Reducing suicide through rigorous research, collaboration, and training the next generation of health leaders.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention is the first center for suicide prevention housed within a school of public health. We translate evidence into action in partnership with communities and governments, and across the field.
Featured Research
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ResearchThe Person and the Place: Community Data in Suicide Risk Prediction
A study led by Dr. Matthew Castner finds that adding clinical, health care access and social data to area-level suicide prediction models improves them, with clinical data adding the most.
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ResearchIn Text-Based Support, a Counselor's Words Matter
A study led by Susanna Lewis finds that when counselors in a campus screening program gave clear information and showed emotional support, students were more likely to ask for a referral to mental health care.
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ResearchWho Does Campus Mental Health Screening Reach?
Research from Dr. James Aluri and colleagues on a campus screening program shows that participation is uneven, and that the program reaches many students with elevated depression symptoms.
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Featured Community Collaborations
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CommunityExpanding What Counts as Suicide Prevention: A Q&A With Andrea Cimino
Social scientist Andrea N. Cimino explains how intimate partner violence, coercive control and contact with the criminal legal system connect to suicide risk, and why prevention needs to start long before a crisis.
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CommunityBuilding Better Systems for Pediatric Suicide Prevention: The EQUIP Pilot
Led by Dr. Laura Prichett, the EQUIP pilot is working with a Johns Hopkins pediatric primary care clinic to strengthen every step after suicide risk screening, from assessment to follow-up.
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CommunityGeneration Be There: A Night of Community, Connection and Action
In Washington, DC, the Center and the Born This Way Foundation brought together Johns Hopkins peer listeners and young leaders for Generation Be There, an evening about learning to be there for one another.
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Just Ask a Question
Meet our Director.
Click a question. Hear the answer in her own words. Dr. Holly Wilcox, Director of the Center, has recorded short, plain-language responses to the questions communities, journalists, and policymakers most often ask.
Three pillars, one mission.
Research
We conduct rigorous, multidisciplinary research that deepens understanding of suicide and reveals what works to prevent suicide.
Explore Our Research →Policy & Practice
We translate evidence into real-world policies, programs, and technical assistance — alongside local collaborators and governments.
Collaborate with Us →Academics
Explore courses of great relevance to suicide prevention offered by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Train with Us →Why this work matters.
Just Ask a Question
From the front lines of the research — ask the Medical Director.
Dr. Paul Nestadt chairs the Maryland Suicide Fatality Review Committee and leads the Center's work on means safety, psychological autopsy, and public engagement. Click a question — hear how he thinks about it.
Support the work.
The Center exists because of collaborators and supporters who believe progress is possible. Whether you give, collaborate, or learn alongside us, you are part of the solution.