Johns Hopkins, Bloomberg Philanthropies announce $150M effort to fuel diversity in STEM fields The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative will create new opportunities and supports for diverse PhD students in STEM programs at Johns Hopkins By Hub staff report / Published May 11, 2021 Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the launch of a $150 million effort to directly address historic underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and math fields, and to prepare a new, more diverse generation of researchers and scholars to assume leading roles in tackling some of the world's greatest challenges. The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative at Johns Hopkins—named for one of the institution's most celebrated figures, a Black surgical laboratory supervisor best known for his work to develop a lifesaving cardiac surgical technique—will create new pathways for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions to pursue and earn PhDs in STEM fields.