Johns Hopkins University and Michael R. Bloomberg Launch the Bloomberg American Health Initiative

Originally posted on Bloomberg.org.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health today announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by businessman, philanthropist, World Health Organization Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases, and three-term mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg, will give $300 million to create the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the school, the gift sets the school and its partners on a path to transform our national approach to modern public health challenges.

“Michael Bloomberg’s commitment to this transformational initiative is testament to his vision that, as our nation’s public health challenges have evolved, so too must our model of public health,” says Ronald J. Daniels, president of the Johns Hopkins University. “The Bloomberg American Health Initiative builds on Michael’s visionary legacy at Johns Hopkins and sets the bar ever higher in the next 100 years to transform our national response to modern public health challenges and bend the trajectory of the lives of individuals and communities across the United States.”

“People are living longer lives than ever before in history, thanks in no small part to the pioneering public health work done at Johns Hopkins over the last century. But we can and must do better, starting here in the U.S., where life expectancy is lagging behind much of the developed world,” says Bloomberg. “By spreading smart public health strategies that save lives and bringing people together to try new approaches, we can make the same strides in the 21st century against health threats like air pollution, gun violence, and obesity that we did in the 20th century against polio and other infectious diseases. There’s no institution better equipped to lead the charge than Johns Hopkins, and it’s an honor to be able to help launch the school’s next 100 years with this gift.”

Please click here to continue reading the full article.