"It is a well-known fact that there are no social, no industrial, no economic problems which are not related to health," noted William H. Welch, the first director of the first school of public health. Founded in 1916 with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the School of Hygiene and Public Health opened its doors as part of Johns Hopkins University on this date in 1918. Welch and Wickliffe Rose organized a school representing the biological, physical, social and behavior sciences that offers courses emphasizing the goal of "the preservation and improvement of health." Sixteen students made up the first graduating class. Today, the school has an international reputation as one of the largest and most respected school of public health, educating 1,800 students from 80 countries each year.

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