Dr. Holly Wilcox is a Professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Health Policy and Management, as well as the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Education. Holly’s research centers on advancing public health approaches to suicide prevention, encompassing policies, early intervention, and chain of care approaches. Holly is the President of the International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR), a member of the Scientific Council and Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a suicide prevention consultant for the World Health Organization, and an Affiliate Investigator at the Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention of the Black Dog Institute in Australia.
Dr. Wilcox has a focus on population-based research on preventing suicidal behaviors. Her work evaluates the impact of community-based universal prevention programs targeting suicidal behaviors and leverages data linkage strategies to inform effective suicide prevention. Dr. Wilcox’s research extends to diverse settings, including schools, universities, social media platforms, and emergency departments. She actively mentors students, teaches courses at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and leads a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental suicide prevention work group at Johns Hopkins. She has won the Johns Hopkins Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award three times.
Throughout her career, Dr. Wilcox has been a tireless advocate for a public health-oriented suicide prevention agenda, collaborating with national and international organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization/UNICEF, and Pan American Health Organization. She has secured competitive research grants from various agencies and has published over 150 research articles. Dr. Wilcox has worked to adapt and implement school-based interventions in the United States and make research findings accessible to people working in various roles in the community including mental health professionals and suicide bereaved individuals. Her major research interests include population-based prospective studies of suicidal behaviors, effectiveness studies of prevention programs, data linkage for suicide prevention, and intergenerational studies of suicide risk.