Professor Peter Winch Awarded the 2023 Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Peter Winch, MD, MPH ’88, a professor in the Department of International Health, was recently awarded the Ernest Lyman Stebbins Medal for his extraordinary contributions to academic excellence at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and beyond. Each year the Bloomberg School of Public Health awards the Stebbins Medal for outstanding contributions to teaching and educational programs to a member of the School’s faculty. Dean Ellen MacKenzie, PhD ’79, ScM ’75, presented the medal at this year’s convocation ceremony.

Winch has fundamentally shaped how countless students learn the social and behavioral sciences in applied public health for over 30 years. His commitment to the excellence of his students and the success of the Department has furthered the mission of the School and of public health worldwide. “His vision and insights have made lasting contributions to our curriculum and our students,” said Caitlin Kennedy, PhD ’09, MPH ’04, professor and program director of the Social and Behavioral Interventions (SBI) program in the Department of International Health. “Through three decades of extraordinary contributions to teaching, Peter has helped shape myriad students and fellow faculty members' careers through his inspiration and guidance.”

Winch previously served as Director of the SBI program and Associate Chair for the Department of International Health from 2007 to 2016. He also served as a doctoral program coordinator and helped develop the core curriculum for the SBI program. In addition, Winch has served as the primary instructor for the Department’s introductory course for nearly fifteen years, helping define students’ experiences in their early days at the Bloomberg School. The changes he implemented while serving on the Department’s curriculum committee continue to shape the approach of the SBI program through its teaching strategies and course content. Winch currently serves as an instructor in courses on health behavior change, formative research, and environmental sustainability at the School of Public Health, continuing to contribute to dozens of students’ educational journeys year after year.

Even though he is a primary faculty member in the Department of International Health, Winch’s teaching excellence extends beyond the Department. He has served as the director for both the MPH concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences and the MPH concentration in Global Environmental Sustainability and Health. In addition to his work at the Bloomberg School, Winch has spearheaded changes in undergraduate global health education on the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus by teaching the introductory course in global health, the honors thesis seminar for seniors majoring in Public Health Studies, advising students on global health careers, and contributing to the combined Bachelor of Arts-Master of Science in Public Health degree program to help gifted students excel in their public health journey. This year he was recognized for his work with undergraduates at the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences with a Golden Apple Award for outstanding teaching in Public Health Studies.

Winch is a dedicated mentor within the global health community, having served as a mentor and adviser to over 130 master’s and doctoral students in the Department. Rachel Haws, a former student and an associate faculty member in the Department, said Winch’s “enthusiasm and seemingly endless idea generation helped me focus my PhD research topic, and endowed me with a full toolbox of ways to engage in qualitative and participatory research that value and respect the people with whom I work. [This is] a much-deserved award recognizing how much energy and creativity he invests in every student he has ever taught or advised.”

To read more about Winch’s contributions to Johns Hopkins and to see memories from Peter’s colleagues and current and past students click here.