National Health

National Health

Revolutionizing Health through Science and Engineering

The National Health Mission Area at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory aims to revolutionize health through science and engineering. 

Public health threats in the U.S. and around the world continue to impact U.S. civilians and military personnel. New approaches are needed to protect civilian populations and our warfighters in the face of such threats. We envision a future where we can better measure and quantify health; better predict and prevent injury, illness, and disease; assure access to reliable care in every environment; and ensure global health security.

Our work occupies a unique position at the intersection of fundamental and applied research in biological sciences, innovative modeling, sensor development, data collection and analytics, and systems engineering. We are able to leverage the vast, cross-disciplinary capabilities and expertise at APL and across Johns Hopkins University to solve the nation’s most critical health challenges.

Learn More About Our Work

  • Envisioned Futures

    Envisioned Futures inspire the National Health Mission Area’s pursuit of defining innovations, providing a means to put our work in context and influence the competencies and capabilities we develop.


    Learn more about Envisioned Futures

  • Program Areas and Programs

    Our programs utilize a cross-disciplinary approach designed to drive science forward to protect and restore health from the individual through the global scale.


    Learn more about Program Areas and Programs

  • COVID-19 Response

    APL is leveraging cutting-edge capabilities, drawing on the full expertise of the Laboratory in the COVID-19 response.


    Learn more about COVID-19 Response

Highlights

  • Flu vaccine

    Durable and Portable Therapeutics Production

    APL experts have made significant strides in developing methods for portable production of vaccines and other therapeutics, enabling production on demand in remote locations and during emergency outbreaks.
    Learn more about Durable and Portable Therapeutics Production
  • Brain (Credit: Bigstock)

    Mapping the Brain for Machine Learning

    APL leads several test and evaluation efforts for the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity’s Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONs) project, launched to develop state-of-the-art machine learning capabilities by modeling how the brain processes information.
    Learn more about Mapping the Brain for Machine Learning
  • Health systems

    The Systems Approach to Saving Lives

    APL’s thought leaders are stirring discussions on the importance of taking a systems approach to health care.
    Learn more about The Systems Approach to Saving Lives

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