Health Systems
Bryan Patenaude, ScD, MA, assistant professor, was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the healthcare field.
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Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded a new grant that will enable faculty to study mobile phone surveys for NCD risk factor surveillance in LMICs.
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JHSPH was awarded a grant to improve the quality of maternal health care across the state of Maryland.
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A recent study elicited for the first time the value that a community in a low-income setting puts on its health.
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Faculty in the Health Systems Program received an award to co-lead a project on integrating refugees into national health systems.
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The Japanese think tank, T20 (Think20) working group on universal health coverage, recently published a policy brief on ways the G20 can help achieve global universal health coverage.
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Health Systems Summer Institute
June 2020: Short-term courses in global health. Learn More
Our program works to design systems and implement equitable and cost-effective strategies for delivering health care and health promotion interventions to disadvantaged and underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad.
The Health Systems' mandate is carried out through research, service, and training with and for the populations being served. Priority is given to populations stressed by economic, social, and political instability, many of which have also been displaced by conflict or natural disasters.
Our principal goal is to improve the capacity of communities to deliver the best possible preventive and curative care to their respective members. To accomplish this goal, our multidisciplinary faculty work in partnership with local governments and community leaders, ministries of health, community-based health and human service agencies, universities, and research institutes.
Learn more about our master's degree programs:
News Feed
- 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
Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded a new grant to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that will enable a team of faculty based in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health to focus on research and development to study ways to design, implement, and evaluate mobile phone surveys for noncommunicable disease risk factor surveillance in low- and middle-income countries. - October 2
Grant to Prevent Maternal Deaths and Severe Pregnancy Complications across Maryland Awarded to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was awarded a grant to improve the quality of maternal health care across the state of Maryland. The 5-year, $10.3 million award from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, will fund the creation of the Maryland Maternal Health Innovation Program. Program Director Andreea Creanga, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Health Systems Program, will lead a team from across the Johns Hopkins University as well as the Maryland Department of Health, Maryland Patient Safety Center, and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. - September 30
Standard Thresholds for Determining Cost-Effectiveness of Public Health Interventions in Low-Income Countries Too Low, New Study 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 Health Systems Program, the study calculated the first value of a statistical life-year for a low-income setting. - September 10
International Health Faculty to Co-Lead Project on Integrating Refugees into National Health Systems
Faculty in the Health Systems Program received an award from a consortium of UK funders to co-lead a project on integrating refugees into national health systems. The project, which is being led by the American University of Beirut in Lebanon (AUB), will examine how refugee health services are integrated into the host country’s national health system in Jordan, Lebanon and Uganda. - JUNE 27
Experts Weigh in on How G20 Can Help the World Achieve Universal Health Coverage
The Japanese think tank, T20 (Think20) working group on universal health coverage, recently published a policy brief on ways the G20 can help achieve global universal health coverage (UHC). The G20, comprised of countries that have a substantial influence on the global economy, is uniquely placed to implement crucial actions that will help to achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals of “health and well-being for all at all ages. The T20 working group includes representatives from around the world, including Dr. Krishna D. Rao from the Health Systems Program. - May 6
International Health Faculty Receives NIH Fogarty Funding to Establish Research Ethics Training Program in Ethiopia
Assistant Professor Joseph Ali received a new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center to strengthen education and capacity in research ethics in Ethiopia. - April 25
New Study Reveals the Reliability of Mobile Phone Surveys to Collect Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Information
A new study compared the reliability of data collected by mobile phone surveys to gather information on non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors, such as tobacco and alcohol use, medical conditions, level of physical activity, and diet. - March 25
Abdullah Baqui Receives Funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Identify Biological Markers that Predict the Risk of Preterm Birth
Abdullah Baqui, DrPH '90, MPH '85, MBBS, a professor in the Health Systems Program and director of the International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health, received a new grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct analyses on and share data from the AMANHI-Bangladesh Biorepository, a repository of biological samples from mothers and infants in Bangladesh. - 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, 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. - February 1
New Health Policy Faculty Joins Department of International Health
Yusra Shawar, PhD, MPH, joins the Health Systems Program 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. - January 24
Global Stakeholder Survey Identifies Important Research Priorities for Ethical Requirements of Mobile Phone Surveys for Non-Communicable Diseases Surveillance
Few scholars have focused on the ethics of mobile health for active surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A new study led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research team under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative sought to address this gap by surveying global stakeholders to identify ethics-related knowledge and perceptions on the use of mobile phone surveys to gather NCD risk factor information in LMICs. - November 20
International Health Faculty and Alumna Included on First Canadian Women in Global Health List
Nasreen Jessani, DrPH ’15 and Rosemary Morgan, PhD, MSc were two of just over 100 Canadian women included in the first Canadian Women in Global Health List. Published by the Canadian Society for International Health, the List recognizes leaders across academia, government, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and international organizations who have made substantial contributions to global health. - November 14
New Health Economics Faculty Joins the Department of International Health, Will Focus on the Economics of Non-Communicable Diseases
Andres Vecino, MD, PhD ’16, was recently appointed an assistant scientist in the Department of International Health. A health economics faculty in the Department’s Health Systems Program and a researcher with the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Vecino’s overall research interests focus on the economics of non-communicable disease and injury (NCDI) prevention. His research also investigates how to use evidence to inform and influence NCDI prevention policies. - November 1
New Health Economics Professor Joins International Health
Assistant Professor Bryan Patenaude is a recent addition to the health economics faculty in the Health Systems Program. Previously a senior economist at the United States Agency for International Development, Patenaude brings a wealth of background experience working on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. - October 29
Johns Hopkins Faculty Convene Roundtable, Publish Guidance on Implementing the Astana Declaration
The new Declaration of Astana reaffirms the critical role of primary health care in ensuring that everyone everywhere is able to enjoy the highest possible attainable standard of health. It also renews political commitment to primary health care from governments, non-governmental organizations, professional organizations, academia and global health and development organizations. To prepare for the implementation of the Astana Declaration, faculty from the Health Systems Program convened the Alma-Ata 40 Roundtable, a group of leading policymakers and scholars, to capture best practices and lessons learned from the past 40 years of primary health care. - October 25
Improved Clinician Ability Reduces Patient Bypassing of Primary Healthcare Centers More Than Improvements in Infrastructure Quality, Study Finds
Many low- and middle-income countries continue to make significant investments in strengthening primary health care services by improving facility infrastructure and provider ability. Despite this, bypassing of primary health care center (PHC) remains high. Determining why patients choose to bypass nearby PHCs and seek care elsewhere (usually private providers) has implications for the design of primary health care systems. A new study analyzed data from a household and facility survey from Chhattisgarh, India, to better understand patient bypassing behavior.