Ellen J. MacKenzie, who in her seven years so far as dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has championed the research, education, and advocacy that makes the Bloomberg School a global leader in public health, has decided to step down from her role effective June 30, 2025, university leaders announced today.
Image caption: Ellen J. MacKenzie
MacKenzie, an internationally recognized public health practitioner, renowned researcher on trauma care systems and policy, and inspired academic leader, has spent more than five decades at the Bloomberg School, arriving as a graduate student in biostatistics "searching for a meaningful way to apply her love of math and problem solving," JHU President Ron Daniels and Provost Ray Jayawardhana wrote in a message to the Hopkins community today.
"Her journey from a young doctoral student to dean of the world's first and largest graduate school of public health is marked by a legacy of achievement," they added. "A member of the faculty since 1980 and long-time chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, Ellen has held successive leadership roles in which she left her mark by elevating applied practice as an essential part of her department's mission, facilitating a core curriculum in policy, and establishing a faculty development program that became the model for other departments."
MacKenzie will remain on the Bloomberg School faculty after stepping down. Details on a search for her successor, "a new leader who will build on the school's historic strengths and remarkable trajectory," will be shared at a later date, Daniels and Jayawardhana wrote.
"As we look to the tremendous challenges we face—from environmental threats to emerging infectious diseases to health inequities—we must press forward with even greater urgency," MacKenzie wrote in a message to the Bloomberg School community earlier today. "The work ahead will be difficult, but you have the intellect, the ambition, and the heart needed to face it head on. I am excited to welcome a new dean who is ready to lead you in the ongoing pursuit of better health for all—someone who has vision, commitment, and a deep belief in the amazing potential of our people and the Bloomberg School."
MacKenzie earned her Master of Science in biostatistics in 1975 and completed her PhD at the Bloomberg School in 1979. She then joined the faculty, rising to full professor in 1991, and chaired the Department of Health Policy and Management from 2005 until 2016. MacKenzie became the Bloomberg School's 11th dean in October 2017, succeeding Michael J. Klag.
Her research has shaped the field of trauma services and outcomes, improving quality of life for both service members and civilians with major limb trauma. She was named a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2017, joining a distinguished cohort of Johns Hopkins scholars working to address some of the world's most vexing challenges, and also holds faculty appointments in the School of Medicine's departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
As dean, MacKenzie has positioned the Bloomberg School to meet the evolving needs of the field of public health and realize its full potential to work toward a healthier, more equitable world. She has expanded the school's faculty, including helping recruit 24 outstanding faculty members through the Bloomberg Distinguished Professors program; reenvisioned the physical campus with the recent groundbreaking on a new state-of-the-art home in East Baltimore; and championed the role of evidenced-based advocacy in public health through the establishment of the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy. Her tenure also has been characterized by a marked commitment to health equity and deepening partnerships to serve communities both in Baltimore and around the world, from broadening the scope for the reimagined Center for Indigenous Health to strengthening ties to Baltimore City through the continued growth of the Office of Practice and Community Engagement and the service-learning center SOURCE.
Under MacKenzie's guidance, the Bloomberg School became a leading and trusted resource of expertise and information related to the COVID-19 pandemic, offering informed analysis, launching critical research initiatives, and ensuring that evidence-based practices and policies were at the forefront of the global discourse. At the same time, she helped the Bloomberg School meet the challenges of the pandemic organizationally, creating a more vibrant culture of collaboration and problem-solving that will continue to strengthen the school in the years ahead.
"Ellen brings humanity, humility, and creativity to any challenge she confronts," Daniels and Jayawardhana wrote. "This was exemplified through her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the early stages of the pandemic, she mobilized the school's responses on all fronts—from launching a free contact tracing course that served more than 1 million people from 150 countries, to groundbreaking research on the SARS-COV-2 incubation period and convalescent plasma therapy, and beginning a vital survey of Long COVID."
The Bloomberg School of Public Health is the largest public health institution in the world, with 10 academic departments, more than 1,800 primary and affiliated faculty members, 80-plus research centers, and more than 3,200 students from 93 nations. It has been continuously ranked by its peers as the No. 1 school of public health in the country, according to rankings published by U.S. News & World Report since 1994.
"It remains the greatest honor of my life to call you my colleagues and my friends," MacKenzie wrote. "We have achieved a great deal together, and in the coming months, we will have the opportunity to reflect on the past, celebrate our accomplishments, and plan for the future. For now, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your unwavering support of the school and its mission. Your partnership has meant the world to me. I look forward to one more vibrant academic year ahead as your dean. There is still much to be done, and I am eager to continue our work together."
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