Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Wins Three Anthem Awards

The Communications and Marketing team in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Office of External Affairs has earned three inaugural Anthem Awards, presented by the Webbys, in recognition of its work across content platforms.

The Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine’s issue—Racism is a Public Health Crisis— earned a Gold Award in the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion category. The Bloomberg School’s social media accounts won a Silver Award in Education, Art, & Culture, and the School’s Public Health on Call podcast, launched in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, took home a Silver Award in the Health category. Each of these awards were recognized within the Anthem Awards’ Awareness category for non-for-profits, which features work that informs and educates people about a topic or issue with the intention of influencing their attitude or behavior toward the defined purpose. 

Anthem Award winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which comprises authors, actors, business executives, and other stakeholders. 

“Racism is a Public Health Crisis” Magazine Special Section
The COVID-19 pandemic swiftly highlighted long-standing racial health inequities in the United States. The Bloomberg School’s magazine team chose to call attention to the persistent disparities in Black Americans’ health outcomes. In a special section, the magazine digs into the real cause of these health disparities: systemic racism. The section was the result of a special collaboration with a faculty guest editor, Keshia Pollack Porter.

Shared with 29K+ print readers, 25K+ email readers, social media followers, and 80K+ enewsletter readers, this special issue garnered many diverse responses with some readers then reacting to each other, which is the exact engagement we want to see as we shift the conversation on racism and health disparities.

“Public Health on Call” Podcast
The Bloomberg School’s podcast aims to connect a worried public with the best possible information about the pandemic and other public health issues through informative interviews with experts, public officials, and community leaders. When it debuted in March 2020, the show focused on the pandemic. Public Health on Call has since expanded to include a broad range of public health issues, including climate, mental health, racism, overdoses, gun violence, and health equity.

The daily podcast was listed in Apple’s Top COVID-19 Podcasts after just a few months of production and has a 4.6 rating on Apple. To date, the podcast has produced more than 400 episodes. We have more than six million downloads and individual episodes can garner as many as 20,000.

Social Media for Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Throughout the pandemic, there’s been an enormous need for clear, evidence-based guidance people can use to make safe decisions for themselves and their communities. The School’s social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), which collectively boast more than one million followers, continually adapt scientists’ evidence-based expertise into eye-catching, informative, and shareable social graphics to educate and reassure people. 

The School’s Instagram organic reach since March 2020 is 110M+ users, with promoted posts reaching far more. On Facebook, the School has reached millions with live broadcasts regularly featured in the platform’s Coronavirus Information Center. 

“We are proud to have reached millions of people with credible and insightful information about the pandemic, racism, and other critical public health topics across these platforms,” said Lymari Morales, associate dean for Communications and Marketing at the Bloomberg School. “It is an exciting honor to see this work recognized nationally alongside other organizations doing their part to make a meaningful positive impact in our world.”

Winners of the inaugural Anthem Awards will be celebrated at the first annual Anthem Voices conference followed by a virtual awards show on Monday, February 28. Two members who contributed to the School’s winning magazine entry will be presenting during a panel discussion on racial equity during the conference.

The Anthem Awards, presented by the Webby Awards, was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. The inaugural competition received nearly 2,500 entries from 36 countries. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. A portion of program revenue will fund a new grant program supporting emerging individuals and organizations working to advance the causes recognized in the inaugural Anthem Awards.

“It is our distinct honor to recognize the work that brands, organizations, and individuals are all making to create an impact in their community,” said Jessica Lauretti, managing director of the Anthem Awards. “We launched this platform to show the world that all corners of our culture, from sports and entertainment to business leaders and celebrities, are all standing up to say, it is time for systemic change and that social good is what we value as a society.”

The Bloomberg School, founded in 1916, has long been a leading source for public health information and guidance. The School has been ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report since the rankings were introduced in 1994, including most recently in March 2021.

# # #

Media contacts: Carly Kempler at ckemple2@jhu.edu and Barbara Benham at bbenham1@jhu.edu.