Professor Robert Black Elected To Institute Of Medicine

Robert E. Black, MD, MPH, the Edgar Berman professor and chairman of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Candidates are elected to this prestigious position for their major contributions to health, medicine, and related fields. As members, they work with the Institute on committees and studies that address a broad range of health policy issues.

Throughout his career, Dr. Black has focused his research and professional activities on reducing the number of unnecessary deaths in developing countries due to diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, measles, and malnutrition, disorders that the World Health Organization estimates to claim the lives of over 9 million children each year. He continues to conduct epidemiologic research on the interaction of infectious diseases and nutrition; clinical and community-based trials of new vaccines to prevent childhood infectious diseases; and trials of nutritional interventions to reduce infectious disease morbidity and mortality, as well as to improve growth and development. Dr. Black’s work includes the implementation of disease control and nutrition programs in developing countries and conducting evaluations of their effectiveness and effect on mortality. He is currently engaged in studying the effectiveness of zinc and iron supplementation in children, and of nutritional counseling programs, as well as conducting randomized trials of vaccines to prevent infections by rotavirus, Hemophilus influenza type B, pneumococcus, and shigella.

“Bob Black has dedicated his career to saving lives and improving the health of millions of children around the world. Election to the Institute of Medicine reflects the esteem in which he is held by his scientific colleagues. He will now have additional opportunities to influence important health policy debates and steer their direction,” said Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS, Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Other members of the faculty elected to the Institute of Medicine include: Dean Sommer; Jonathan Samet, MD, professor and chair of Epidemiology; Donald Steinwachs, PhD, professor and chair of Health Policy and Management; Bernard Guyer, MD, MPH, professor and chair of Population and Family Health Sciences; Robert Lawrence, MD, associate dean for Professional Education and Programs; Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH, professor of Health Policy and Management; Henry Wagner, MD, professor of Environmental Health Sciences; Edward Wallach, MD, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Carl Taylor, MD, DrPH, MPH, professor of International Health; Paul McHugh, MD, professor of Mental Health; Leon Gordis, DrPH, MPH, professor of Epidemiology; Linda Fried, MD, professor of Epidemiology; Manning Feinleib, MD, MPH, DrPH, professor of Epidemiology; Ruth Faden, PhD, MPH, professor of Health Policy and Management; and Donald Henderson, MD, MPH, University Distinguished Professor, Epidemiology, and former Dean of the School.

In addition to his duties as professor and chair, Dr. Black is director of the School’s Institute for International Programs, which assists faculty and students with the administration of international public health programs. Dr. Black received his medical degree from Hahneman Medical College in Philadelphia and his postgraduate medical training from the University of California-Los Angeles, where he also earned his masters in public health degree. Dr. Black joined the faculty in 1985. He has worked extensively in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kenya and Peru, and currently conducts research in Uganda and Zanzibar.