Professor Joanne Katz Awarded the Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
June 4, 2018
For her extraordinary contributions to the educational programs of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Joanne Katz, ScD ’93, MS, Professor and Associate Chair of the School’s Department of International Health, was awarded the Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal. Dean Ellen MacKenzie, PhD ’79, presented the medal at this year’s convocation ceremony in May.
“This award is a well-deserved tribute to her deep and lasting commitment to student education and mentorship,” said David Peters, MD, DrPH, MPH, Edgar Berman Professor and Chair of International Health at the School. “For over 30 years, Joanne has tirelessly built innovative and rigorous curricula and training programs at the Bloomberg School.”
Katz currently serves as the Director of Academic Programs for the Department of International Health. In her role, she oversees all 10 of the Department’s master’s and doctoral degrees, which involves more than 200 students. She also leads the Department’s Academic Innovation Committee. Under her leadership, International Health launched an educational grant program to encourage the development of new and innovative methods of teaching. Awards have recently been made to improve student science writing and communication and to incorporate systems approaches into existing courses. She has also worked with the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences to develop three combined Bachelor of Arts-Master of Science in Public Health (BA/MSPH) degree programs.
Katz joined the Bloomberg School faculty in 1994. One of her first achievements was to redesign the International Health master’s program in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control (GDEC). She incorporated and required more quantitative skills-building courses, a move that led to a marked increase in annual enrollment. Katz went on to become the program director of GDEC and to lead its PhD degree program before becoming director of all International Health degree programs.
Katz’ contributions as a teacher and mentor have been recognized many times throughout her career. For example, in 2011 she received the Golden Apple from the School’s Student Assembly for teaching the Design and Conduct of Community Trials course, a class she has taught since 1994. She has also won three Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Awards from the Bloomberg Student Assembly and received multiple excellence in teaching recognitions.
Katz’s contributions to Hopkins academic programs and her commitment to students have long been appreciated by faculty, students and alumni. “I had the privilege of having Joanne as both my master’s and doctoral advisor,” said Naoko Kozuki, MSPH '11, PhD '16, now a technical advisor with the International Rescue Committee, after learning Katz had received the Stebbins Medal. “She was a partner every step of the way through my training, and she served as an incredible role model as I watched her approach her work with such compassion and class. She not just cares about, but advocates for, the well-being and success of every single student and faculty who comes through the Department of International Health.” The Stebbins Medal is a perfect honor to help the entire Bloomberg School community recognize Katz’s contributions to all aspects of teaching at the School.