Dr. Jennifer Howes (she/her) is the Chief Mental Health Director for the Division of Student Well-Being at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Howes oversees the range of programs and clinics that provide care to the JHU student and trainee communities across the University. Her current focus is the integration of Mental Health Services under one organization to provide equitable, accessible, and quality mental healthcare. This multi-faceted project includes the development of a reimagined leadership structure across the organization, establishing a unified philosophy of care and critical infrastructure to support the breadth of services MHS provide, and expanding the professional development available to staff.
Prior to joining JHU, she served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Wellness at the California Institute of Technology. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience working in a range of clinical settings, including the Los Angeles County jail system, community mental health, private practice, and higher education. Her clinical interests include suicide prevention, developing systems of care based in equity and inclusion, and innovative approaches to mental health intervention through interdisciplinary practice. Jennifer earned her BA from UCLA and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at AIU.
Dr. Howes has presented on co-response teams in the higher education space at national conferences including NASPA, IACLEA, AUCCCD, HECMA, and has been an invited speaker and consultant to numerous campuses in various stages of co-responder team development. In November 2022, Dr. Howes hosted the first Co-Responder Symposium at Johns Hopkins University for over 55 higher education institutions, and is actively working to establish a university-based co-responder alliance to provide support to campuses across the US.