Roger Lipitz Honored for Service to Health Advisory Board

Roger C. Lipitz, a well-respected and longtime supporter of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, was honored recently for his legacy of service and passionate dedication to the mission of the Bloomberg School as chair of its Health Advisory Board. The Health Advisory Board brings diverse insights and expertise to bear on issues critical to the success of the School. The panel also serves as an advocacy arm for the School, apprising the private and public sectors of the School’s educational, research, service and consultative capacities, and presents the School’s interests and concerns to the University’s Board of Trustees. Lipitz has led the Health Advisory Board since 2007, but will be stepping down as chair in July.

Lipitz first arrived at the Bloomberg School as a seminar speaker in the Department of Health Policy and Management in 1992. He joined the Health Advisory Board in 1996 and was elected to the Johns Hopkins University’s Board of Trustees in 2000. In 2001, Lipitz served as the Bloomberg School's chair to the University's Knowledge for the World campaign.

“As chair of the Health Advisory Board, Roger has been a source of wisdom and encouragement, as well as a tireless supporter,” said Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, dean of the Bloomberg School. “He understands the School’s mission and the power of public health like few others. The entire School is indebted for his service and leadership.”

In the late 1990s, the Lipitz family foundation endowed a professorship and established a research and policy center focused on integrated heath care in the Department of Health Policy and Management. In 2002, the Lipitz Policy Fund was created, which provides resources for innovative, student-led projects that advance public health policy through field research and practice.

“We in the Department of Health Policy and Management are very grateful to Roger and his family for their generosity,” said Ellen MacKenzie, PhD, department chair and the Fred and Julie Soper Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management. “They have and continue to make a difference to our faculty and students, but perhaps most importantly to the lives of people who have complex health needs.”

In addition to his work with the Bloomberg School, Lipitz has also chaired the boards of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the University of Maryland Medical System and Meridian Healthcare, which is the largest provider of long-term care services in Maryland.

Frank L. Hurley, PhD, will take over as chair of the Bloomberg School’s Health Advisory Board when Lipitz's term ends in July. Lipitz will remain an active member of the board.

Media contact: Tim Parsons, director of Public Affairs, at 410-955-7619 or tmparson@jhsph.edu.