Research, Teaching, & Scholarship

In April 2024, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health (JHIPH) was established, becoming one of the world’s first cross-university institutes for Planetary Health.

• JHIPH’s mission is to catalyze scholarship and practice of Planetary Health by bringing together a community of faculty, students, and staff to address the urgency of the Earth crisis and its impacts on humanity.
• Since its launch, JHIPH has:
  • Grown to include 650+ engaged faculty and staff affiliates across all 10 schools and divisions as well as 300+ students
  • Developed and launched five core programs, which are integrating Planetary Health into university-wide research, education, policy, practice, and clinical care
  • Launched three research hubs in Air Quality, Infectious Disease, and Food Systems
  • Partnered with JHU’s Nexus and Discovery Awards to provide additional funding for proposals that address the degradation of Earth’s natural systems and its impacts on human health; $15,000 for Nexus Award convening and research proposals and $50,000 for a Planetary Health track Discovery Award
  • Collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme and Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute to develop foundational scholarship in the field of Planetary Health law, governance, and policy
  • Worked to embed Planetary Health education at JHU, including within clinical training at the School of Nursing and School of Medicine
  • Held 26 convenings and events and 11 community dinners to build JHU’s Planetary Health community

    

The Center for Community Health: Addressing Regional Maryland Environmental Determinants of Disease (CHARMED) is a JHU research center launched in 2022 aimed at understanding the links between environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes – and translating these findings into action to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable communities.

• CHARMED has developed community partnerships with numerous community groups from Southern Pennsylvania to North Carolina
• Researchers from CHARMED have worked with communities in South Baltimore to address health concerns related to pollutants and other environmental factors from local open-air coal terminals
• Over the last funding period, grants totaling $3,478,939 were awarded to CHARMED faculty
• CHARMED supports the salary and research of a junior investigator each year
  • The most recent junior investigator, Dr. Natalie Exum, was appointed to a tenure track faculty position in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering

The Office of Climate and Sustainability (OCS) partnered with Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) and APL Tech Transfer—both organizations dedicated to maximizing the impact of JHU’s research by translating groundbreaking discoveries into accessible technologies—to track sustainable innovations emerging from their programs.

The Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) has built a dynamic, interdisciplinary community at Hopkins focused on advancing sustainable energy solutions. ROSEI researchers have been working across disciplines and with a range of collaborators.

• Experts at ROSEI are conducting research to improve carbon capture technology, advance sustainable energy solutions, and improve battery and electrical grid capabilities
• ROSEI has supported offshore wind energy research and education efforts through the launch of the Maryland branch of the Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind
• Researchers provide guidance and technical expertise on public policy and legislation

The institute’s work also includes programming aimed at sharing ROSEI’s work, building a culture of sustainability at JHU, and educating current and future sustainable energy leaders.

• ROSEI co-funded three JHU Discovery Awards, providing grant awards to cross-divisional teams doing impactful work aligned with ROSEI’s research.
• In partnership with Morgan State University, ROSEI launched the AI Driven Advancement of Microelectronics program, a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship program designed for master’s and PhD students
• The institute piloted and launched Research on Sustainable Energy Technology and Systems, a National Science Foundation-funded, 10-week undergraduate summer research program, as well as offering a Sustainable Energy Education program for high school students
• ROSEI hosts a range of events, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Innovation Summit, a ROSEI Research Summit, and an annual Earth Day celebration

Led by the Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) and OCS, JHU launched Campus as a Living Lab, a program designed to leverage JHU’s physical campuses as testbeds for teaching and research to inform sustainability solutions at the campus, local, and global scale.

• 10 teaching and research projects were given awards during the first cycle.

SLC shaped JHU’s Research, Teaching & Scholarship goals, by soliciting input from diverse groups of faculty, students, and administrators across schools and divisions.

JHU has increased its focus on student engagement through expanded programming and strategic partnerships.

• OCS grew its flagship student internship program, hiring 14 interns in 3 cohorts to address communications, engagement, and operational sustainability initiatives
• Co-curricular experience in a professional environment for undergraduate and graduate students
• OCS added 2 new staff positions to enhance sustainability engagement, communications, and community-building

The university hosted the 5th annual Sustainability Symposium on Research & Practice.

The symposium included:

• Over 75 speakers, 18 panel sessions, and 20 research posters
• Session topics on energy use and storage, business travel emissions, planetary health policy, climate change impacts on communities, nature, healthcare, responsible consumption issues such as food systems education, green events, and the circular economy

  

OCS launched a new Earth Fest event.

• Organized and run by OCS student interns, Earth Fest attracted over 250 attendees
• Participating organizations included JHU sustainability-focused student groups and outside vendors.

To enhance community-based connections, JHU participated in the Baltimore Mayor’s Spring and Fall Clean-ups. Over 80 JHU students and employees contributed volunteer time in nearby Baltimore neighborhoods.