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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

8

HBS-led centers, institutes, and units

55+

Primary HBS faculty

2

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

130+

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.

Sara Benjamin Neelon
Professor
Health, Behavior and Society

Sara Benjamin-Neelon, PhD, JD, MPH, is an attorney and child nutritionist who examines early life predictors of obesity and other chronic diseases with a health equity lens.

Lee Bone
Associate Professor
Health, Behavior and Society

Lee Bone, MPH '77, RN, is a community-driven trailblazer and a fearless silo-buster for sustainable change in the context of urban health and chronic disease.

Assistant Scientist
Health, Behavior and Society

Jennifer Brown, PhD '20, MPH, researches tobacco marketing and compliance with advertisement restrictions globally.

Rajeev Cherukupalli
Assistant Scientist
Health, Behavior and Society

Rajeev Cherukupalli, PhD, MA, works in public finance, health, development, labor markets and policy evaluation, to harness better tax and policy design to improve health.

Support Our Department

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