Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Holly Wilcox, PhD '03, MS, uses research to advance public health approaches to suicide prevention, including policies, early intervention, and chain of care approaches.
Research Interests
Suicide; Prevention; Depression; Interpersonal Violence; Adolescent Health; Health Disparities; Universal Interventions
Experiences & Accomplishments
Dr. Holly Wilcox is a Professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Health Policy and Management, as well as the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Education. Holly's research centers on advancing public health approaches to suicide prevention, encompassing policies, early intervention, and chain of care approaches. Holly is the President of the International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR), a member of the Scientific Council and Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a suicide prevention consultant for the World Health Organization, and an Affiliate Investigator at the Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention of the Black Dog Institute in Australia.
Dr. Wilcox has a focus on population-based research on preventing suicidal behaviors. Her work evaluates the impact of community-based universal prevention programs targeting suicidal behaviors and leverages data linkage strategies to inform effective suicide prevention. Dr. Wilcox's research extends to diverse settings, including schools, universities, social media platforms, and emergency departments. She actively mentors students, teaches courses at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and leads a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental suicide prevention work group at Johns Hopkins. She has won the Johns Hopkins Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award three times.
Throughout her career, Dr. Wilcox has been a tireless advocate for a public health-oriented suicide prevention agenda, collaborating with national and international organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization/UNICEF, and Pan American Health Organization. She has secured competitive research grants from various agencies and has published over 150 research articles. Dr. Wilcox has worked to adapt and implement school-based interventions in the United States and make research findings accessible to people working in various roles in the community including mental health professionals and suicide bereaved individuals.
Honors & Awards
2022, The Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA), for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and advising, sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Nominated by students.
2016-22 Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding overall course and overall instructor ratings for Suicide as a Public Health Problem
2020, The Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA), for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and advising, sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Nominated by students.
2019, Award for best paper in the Archives of Suicide Research in 2018 for Marino E, Wolsko C, Keys S, Wilcox H. Addressing the Cultural Challenges of Firearm Restriction in Suicide Prevention: A Test of Public Health Messaging to Protect Those at Risk. Arch Suicide Res. 2018 Jul-Sep;22(3):394-404.
2017, Dr. Robert Lewis Kane Memorial Award for “Data Linkage Strategies to Advance Youth Suicide Prevention,” this award is presented annually to the one Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) report that best embodied Dr. Kane's priorities: clarity, conciseness, and brevity.
2012, Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Alpha Chapter, for outstanding performance and devotion to the field of Public Health.
2010, Andrej Marušic Suicide Research Award, for the best scientific contribution by a young researcher in the field of biology of suicide, suicide prevention and treatment of suicidal behavior, International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP).
2007, The Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA), for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and advising, sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Nominated by students.
2003-05, Postdoctoral National Research Service Award Fellowship, Research Training in Early Developmental Psychopathology, T32MH019833.
2003, The Harold and Sylvia Halpert Endowment Award, Johns Hopkins University.
2001-03, National Research Service Award, The Influence of Drug Use on Suicide Ideation & Attempts, F31DA014454.
Select Publications
Selected publications from the last 5 years on the effectiveness of community-based universal prevention programs embedded into service sectors and data linkage to inform suicide prevention.
DeVylder JE, Ryan TC, Cwik M, Wilson ME, Jay SY, Nestadt PS, Goldstein M, Wilcox HC. Assessment of Selective and Universal Screening for Suicide Risk in a Pediatric Emergency Department, JAMA Network Open. 2019 Oct 2;2(10):e1914070.
Decker MR, Wilcox HC, Holliday CN, Webster DW.An Integrated Public Health Approach to Interpersonal Violence and Suicide Prevention and Response. Public Health Rep. 2018 Nov/Dec;133(1_suppl):65S-79S.
Walker A, Zirikly A, Stockbridge M, Wilcox HC. A Linguistic Analysis of Instagram Captions Between Adolescent Suicide Decedents and Living Controls. Crisis. 2023 Oct 11. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000928. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37818627.
Krantz LB MD, Stanko-Lopp D MA, MPH, Kuntz M JD, Wilcox HC PhD. A Guide for Schools on Student-Directed Suicide Prevention Programs Eligible for Implementation under the STANDUP Act, a Rapid Review and Evidence Synthesis. Arch Suicide Res. 2023 Aug 18:1-23. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2023.2247033. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37593936.
Wilcox HC, Kharrazi H, Wilson RF, Musci RJ, Susukida R, Gharghabi F, Zhang A, Wissow L, Robinson KA. Data Linkage Strategies to Advance Youth Suicide Prevention: A Systematic Review for a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Workshop. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Dec 6;165(11):779-785.
Doty B, Bass J, Ryan T, Zhang A, Wilcox H. Systematic review of suicide prevention studies with data on youth and young adults living in low-income and middle-income countries. BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 6;12(9):e055000. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055000. PMID: 36691131; PMCID: PMC9453991.