Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health awarded $15 million for lab renovation

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will receive nearly $15 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for renovation and modernization of laboratory space at its main facility at 615 N. Wolfe Street in Baltimore, Md.

The grant was awarded by the National Center for Research Resources, part of the National Institutes of Health. The renovation includes updating labs and new infrastructure in the 45-year old Hume Wing located on the building’s north side along Monument Street. The nine-story wing was built in 1964 and houses 25 percent of the School’s research laboratories.

“The School’s legacy has and continues to be one of translating research into strategies to improve the public’s health throughout world. This renovation project is key to allowing our investigators to remain competitive for future research projects and to maintain the School’s ability to recruit high-caliber scientific talent,” said Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, dean of the Bloomberg School. “Most importantly, this project will help ensure that the Bloomberg School of Public Health continues to pioneer discoveries that promote the public’s health, both now and in the future.”

Planning and design for the new space is already underway with construction expected to start in the late summer of 2011. The renovations will include interior demolition, new mechanical and electrical systems, new laboratory casework and equipment, and interior finishes. The construction will be phased in to allow ongoing research to continue uninterrupted.

Founded in 1916 as part of the Johns Hopkins University, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is a leading international authority on public health. It is the world’s oldest and largest independent school of public health, with over 2,000 students from 78 countries and more than 1,100 full- and part-time faculty, as well as 3,000 employees. The Bloomberg School of Public Health receives approximately 20 percent of all federal research funds awarded to the 43 accredited schools of public health in the United States.

Johns Hopkins University generates more than $6.5 billion in economic activity for the East Baltimore community and the region.