In the words of businessman and philanthropist Michael R. Bloomberg, there is no institution better equipped to lead the charge for a healthier world than Johns Hopkins University. This leadership is evident in the work of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, which has been at the frontlines of many major global public health challenges, including life-threatening malnutrition, smallpox, and now Zika.

On the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Bloomberg gave the school an unprecedented $300 million gift to tackle significant public health challenges here in the United States. The new Bloomberg American Health Initiative will bring the tools and approach of public health to bear on five key problems—drug addiction, obesity, gun violence, risks to adolescent health, and environmental threats—that have contributed to alarming declines in health and life expectancy for Americans.

In addition to supporting new research targeting these problems, the initiative will support scholarships to train dozens of people working in organizations on the front lines every year. The Bloomberg Fellows will return to their organizations to bring public health evidence and action where it is most needed.

Bloomberg’s gift is also allowing the school to revamp its schoolwide Doctor of Public Health program to better prepare tomorrow’s leaders in the field. The program is intended for students who already have a master’s degree in public health or an equivalent degree and who intend to pursue domestic or international careers in public agencies or private sector settings that emphasize improving population health. New students are expected to start the program in June 2017 with an onsite summer institute.