Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health

What Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health does

The Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health (CHH) is an academic research and education center hosted by the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It operates as a collaborative program drawing faculty and expertise from three Johns Hopkins schools — Public Health, Medicine, and Nursing — across disciplines including epidemiology, demography, emergency and disaster medicine, health systems management, nutrition and food security, environmental engineering, mental health, political science, and human rights. CHH serves UN agencies (WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM, ICRC, IFRC, WFP, UNFPA), operational NGOs (MSF, IRC, ACF, World Vision, CRS, Medair), national governments, graduate students, and humanitarian practitioners globally, and is designated a WHO Collaborating Center.

CHH's offering portfolio is centered on educational programs and research outputs rather than commercial products. Educational programs include the MPH Concentration in Humanitarian Health (18-credit minimum), the Certificate in Humanitarian Health, the long-running H.E.L.P. (Health Emergencies in Large Populations) course, the Coursera-based "Public Health in Humanitarian Crises" course (free with $49 certificate), and free e-learning modules such as Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies. Research outputs include the CHH-Lancet Commission report "Health in a World of Crises and Impunity," the Outbreak READY! digital simulations co-developed with the READY Initiative, and a body of 373+ faculty publications disseminated via the center's website, academic journals, and weekly newsletter.

CHH's revenue model rests on three streams: research grants and project funding from international organizations, governments, and foundations; educational program fees that follow Bloomberg School of Public Health tuition rates; and philanthropic donations supporting scholarships, research, and emergency analysis. The go-to-market is community-led — anchored in academic degree programs, continuing-education courses, research collaborations with operational agencies, and dissemination through publications, media appearances, and events. With approximately 15 core staff, the Center operates as a small, grant- and donation-funded academic unit embedded in a large private research university, rather than a commercial entity.

Name

Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health

Legal name

Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health

Website

https://hopkinshumanitarianhealth.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health is an academic research center within Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that conducts field-based humanitarian health research, delivers educational programs, and partners with WHO, UN agencies, and NGOs to advance evidence-based humanitarian health practice globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Health Research and Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Support Services (611710), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Health Coordination & Emergency Response Partnerships (HLAJAOAI), EMS Education, Training & Simulation Centers (HLAFANAL), Emergency Education / Education in Emergencies (EiE) (BPADADAN), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

Keywords

• Humanitarian health research
• Public health education
• Disaster response training
• Humanitarian epidemiology
• Global health policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: The Center conducts research funded by various international organizations, governments, and foundations to advance humanitarian health science.
2. Educational Programs: Revenue from certificate programs, continuing education courses, and the H.E.L.P. course for humanitarian workers.
3. Donations and Philanthropy: Support from donors to fund student scholarships, innovative research, emergency analysis, and training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health is a collaborative academic program of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and School of Nursing that conducts field-based research, delivers graduate-level education (MPH concentration, Certificate, H.E.L.P. course), provides technical expertise and training, and develops digital simulation tools to advance evidence-based humanitarian health practice. It operates as a WHO Collaborating Center and partners with UN agencies, NGOs, and governments on humanitarian health science covering prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and reintegration.

Product overview

The Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health (CHH) is an academic research and education center, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of educational programs (MPH concentration, Certificate in Humanitarian Health, H.E.L.P. course, Coursera online course, e-learning modules) and research initiatives (Humanitarian Midwifery Initiative, Outbreak READY! simulations). The core educational portfolio includes degree/concentration programs, professional training courses, and scholarship support for students pursuing humanitarian health careers. The center also develops digital simulation tools like Outbreak READY! for outbreak readiness training. These offerings are interconnected through CHH's mission to advance evidence-based humanitarian health practice through research, education, and capacity building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Emergencies in Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) Course

Quantifiable outcome

• 239 million people need humanitarian assistance; only 87 million will receive it according to CHH-Lancet Commission Report
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHH is designated as a WHO Collaborating Center. Collaborates on guidelines, clinical management of diseases like mpox, and public health standards for humanitarian settings.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on public health in emergencies and humanitarian health research.
• International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of 'The Johns Hopkins and Red Cross Red Crescent Public Health Guide in Emergencies'.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on access and scaling of psychosocial programs, cash transfer evaluations for refugee populations.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of mHealth application for non-communicable disease management in mobile populations.
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPopulation-based violence surveys, community-based programming for sexual violence prevention and response.
• World Food Program (WFP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCash transfer feasibility assessments and impact evaluations in humanitarian settings.
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response, Midwifery Workforce Development programs.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch on ethical dilemmas of health service provision in conflict zones.
• Action Against Hunger (ACF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoint of use water treatment in recuperative malnutrition programs, Modelling Early Risk Indicators to Anticipate Malnutrition (MERIAM).
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurgical care evaluations in humanitarian settings.
• READY InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerREADY - Global Readiness for Major Disease Outbreak Response. Joint development of Outbreak READY! digital simulations for outbreak preparedness training.
• EQUAL ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence & Impact for Mothers & Newborns Living in Conflict - research consortium for maternal and newborn health in conflict areas.
• Interagency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crisis (IAWG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on reproductive health guidelines and resources for humanitarian settings.
• World VisionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based Ebola interventions, Child Nutrition Impact Study, Joint Emergency Operation for Food Assistance.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShelter, cash, and protection programming for migrants and refugees.
• MedairminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrauma-informed care for GBV survivors, conditional cash transfers for health.
• Surgeons OverSeas (SOS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurgical capacity surveys, population-based surveys of surgical needs and injuries.
• American University of BeirutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrehospital surveillance, Syrian refugee surveys.
• Makerere University (Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch on globalization, climate change, and emergence of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
• Lebanese American UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch on unconditional cash transfers for Syrian refugees.
• Institute of Human Virology (Nigeria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality of maternal and neonatal health care and midwifery workforce development.
• Syrian Arab Medical Society (SAMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthical dilemmas of health service provision in conflict.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Emory University Hubert Department of Global Health: Academic department at Emory Rollins School of Public Health with research and training programs in humanitarian and global health emergencies. Comparable in academic positioning and humanitarian health focus.
• MSF Research (LuxOR): Research arm of Médecins Sans Frontières conducting operational and clinical research in humanitarian settings. Comparable in generating field-based humanitarian health evidence, though embedded within an operational NGO rather than a university.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major operational NGO delivering humanitarian health services and conducting research in conflict settings. Comparable as both a research collaborator and a peer organization operating at the intersection of humanitarian practice and evidence generation.
• University of Washington Department of Global Health: Major U.S. academic department conducting research on humanitarian and crisis-affected health. Comparable in scale, academic base, and cross-disciplinary approach to humanitarian health challenges.
• Harvard Humanitarian Initiative: Harvard-based academic center focused on humanitarian research, education, and policy. Directly comparable as a peer university-affiliated center producing humanitarian health research and training humanitarian practitioners.
• Columbia University Program on Forced Migration and Health: Academic program at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health focused on health of displaced and conflict-affected populations. Comparable in mission, academic setting, and target populations to CHH.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: Leading global public health university with substantial work in humanitarian settings, conflict, and refugee health. Directly comparable as a peer academic institution generating humanitarian health research and training.
• Karolinska Institutet Department of Global Public Health: Academic department at Karolinska Institutet conducting global health and humanitarian health research. Comparable as a European academic peer producing research and training in humanitarian public health.

Broad incumbents

• World Health Organization (WHO): UN agency responsible for global health governance, including humanitarian health coordination. CHH is a WHO Collaborating Center; WHO sets the standards and convening role that CHH's research and training directly support.
• Save the Children: Large international NGO operating humanitarian health programs across conflict and disaster settings. Comparable in field presence in the geographies CHH studies, though broader in mission scope than CHH's academic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Humanit_Health
• Facebookfacebook.com/HopkinsHumanitarianHealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johns-hopkins-center-for-humanitarian-health
• Instagraminstagram.com/johnshopkinschh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health