Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Center for Urban Families Begin Unique Partnership

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Baltimore’s Center for Urban Families (CFUF) have entered into a unique partnership in which faculty member Amanda Smith, PhD, MPH, will serve as the organization’s new Director of Research and Evaluation nearly full-time. CFUF, founded in 1999, specializes in accelerating social and economic opportunity for fathers and families through workforce development, family strengthening, and advocacy promoting equity and social justice. The Baltimore-based organization works not only locally, but nationally through its Practitioners Leadership Institute, providing training and technical assistance across multiple disciplines.

As Director of Research and Evaluation, Smith will help CFUF manage how it collects and uses data for program evaluation and effectiveness, thereby improving program delivery and the outcomes for the individuals it serves. She will report into the Executive Office, led by CEO Joseph Jones, who has received national recognition for innovative efforts to support families, counter poverty, and build wealth in Baltimore’s Black community.

“We are thrilled for Amanda to join the faculty of the Department of Epidemiology and lead this new work with the Center for Urban Families,” says Shruti Mehta, PhD, MPH, Dr. Charles Armstrong Chair and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. “By working to improve the economic well-being of families, the Center is advancing the mission of public health, and through Amanda’s role, the Department and the School will be part of this essential effort.”

“We have a deep appreciation for who Amanda is not only as a professional, but as a person, and how she fits into the culture of the organization, which is incredibly important,” says Joseph Jones, chief executive officer of CFUF.

Some of the CFUF programs Smith is currently evaluating include:

• Baltimore Responsible Fatherhood Services, an eight-week program, utilizing an online curriculum, that assists non-custodial fathers with low incomes to increase and build their fatherhood knowledge and skills.
• STRIVE, a three-week work readiness program that provides the training necessary to connect to the workplace, such as resume writing and interviewing.
• Practitioners Leadership Institute, a nationally focused initiative designed to provide responsible fatherhood, workforce development, and family-strengthening practitioners with experiences, skills, and information that will strengthen their ability to improve outcomes for low-income fathers and families, impacting Black male achievement.

Smith, who joined the Bloomberg School in 2019 as a senior staff member, previously served as an epidemiologist in a joint role with the Baltimore City Health Department conducting data analyses and mapping, assisting with survey development and program evaluation, and mentoring early-career epidemiologists.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Director of Research and Evaluation for the Center for Urban Families and hope this unique role, where I am fully embedded within the organization as part of the senior leadership team, can serve as a model for future roles and partnerships,” says Smith.

Recently, Smith completed an assessment of CFUF’s data and research needs, funded by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.

“One of the key goals of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative is to provide public health capacity to community organizations doing critical work advancing health,” says Joshua Sharfstein, MD, director of the Initiative and Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the School. “This partnership will yield benefits in Baltimore and beyond.”

Smith’s expertise in data collection and evaluation will be valuable in providing training and technical assistance to CFUF staff, Jones adds. Through her role, CFUF hopes to build a culture around the importance of data and to use data to drive improvement in all of its efforts.

“In public health, we focus on change at the population level,” says Smith. “CFUF and other community organizations make this change happen one person, one family, and one community at a time. I’m excited to join their team.”