First Bloomberg Professor of American Health

Dear Colleagues,

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative works to bring the tools of public health to bear on some of the most complex challenges in the United States: drug addiction and overdose, environmental challenges, obesity and the food system, risks to adolescent health and violence. Today, as part of the Initiative, I’m pleased to announce that Daniel Webster has been named the first endowed Bloomberg Professor of American Health. In this role, Daniel will lead new educational, research and practice efforts to reduce violence in the United States.

Daniel joined our faculty in 1992 and, over the last 25 years, his research and policy analyses have helped shape local, state and federal policies on gun violence prevention. He is the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. Nationally, his research on handgun purchaser licensing and background checks led to the introduction of federal legislation in the House and Senate in 2015, and was the basis for a national faith-based advocacy campaign. President Obama cited this research in his 2016 address to the nation on gun violence as evidence in support of universal background checks. Daniel recently sat down for an interview with the American Health Podcast about gun laws and policies, and you can listen here.

Here in Baltimore, Daniel advises the Mayor’s Office, Police Department and Health Department on strategies to reduce gun violence. He co-chairs the advisory board for Safe Streets, a public health program to prevent shootings involving youth by changing behaviors and social norms related to gun violence. He has led Baltimore’s Homicide Review Commission and now leads the Johns Hopkins-Baltimore Collaborative for Violence Reduction, a partnership between Johns Hopkins, the Baltimore Police Department and State’s Attorney’s Office to promote data-driven innovation to reduce violence and improve police-community relations.

Daniel earned his Doctor of Science degree from the Bloomberg School in 1991, his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan in 1985 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1982.

The Initiative's 25 endowed professorships, to be named over the next five years, will deepen the school’s already world-class expertise and impact in the five focus areas, each of them vital to American health. I am thrilled that Daniel is the first of what will be an esteemed group of experts, and I hope you will join me in congratulating him on this honor.

Sincerely,

Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD ’79, MSc ’75

Bloomberg Distinguished Professor
Dean
Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Johns Hopkins University