International Health
News Feed
- September 11
COVID-19 Study Links Strict Social Distancing to Much Lower Chance of Infection
Using public transportation, visiting a place of worship, or otherwise traveling from the home is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2—the coronavirus that causes the illness COVID-19—while practicing strict social distancing is associated with a markedly lower likelihood, suggests a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study was led by Sunil S. Solomon, MBBS, an associate professor in in the Bloomberg School's Department of Epidemiology and an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School Medicine, and Steven Clipman, a PhD candidate in the School's Department of International Health. - August 27
Johns Hopkins Researchers Receive Grant to Study COVID-19 Health Inequities
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received funding from the Johnson & Johnson Foundation to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects low-income, minority, and disenfranchised communities in the U.S. and globally. This support will contribute to and help expand and enhance research under three ongoing Johns Hopkins projects focused on better understanding and responding to the health inequities exacerbated by this pandemic. - August 13
Johns Hopkins Center for Immunization Research Begins Enrollment for Pfizer/BioNTech Phase 2/3 COVID-19 Vaccine Research Trial
The Center is one of approximately 120 sites around the world that will evaluate a novel mRNA COVID-19 investigational vaccine. About 30,000 participants will be enrolled in the study, which aims to validate promising safety and efficacy data obtained from Phase 1/2 clinical evaluation of the vaccine candidate earlier this year. Kawsar Talaat, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School, is the Johns Hopkins site PI. - August 12
Johns Hopkins Receives Grant to Develop Model to Project Health Expenditures in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank to develop an economic model to project health expenditures in the Latin America and the Caribbean region over the next 30 years. The 18-month project is a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins faculty and researchers from eight countries in the LAC region. The project is led by Krishna D. Rao, PhD ’04, MSc, an associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School. - August 10
Johns Hopkins Awarded Grant to Examine Ethical Challenges of Mass Administration of Antibiotics
The Greenwall Foundation has awarded a grant to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to examine the ethical challenges of mass administration of antibiotics—an intervention that could save the lives of children in low- and middle-income countries, but that could potentially pose risks to the broader community and the children themselves later in life by making those same antibiotics less effective for treating bacterial infections. The project will be led by Anthony So, MD, MPA, professor of the practice in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School, and Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. - August 5
MDMOM Program Launches a Severe Maternal Morbidity Surveillance and Review Pilot Program in Maryland
In July, the Maryland Maternal Health Innovation (MDMOM) Program launched a hospital-based pilot program in six birthing hospitals to test processes for severe maternal morbidity (SMM) surveillance and review in Maryland. This pilot is the first phase of a larger initiative to establish a statewide SMM surveillance and review program in Maryland. A collaboration between Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Department of Health, Maryland Patient Safety Center and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MDMOM is led by Andreea Creanga, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. - July 30
Johns Hopkins Researchers Publish Assessment of Digital Solutions for COVID-19 Response in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
As governments plan for large-scale COVID-19 contact tracing programs, digital tools can introduce significant efficiencies. With a rapid increase in the number of complex digital technologies, however, decisions about where to invest are often not clear cut. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Global mHealth Initiative (JHU-GmI) published a new assessment of digital platforms that have already been used, or could be rapidly reconfigured, to address COVID-19-related case management and contact tracing needs in several low- and middle-income countries. - July 27
COVID-19 and Gender Research Team Receives Funding to Expand to Low- And Middle-Income Countries
The Team Will Also Launch A New Online Data and Evidence Hub
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health looking at the real-time impact of COVID 19 on women’s health and social and economic welfare are part of a global research team that has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand their work to five low- and middle income countries. The one-year grant that began on July 5, 2020, will support local research partnerships in Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh, DRC, and Brazil. - July 13
Global Health Experts Call for COVID-19 Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
In a Global Health Research and Policy Commentary, an international team of public health experts call for targeted COVID-19 research in low- and middle-income countries to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic. As of July 1, the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in LMICs have surpassed those in high-income countries.1 Yet, the authors warn, the impact of the virus on individuals and communities and prevention and response measures in these countries are still not sufficiently understood. Additional research could help inform targeted mitigation strategies and prevent LMICs from bearing the greatest burden of COVID-19, as the region does so often with infectious diseases.
The Commentary, published on July 1, was led by Madhu Gupta, MD, PhD, MBBS, a professor in the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, and Brian Wahl, PhD, ‘17 MPH ‘13, an assistant scientist in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. - July 10
Johns Hopkins Receives Grant to Support Delivery of Primary Health Care Services in India
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support primary health care services in India. The grant will establish the India Primary Health Care Support Initiative (IPSI), which will support the Health and Wellness Center (HWC) program, India’s new initiative to strengthen comprehensive primary health care services. The grant is a $6.4 million award over three years and will cover five Indian states. The project is led by Krishna D. Rao, PhD, ’04, an associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School. - July 9
Department of International Health Opposition to ICE Decision on Students with F-1 Visas
The Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health firmly stands by Dean Ellen MacKenzie in her strong opposition to the decision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to restrict the ability of students with F-1 visas to remain in the U.S. while pursuing academic studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision is cruel and self-defeating. The new rules fail to take into account the health and well-being of students and the ongoing relationship they have with their academic institutions. To ask students to choose between their health and their education deprives the world of new public health leaders, which are exactly what the world desperately needs. - June 26
Recommendations on Dealing with the Dual Epidemics of COVID-19 and Influenza, New JAMA Viewpoint
In a new Viewpoint in JAMA, Daniel Salmon of of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University make recommendations for the U.S. to deal with the likely co-epidemics of COVID-19 and influenza this fall and winter.
June 26
Study Finds Widespread Inequalities in Access to Soap and Water, a Key COVID-19 Prevention Measure, in sub-Saharan Africa
A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that only a third of households in 16 sub-Saharan countries had soap and water readily available for handwashing at home. - June 16
New Modeling Study Estimates the Potential Impact of a COVID-19 Outbreak in Bangladesh Refugee Camps
A large-scale COVID-19 outbreak is likely after a single introduction of the virus into a Bangladesh refugee camp if left unchecked, finds a new modeling study led by researchers in the Department of International Health and the Infectious Disease Dynamics Group at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers looked at potential outbreak scenarios in the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Site of the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. The study found that between 70% and 98% of the population could be expected to be infected within the first year after an initial outbreak, with hospitalization needs likely exceeding the current capacity of 340 beds after 55 to 136 days. - June 5
International Health Faculty Receive Student Assembly Awards for Mentoring and Teaching - June 5
International Health Students, Alumni, Faculty Honored at Annual American Society of Nutrition Meeting - June 3
Hopeful Steps Forward in the Battle Against COVID-19
Five department chairs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health give updates on where their work stands and what they hope to learn in the coming months. From their diverse perspectives, they each share a snapshot of what’s working, what challenges remain, and what makes them hopeful. - May 28
International Health Faculty and Students Receive Global Health Day 2020 Awards
Each year, the Center for Global Health at Johns Hopkins University celebrates global health knowledge, expertise, and experience through its Global Health Day event. The day is an opportunity to honor faculty, staff, and students for their outstanding global health field experiences and mentorship. As part of the celebration, the Center announced global health awards for faculty advising, student field experience posters, and photography. Faculty and students in the Department of International Health received awards in all three categories. - May 19
Department of International Health Graduation Yearbook – 2020 - May 15
Health Systems Disruptions Caused by COVID-19 Could Lead to Significant Increases in Maternal and Child Mortality in Low- And Middle- Income Countries, New Study Finds
Potential disruptions of health systems and decreased access to food caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to as much as a 45% increase in mortality of children under 5 years old and a 38% increase in maternal mortality in low- and middle-income countries, according to new analysis led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. - May 12
Bloomberg School Students Translate the Science in COVID-19 Video Series
The COVideo-19 series is an initiative led by Bloomberg School students aimed at providing science-based, social-media friendly information on COVID-19 in multiple languages. - April 16
Global Health Metrics Initiatives: Shortfalls, Opportunities, and a New Way Forward
In a new Viewpoint published today by The Lancet, Jeremy Shiffman, PhD, and Yusra Shawar, PhD, reflect on the problems and opportunities created by the world’s increasing reliance on global health metrics—numbers used to track global and national trends in well-being and burden of disease. - April 16
Johns Hopkins Faculty and Stack Up Launch Research Project to Study Online Crisis Intervention Program
Michelle Colder Carras, PhD, and Alain Labrique, PhD ’07, MHS ’99, and the nonprofit veteran-serving organization Stack Up have launched an official collaboration to research and help improve the effectiveness of a first-of-its-kind online crisis intervention service, The Stack Up Overwatch Program. - April 9
Department of International Health Reopens Master’s Degree Applications for Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright Scholars
Many of the thousands of volunteers and scholars whose time overseas has been disrupted may be newly seeking opportunities to pursue higher education in public health, but may have missed fall admissions application deadlines. To respond to this need, we have reopened and extended our admissions period for five of our master's degree programs. - March 9
How can we prepare for Coronavirus? Learn from Liberia’s experience with Ebola
Analysis by Senior Research Associate Tolbert Nyenswah of the Bloomberg School and W Gyude Moore of the Center for Global Development - March 2
The Coronavirus Poses a Big Threat to Refugees and People in Humanitarian Crisis
Podcast: Professor Paul Spiegel explains his concern about the implications of Covid-19 spreading among the densely populated Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. He also discusses the broader implications of the spread of coronavirus to humanitarian crises and countries with weak health systems, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Listen to the interview on the Global Dispatches podcast. - March 1
Permanent Gun-Carrying Restrictions Reduce Gun-Related Mortality in Two Colombian Cities
Permanent gun-carrying bans enacted in 2012 reduced monthly gun-related mortality rates in Bogotá and Medellín, Colombia, by 22%, new analysis from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows. The study was published in The Bulletin of the World Health Organization on March 1, 2020, and was led by Andres Vecino-Ortiz, MD, PhD, assistant scientist in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School. - February 21
While the world focuses on the coronavirus, people in China with other illnesses may pay a price long after the outbreak ends
Business Insider talks with Senior Research Associate Tolbert Nyenswah about how efforts to fight coronavirus in China could a gap in care for patients with other illnesses. - February 20
Senior Research Associate Tolbert Nyenswah Speaks at Int’l Panel of Experts on the Coronavirus Disease - February 12
International Health Faculty Receives Grant to Evaluate the Effect of a Fortified Snack Food on Women’s Nutritional Status in Rural South Asia - January 23, 2020
How Baltimore Is Experimenting Its Way Out of the Food Desert - December 27
Obesity Burden Increasing Rapidly Among Lower-Income Groups in Latin America and the Caribbean - December 13
42 International Health Faculty Receive Excellent Course Ratings - December 4
Bryan Patenaude Named One of Forbes 30 Under 30 for Achievement in Healthcare
Bryan Patenaude, ScD, MA, an assistant professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the healthcare field. The annual list recognizes the achievements of young leaders and innovators across 20 categories. Patenaude, a healthcare economist, was honored for his work examining the most effective interventions to prevent and treat disease and disability. - December 2
Bloomberg Philanthropies Renews Grant with Johns Hopkins for Development of Mobile Phone Surveys in Low- and Middle-Income Countries - October 30
New International Health Thesis Publication Recognition Awarded to Veena Sriram, PhD ’17 - October 24
Tracking Antimicrobial Resistance in the Sustainable Development Goals - October 18
North Korean Failure to Protect the Basic Health, Welfare a Violation of Core International Human Rights Treaty Obligations, New Report Finds - October 18
International Health faculty help make exciting nutrition additions to the Demographic and Health Surveys, including global measurement of junk food consumption by women and children - October 2
Grant to Prevent Maternal Deaths and Severe Pregnancy Complications across Maryland Awarded to International Health Faculty - September 30
Standard Thresholds for Determining Cost-Effectiveness of Public Health Interventions in Low-Income Countries Too Low, New Study Led by International Health Finds
A recent study elicited for the first time the value that a community in a low-income setting puts on its health. Led by Dr. Bryan Patenaude, a health economist and assistant professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the study calculated the first value of a statistical life-year (VSLY) for a low-income setting. The study provides some of the first empirical evidence that the standard practices employed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health organizations for determining whether an intervention is cost-effective are likely causing users to significantly underestimate the cost-effectiveness of many life-saving public health interventions in low-income settings. - September 10
International Health Faculty to Co-Lead Project on Integrating Refugees into National Health Systems - August 26
NIH Renews Contract with the Center for Immunization Research to Continue the Development and Evaluation of Life-Saving Vaccines
The Johns Hopkins Center for Immunization Research (CIR) will continue its partnership with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop vaccines for infectious diseases of global importance. The clinical studies will be led by Drs. Ruth Karron and Anna Durbin, professors in the department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Areas of initial emphasis for this contract (up to $73 million for 7 years) will include the evaluation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), dengue, and Zika vaccines. - August 19
Women Who Have Option of Using HPV Self-Sampling Kits More Likely to Seek Cervical Cancer Screening, New Analysis Finds
The study, published in the BMJ Global Health, was conducted by researchers in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the World Health Organization, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. - August 12
Johns Hopkins Receives Grant to Help Reduce Cholera Outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - August 10
Johns Hopkins adds Minnesota researchers on American Indian health issues - August 7
Alumna Dr. Brittany Jock interviewed on podcast "Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness"
Listen to alumna Brittany Wenniseri:iostha Jock, PhD, MHS, talk to Jonathan Van Ness about Indigenous contemporary issues, traditional food systems, and public health. - July 11
Student Competition: Design Tomorrow's Solutions for Antimicrobial Stewardship
Innovate4AMR invites student teams from around the world to design innovative solutions for antimicrobial stewardship in resource-limited, healthcare settings. - July 8
Faculty Awarded Grant to Study Prelacteals’ Impact on Neonatal Microbiome
Dr. Alain Labrique of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Dr. Meghan Azad of the University of Manitoba received a grant awarded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Call-to-Action” to participants of the 2018 Grand Challenges meeting in Berlin, Germany. Building on Labrique and Azad’s prior work, in Bangladesh and Canada, respectively, the study will assess whether prelacteals affect the populations of bacteria in the newborn gut (the microbiome), a first step to understanding how this may affect development and survival. - June 27
Experts Weigh in on How G20 Can Help the World Achieve Universal Health Coverage
“The G20 is an important platform for global health for both demographic and economic reasons. They represent two-thirds of the world’s population, and the majority of its wealth and trade. As such, the G20 can have a profound influence on development aid, global health governance, access to medicines, and trade in medical products,” says Dr. Rao, an assistant professor in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School. - June 21
Action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research
International Health faculty endorse BMJ Global Health editorial on how organizations that commission, undertake and publish research and evaluations can safeguard independence and integrity. The editorial was signed by more than 200 researchers based in 40 different countries. - June 20
Looking out for Europe’s unseen refugees
Follow Divya Mishra's work helping improve the lives of young refugees. Divya is a doctoral student in International Health at the Bloomberg School and a Fellow with Seeds of Peace and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting. - June 11
In Peru, Baby Formula Reps Target Doctors In Low-Income Community Despite Decades-Old Ban, Finds New Study Led by International Health
“As markets in wealthy countries have begun to stagnate, the marketing of formula in poorer countries is becoming more aggressive,” says lead author Jessica Rothstein, PhD, associate faculty in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health. “Our findings suggest that public health authorities in Peru must continue to monitor and enforce laws prohibiting marketing of infant formula to health providers.” - June 10
Professor Paul Spiegel on Venezuela's Health Crisis
Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health director Paul Spiegel reviewed a report on Venezuela’s health crisis and explains to Al Jazeera why he was surprised by the “magnitude” of the crisis. - May 27
Faculty and Staff Receive Awards from Students - May 26
Summer 2019 Department Newsletter Now Online - May 25
New Thesis Publication Awards for International Health Doctoral Graduates
The Department of International Health presents an award to all eligible applicants who publish two manuscripts in the peer-reviewed literature based on their doctoral thesis. The manuscripts must be published within 2 years from the date of the student’s graduation from an International Health doctoral program. - April 26
New Study Reveals the Reliability of Mobile Phone Surveys to Collect Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Information - March 25
Venezuelan Humanitarian Crisis Is Now a Regional Emergency, New Analysis Finds
Researchers call on Venezuelan government to immediately work with international agencies on a response to the country’s humanitarian crisis. New analysis reveals the widespread public health consequences of the Venezuelan economic crisis and the erosion of the country’s health-care infrastructure. In a new review of evidence, researchers document the steep and steady increases in infant and maternal morality and infectious diseases rates over the past decade. - March 25
Abdullah Baqui Receives Funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Identify Biological Markers that Predict the Risk of Preterm Birth
The grant aims to improve maternal, fetal, newborn health and child health outcomes in low-resource settings by identifying biological and genetic markers that may predict a mother’s increased risk of adverse outcomes including preeclampsia, preterm birth, small for gestational age, and deficits in physical, mental and motor development. - March 1
Study Finds Short Intervals After Stillbirths, Miscarriages or Neonatal Deaths Increase Their Likelihood in Subsequent Pregnancies
Adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as a miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death (death within the first 30 days of infancy), are more likely when preceded by an outcome of the same type in combination with a short interval between outcomes, a new study finds. The study was led by researchers from the International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health (ICMNH) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. - February 21
Alain Labrique Receives Funds from Johnson & Johnson for Frontline Worker Digital Health Research in Bangladesh
Alain Labrique, PhD '07, MHS '99, associate professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, received a $500,000 grant from Johnson & Johnson to test new innovations within mCARE, a randomized trial of a mobile device-based health information system that connects women of reproductive age with frontline health workers (FHWs) and clinical services in rural Bangladesh. With the successful 2-year pilot phase of mCARE completed and a large-scale randomized trial underway, Labrique, Research Associate Kelsey Alland, MSPH '13, and other team members will test innovations in workflow optimization using artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to maximize timely service coverage. - February 7
20 International Health Faculty Receive Excellent Course Ratings in First and Second Terms - February 1
New Health Policy Faculty Joins Department of International Health
Yusra Shawar, MPH, PhD, joins the Department of International Health in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as the newest member of the Department’s experts on global health policy. Trained in public administration and public policy, she applies theory from these disciplines, as well as political science, international relations and sociology, to examine political dynamics in global health governance and health policy processes in low- and middle-income countries. Shawar has a primary appointment in the Department’s Health Systems Program and joint appointment in the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She is also member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, which is based in the Department. - January 24
Global stakeholder survey identifies important research priorities for ethical requirements of mobile phone surveys for non-communicable diseases surveillance
A new study led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research team under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative (D4H) sought to address this gap by surveying global stakeholders to identify ethics-related knowledge and perceptions on the use of mobile phone surveys (MPS) to gather NCD risk factor information in LMICs. The study is believed to be the first of its kind to identify ethics-related attitudes and practices of stakeholders invested in the conduct and oversight of mHealth in LMICs. - January 9, 2019
Following Nepal's Devastating 2015 Earthquake, Crisis in Childhood Malnutrition Averted, New Study Finds
Despite widespread destruction, including severe agricultural-related losses caused by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, child nutrition remained stable in the hardest hit areas, a new study finds. A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Tufts University found that indicators of childhood malnutrition improved or remained stable a year after the earthquake hit.
The Department of International Health is a global leader and partner in building capacity and identifying, developing, testing, and implementing practices and policies that help the world’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people improve their health and well-being.
The Department is organized into four program areas: Global Disease Epidemiology and Control; Health Systems; Human Nutrition; and Social and Behavioral Interventions.
We offer a master of science in public health (MSPH) and doctoral-level training for research (PhD) in these program areas, as well as a master of health science in health economics (MHS). We also offer many continuing education programs online and on campus.