research, disaster relief and other areas, Dean Emeritus Alfred Sommer is best known for his research into vitamin A deficiency.
Donald A. Henderson
1977-1990
D. A. Henderson (1928 – 2016) directed the World Health Organization's campaign to eradicate smallpox. After the 9/11 attack, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appointed him as the first director of the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness.
John Chandler Hume
1967-1977
John Hume (1911-1998) continued to focus on the growth of health services research and the integration of social and behavioral sciences into the School's already expanding public health curriculum. During his tenure, enrollment more than doubled.
Ernest Stebbins
1946-1967
Ernest Stebbins (1901-1987) instigated new clinical programs in environmental medicine and chronic diseases. He also co-founded (along with Timothy D. Baker) the first academic unit devoted to international health in 1961.
Lowell Jacob Reed
1937-1946
Lowell Reed (1886-1966) coined the term “biostatistics” and chaired that department from 1925 to 1948. He also helped establish the MPH curriculum as the standard degree for public health professionals.
Allen Weir Freeman
1934-1937
Allen Freeman (1881-1954) led the School to dramatically expand its MPH program with training funds provided by the 1935 Social Security Act. He was also influential in shaping the contours of local public health departments across America, including Maryland.
Wade Hampton Frost
1931-1934
Wade Frost (1880-1938), the founding chair of the Department of Epidemiology, is acknowledged as one of the preeminent epidemiologists of the 20th century. He also helped establish the important Eastern Health District research area in Baltimore.
William H. Howell
1926-1931
William Howell (1860-1945) worked closely with William Welch to establish and plan what was then the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He was a leader in curriculum reform in both medical and public health education.
William Henry Welch
1916-1926
William Welch (1850-1934) was the Rockefeller Foundation’s key medical advisor. In 1916, he was instrumental in securing the grant that established the world’s first graduate school of public health—the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.