The Hopkins Population Center

Overall Abstract
The Hopkins Population Center (HPC) is a university-wide center providing research infrastructure for
demography, reproductive health, and population health research at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The
Center has 62 faculty Associates from 7 JHU schools (16 departments). Tapping into Associates’ leading
expertise in social, public health, biomedical, engineering, and statistical sciences, the HPC builds on these
historical strengths and facilitates emerging innovation in specific research areas of population dynamics
research. The HPC is directed by Director, Dr. Lingxin Hao, and two Associate Directors, Drs. Emily Agree and
Li Liu. The HPC has three Specific Aims. Aim 1 is to support the incubation, development, production, and
dissemination of innovative research in three primary research areas (PRAs) – Poverty and Inequality, Sexual
and Reproductive Health, and Family, Maternal and Child Health. The HPC supports the whole spectrum of
innovative research in the PRAs through the Development, Scientific, and Administrative Cores. The
Development Core identifies new ideas from Associates, assembles new teams among HPC Associates
between academic ranks and across disciplines, and provides research development support via a set of
programs. The Development Core ensures internal cohesiveness through the bridging role of PRA
representatives, who are high-profile senior Associates and open up communication channels between
Associates and Core leaders. The Scientific Core focuses its energy on increasing the research rigor and
competitiveness of new and in-progress research projects. The Administrative Core works on the timely
dissemination of new research findings via seminars, conferences, and symposiums. Aim 2 is to support early-
career Associates (ECAs) to accelerate research independence in PRAs. We are continually recruiting ECAs
to nurture their research capacity and independence in HPC’s PRAs and additional effort to meet the specific
needs of underrepresented minority ECAs. Aim 3 is to grow synergy within HPC, JHU, and the broader
community to promote research in population science. The HPC strengthens its centeredness within HPC
among the three Cores, at JHU HPC maintains and further develops alliances with university research
initiatives on common interests to promote population dynamics research, and in the broader community the
HPC will establish partnerships with regional population centers and local institutions serving underrepresented
minorities. The three Cores’ functioning and the synergy across them enable HPC to further its long history of
outstanding contributions to population science. The P2C funding will sustain and expand the provision of
cohesive infrastructural services. With the university’s substantial investment in HPC and HPC’s leveraging
resources of university initiatives, the HPC endeavors to maximize the added value of the requested P2C
funding.

Grant Number: 5P2CHD042854-20
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: FEINIAN CHEN