The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) is part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. As the first independent, degree-granting institution for research in epidemiology and training in public health, and the largest public health training facility in the United States, the Bloomberg School is a leading international authority on the improvement of health and prevention of disease and disability. The school's mission is to protect populations from illness and injury by pioneering new research, deploying its knowledge and expertise in the field, and training scientists and practitioners in the global defense of human life. The school is ranked first in public health in the U.S. News and World Report rankings and has held that ranking since 1994.