BALTIMORE, March 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health- Health Advisory Board member and construction developer Ken Banks has teamed up with investigators from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to find a practical construction-based solution to a global public health problem. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is ranked no. 1 by U.S. News & World Report and has held this ranking for the past twenty years. Dr. William Checkley and Dr. Robert Gilman of the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recruited Banks to serve on the research team to design a system that will dramatically reduce indoor air pollution created from cooking inside thatched and adobe-style homes. Currently, over 3 billion people around the world live in homes that lack adequate ventilation, causing toxic smoke to accumulate inside. As a result, lung disease-related disabilities and deaths are dramatically higher among these populations. This February, Banks made his second site visit to the Puno region of Peru to provide constructional engineering expertise to the research team. He was tasked with refining the system design and determining the feasibility of integrating a cost-effective ventilation model for these homes.
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/PH86396-a
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/PH86396-b
Ken Banks is no stranger to purposeful, visionary large-scale projects. He has maintained his position as an award-winning industry leader in delivering mega-scale construction and development projects. Banks was instrumental in the development of the Science and Technology Park at Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Maryland at Baltimore Biotech Park. He also managed the construction of the New Clinical Building at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel, and Coppin State University's Physical Education Complex. Banks has balanced his business achievements, with his constant involvement in advancing health innovations to improve the quality of life of others. He currently serves on boards including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health- Health Advisory Board, University of Maryland School of Medicine- Board of Visitors and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma- Board of Visitors. Banks has wholeheartedly committed his time, expertise and financial support to the Peru public health project. Dr. William Checkley commented, "It is great to have Ken as an integral part of the research team. He has been a fantastic intellectual and financial resource."
This recent public health project is a joint effort between Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Center of Excellence at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru. Once the ventilation system design is confirmed to be easily implemented and effective against reducing indoor air pollution, it will serve as the model for other populations in many other regions around the world.
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