News & Events
Lerner Center Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on the latest in public health advocacy updates from the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy.
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News
Behind the Pitch: Q&A with the 2025 Sommer Klag Advocacy Impact Award Winners
We reached out to this year’s Sommer Klag Advocacy Impact Award winners Harry Barbee, PhD, and Mariana Socal, MD, PhD, to learn more about them, their work, and their process for developing their award-winning pitches.
Lerner Center Announces Winner of New Advocacy Achievement Award
Apryl Alexander, PsyD, has been named the winner of the 2025 Sommer Klag Advocacy Achievement Award. Dr. Alexander, the Metrolina Distinguished Professor of Health and Policy in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, (UNC), earned the $30,000 award for her advocacy work on behalf of at-promise and systems-involved youth.
Students explore public health advocacy careers at first Lerner Center Career Connection event
A motivated group of students and staff from across the Bloomberg community gathered to hear insights and valuable information from seasoned leaders in the field of public health advocacy at the new Career Connection event.
First-ever Advocacy Action Lab for Johns Hopkins faculty and staff
The Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy hosted its first-ever Advocacy Action Lab at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC. An energized group of faculty and staff from across Johns Hopkins came together to gain practical insights, knowledge, and skills to enhance influence with decision makers at all levels.
Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy Announces Inaugural Sommer Klag Advocacy Impact Award Winners
Bloomberg School faculty Nadia Akseer and Cass Crifasi selected winners at Advocacy Impact Awards Pitch Competition
Public Health On Call Series: How to Be A Climate Change Advocate
Leaders working at the intersection of climate change and public health offer a can-do approach to one of the most daunting issues of our time.
Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy Announces Inaugural Sommer Klag Advocacy Achievement Award Winners
Professors Shannon Frattaroli and Josh Horwitz Recognized for Work on Extreme Risk Protection Orders, Enacted into Law in 19 States and DC
Bloomberg School Creates New Center to Advance Public Health Advocacy
Designed to be highly collaborative, the new Lerner Center will draw upon experts across the School and in the field to translate public health knowledge into action and work with collaborators to stimulate innovation through grants, prizes, and on-the-ground advocacy engagement opportunities for students, faculty, and staff.
Past Events
Federal Funding Made Simple: A Practitioner's Guide to Grants, Line Items and Changes
January 29, 2026
This webinar, co-hosted with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), taught attendees how to quickly scan federal appropriations to spot funding shifts and policy signals.
The Power of Policy: 10 Tips for Getting Things Done in Public Health
February 2, 2024
The authors of Policy Engagement, Shelley Hearne, Keshia Pollack Porter, and Katrina Forrest, joined forces for a 1-hour webinar where they detailed best practices for moving evidence into action through policy. During the webinar, they shared top tips, real-world examples, and actionable strategies for getting things done in public health.
2025 Advocacy Impact Awards Pitch Competition
November 12, 2025
The Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy hosted the 2025 Sommer Klag Advocacy Impact Awards Lightning Pitch Competition & Social. The livestreamed competition featured lightning presentations from five Bloomberg School faculty members.
Signature Event: The Career Connection
2024-2025
Twice a year, the Lerner Center hosts The Career Connection, a networking opportunity for aspiring public health advocacy professionals to hear insights and gain knowledgeable information from leaders in the field. This event features insightful lightning talks from several “career guides” who speak on their journey as public health advocacy professionals. Attendees have the opportunity to engage and connect with the speakers and other career-seeking advocates.
Advocacy Impact Awards Pitch Competition & Social
November 2, 2023
The Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy hosted the inaugural Sommer Klag Advocacy Impact Awards Lightning Pitch Competition & Social. The competition featured lightning presentations from five, early-career BSPH faculty members. The two $40,000 award winners were announced at a reception immediately following the competition.
Public Health & the Supreme Court
October 31, 2023
A discussion about the public health implications of Supreme Court decisions on firearms, LGBTQ+ rights, and affirmative action.
Honoring the Inaugural $100k Achievement Award Winners
January 25, 2023
The Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy hosted a reception celebrating the inaugural Sommer Klag Advocacy Achievement Award winners, Shannon Frattaroli, PhD, ’99, MPH, ’94, and Joshua M. Horwitz, JD, core faculty at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions in the Department of Health Policy and Management.