The Health Opportunities for Policy Equity (HOPE) Challenge
About The HOPE Challenge
In 2023, the Johns Hopkins University released a university-wide grant competition called the Nexus Awards, designed to bring university stakeholders into imagining the activities that could animate and bring purpose to its newest Washington, DC campus located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Recognizing the importance of engaging policymakers, their staff, administration officials, and the range of advocates and other stakeholders that hold influence in the federal policymaking ecosphere, the Center for Health Disparities Solutions proposed the Health Opportunities for Policy Equity (HOPE) Challenge, a collaborative initiative designed to leverage federal policy solutions to close racial and ethnic health disparities. The Center was among a select group of coveted Nexus Awards prize winners.
Mission
The mission of the HOPE (Health Opportunities for Policy Equity) Challenge initiative is to engage legislators, administration officials, advocates, and other influential stakeholders in the effort to advance equity-centered federal policy solutions to close preventable racial and ethnic health disparities.
To promote national prosperity, lower health costs, healthy people, and healthy communities by leveraging public policy to close preventable racial and ethnic health disparities.
Why
The impact of preventable health disparities is disproportionately experienced by those who identify as belonging to the, often intersecting, African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, persons who give birth, and LGTBQIA+ population groups. To address this, we are bringing together policymakers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and other experts to join forces to achieve actionable policy change.
Highlights
4
High-Impact Events
1,131
Total registrants across all events
41
Speakers and Panelists across four events
48
Action Items
2024 Event Overview
The HOPE Challenge project 2024 was a series of four breakfast fora organized by a team led by Dr. Maya Cummings (Visiting Scholar, Johns Hopkins) and in partnership with external organizations including the NMAC (National Minority AIDS Council), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF). Throughout the series, about 1,131 participants registered to be a part of the events. The four events are listed below:
- Dec 1, 2023 - HIV and the Politics of Race - The Minority AIDS Initiative at 25
- Feb 6, 2024 - The Heart of the Matter - Closing Disparities in Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
- May 24, 2024 - Hands That Rock the Cradle: Expanding Policies to Protect Black Maternal and Infant Health” Maternal and Infant Health Policy Summit
- June 4, 2024 - Promoting Health Equity by Reducing Gun Violence in Communities of Color
Hope Challenge News
The Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions Inaugurates the HOPE Challenge Series on World AIDS Day
On World AIDS Day, The Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions (HCHDS) will launch the Health Opportunities for Policy Equity (HOPE)......
Rep. Maxine Waters and Policy Advocates Attend the World AIDS Day Conference
Policy Advocates discussed the intersection of HIV/AIDS and race and the importance of the Minority AIDS Initiative during Johns Hopkins University’s...
Press Contact
For press inquiries, please contact the below individuals
Bloomberg School of Public Health Contact
Lindsey Culli: lculli1@jh.edu