Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers,[3][4][5][6][7] the nation's first graduate training program in population health, which was founded in 1913 and then became the Harvard School of Public Health in 1922.

Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health
Former name
Harvard School of Public Health
TypePrivate
Established1913; 111 years ago (1913)
Parent institution
Harvard University
DeanAndrea Baccarelli
Academic staff
465[1]
Students984[1]
422[2]
Location,
Massachusetts
,
U.S.

42°20′07″N 71°06′10″W / 42.335390°N 71.102793°W / 42.335390; -71.102793
Websitewww.hsph.harvard.edu
HSPH Courtyard Entrance from Harvard Medical School

History

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Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health traces its origins to the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, which was founded in 1913. Harvard calls it "the nation's first graduate training program in public health." In 1922, the School for Health Officers became the Harvard School of Public Health.

The school was part of Harvard Medical School until 1946, when it became a fully autonomous institution with its own dedicated public health and medical faculty.[8] It was renamed the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2014 in honor of a $350 million donation, the largest in Harvard's history at the time, from the Morningside Foundation,[9] run by Harvard School of Public Health alumnus Gerald Chan, SM '75, SD '79, and Ronnie Chan, both of whom were sons of T.H. Chan.[10][11]

Leadership

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The current dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is Andrea Baccarelli, an environmental health scholar who entered the role in January 2024.[JS1] [JS2]  Prior to becoming dean, Baccarelli previously served as the Leon Hess Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and taught at the Harvard Chan School as an Associate Professor from 2010 to 2016.[12][13]

Prior to Baccarelli, the role of interim dean was filled by Jane Kim, who also serves as Dean for Academic Affairs and K.T. Li Professor of Health Economics in the school's Department of Health Policy and Management.[14]

Other past deans include:

  • Michelle Ann Williams, an epidemiologist who served from 2016 to 2023 and was the first Black dean of a Harvard School's faculty.
  • Julio Frenk, the former Mexican government's Secretary of Health who led the school from 2009 to 2015. Following his tenure at the Harvard Chan School, Frenk became president of the University of Miami and will become chancellor of UCLA in 2025.[15]
  • Harvey V. Fineberg, a health policy expert who led the launch of several interdisciplinary programs.[16]
  • Howard H. Hiatt, a Harvard-trained physician who also served as physician-in-chief at Beth Israel Hospital.[17]

In 2016, following Frenk's departure, was appointed the School's new dean.[18]

Curriculum

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The Master of Public Health program offers ten fields of study:

Degree programs offered by specific departments:

  • Biostatistics: SM, PhD
  • Environmental Health (EH): SM, MPH, PhD, DrPH
  • Epidemiology (EPI): SM, DrPH
  • Molecular Metabolism: PhD
  • Health Policy: SM, MPH, PhD
  • Health Care Management: SM, MPH
  • Immunology and Infectious Diseases: PhD
  • Nutrition (NUT): MPH, DrPH, PhD
  • Global Health and Population (GHP): SM, MPH, PhD
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS): SM, MPH, PhD, DrPH
  • Population Health Sciences (Interdisciplinary PhD within departments of EH, EPI, GHP, NUT, and SBS)

The school offers a variety of degrees with criteria designed to target unique curriculum needs and a wide range of student populations, including online and hybrid degrees. The Harvard Chan School's master's of public health (MPH) and master's in health care management (MHCM) are designed for those aiming to spend their career in professional practice, while master's of science (SM) degrees are geared for aspiring researchers.[20] Students pursuing MPHs or SMs can elect to target their degrees for a number of different credit hours to better match their educational goals.[21]

In addition, the school offers two doctoral degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH). PhD programs are offered under the aegis of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The DrPH was launched in 2014 as a multidisciplinary degree providing advanced education in public health along with mastery of skills in management, leadership, communications, and innovation thinking. The program is a cohort-based program emphasizing small-group learning and collaboration. The program is designed for three years – two years at Harvard, plus one year in a field-based doctoral project – although some students may take up to four years to complete the program.[22]

Research projects

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  • The Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II, which have followed the health of over 100,000 nurses from 1976 to the present; its results have been used in hundreds of published papers.[23]
  • The Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a similar study of over fifty thousand male health professionals seeking to connect diet, exercise, smoking, and medications taken to frequency of cancer and cardiovascular disease.[24]
  • The International Health Systems Program, which has provided training or technical assistance to projects in 21 countries and conducts health policy research.[25]
  • The Program on the Global Demography of Aging, which studies policy issues related to economics of aging with a focus on the developing world.[26]
  • The Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, to "help identify how positive aspects of living can lead to better health and a longer life"[27] and "coordinate research across many disciplines at Harvard University" and "understanding the complex interplay between positive psychological well-being and human health."[28][29][30][31][32][33]
  • The Health Systems Innovation Lab, which specializes in comparative health systems research and transition to the high value health systems model through targeted innovation, policy and practice. Led by Prof. Rifat Atun, the Lab uses its research, education, innovation and translation activities to work with governments, private sector, multilateral entities, and civil society to promote policy and practice, and accelerate the diffusion of health system innovations for large-scale population level impact.[34]
  • The Harvard Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) leads research projects that explore the impacts of climate change on human health and the design of climate actions to maximize health benefits, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.[35]
  • The Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health pursues evidence-based approaches to utilize the principles of mindfulness to improve health and well-being.[36]
  • The Center for Health Communication leads the Harvard Chan School's work to effectively communicate public health information through the clutter of modern media landscapes. The center's collaboration with Hollywood studios to promote designated drivers was essential in changing the national conversation around drunk driving.[37] The center has recently launched a program partnering with content creators on mental health research.[38]
  • Harvard's Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence, which is one of just 13 such centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The center produces and disseminates information to improve the well-being of mothers and children, and trains future leaders in the field as part of the school's concentration in maternal and child health.[39]

Notable faculty (and past faculty)

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Notable alumni

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There are over 13,484 alumni.[43]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Key Facts". About. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Enrollment and Degrees". About. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Harvard School of Public Health celebrates 100 years of global health leadership". harvard.edu. 28 August 2013. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Centennial". Centennial. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  5. ^ "History, from About HSPH, reprinted online from HCSPH Fast Facts booklet, accessed 1/19/2016" (PDF). harvard.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Who We Are". Admissions. May 15, 2015. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved Feb 4, 2019.
  7. ^ [Who We Are, from HCSPH Admissions website, accessed 1/19/2016]
  8. ^ "HSPH Catalog – Harvard School of Public Health". harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Boston Orange 波士頓菊子: 晨興基金捐三億五 哈佛公衛學院冠名陳曾熙". bostonorange.blogspot.com. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. ^ "The story of T. H. Chan". harvard.edu. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Hang Lung's Gerald Chan to Give $350M to Harvard". mingtiandi.com. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Office of the Dean".
  13. ^ "Environmental Health Scholar Andrea Baccarelli to Lead Harvard's School of Public Health | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  14. ^ [1]. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "Julio Frenk to take helm of UCLA, nation's No. 1–ranked public university, as its 7th chancellor". UCLA. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  16. ^ "School leadership".
  17. ^ "Howard Hiatt, champion of global public health, dies at 98". Washington Post. 2024-03-05. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  18. ^ "Michelle Williams to lead Harvard Chan School". harvard.edu. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Master of Public Health". Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Harvard University. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Degree Programs".
  21. ^ "Master of Science 80-Credit".
  22. ^ Boston, 677 Huntington Avenue; Ma 02115 +1432-1031 (2022-10-18). "Doctor of Public Health". Admissions. Retrieved 2024-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Nurses' Health Study -". www.channing.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Health Professionals Follow-Up Study". Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  25. ^ "International Health Systems Program at Harvard". harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Program on the Global Demography of Aging at Harvard University". Program on the Global Demography of Aging at Harvard University. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  27. ^ "Family of Chinese oyster sauce empire gives $21 million to Harvard, Apr 25, 2016, 6:13am EDT". Bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  28. ^ "About the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness - Health and Happiness". 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-04-29. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  29. ^ "$21 Million Gift Launches Center for Health and Happiness - News - The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  30. ^ Hamblin, James (26 April 2016). "Harvard Just Launched a Center for Happiness". theatlantic.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  31. ^ "INTERVIEW: Harvard University explores happiness, health with gifted $21 million. Osler, C. Daily Free Press, Boston University. April 28, 2016". dailyfreepress.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  32. ^ "A quest for happiness". harvard.edu. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  33. ^ "Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness". harvard.edu. 25 April 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  34. ^ "Health Systems Innovation Lab at Harvard University".
  35. ^ "About Us". C-CHANGE | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  36. ^ Avenue, 677 Huntington; Boston; Ma 02115 (2012-09-19). "Harvard Alcohol Project: Designated Driver". Center for Health Communication. Retrieved 2024-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ Avenue, 677 Huntington; Boston; Ma 02115 (2012-09-19). "Harvard Alcohol Project: Designated Driver". Center for Health Communication. Retrieved 2024-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ Barry, Ellen (2023-10-16). "Harvard Cozies Up to #MentalHealth TikTok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  39. ^ Avenue, 677 Huntington; Boston; Ma 02115. "Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence". Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence. Retrieved 2024-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ "Changing the Face of Medicine | AliceHamilton". Nlm.nih.gov. 2003-10-14. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  41. ^ "About Dean Jha". Dean Ashish Jha. Brown University School of Public Health. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  42. ^ "George Chandler Whipple." (1925). Jour. American Water Works Association. 13:1, 93-4.
  43. ^ "Alumni". About. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  44. ^ "Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc". Burlington, VT: Larner College of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  45. ^ Galford, Hugh S. (August 2007). "The Over-Educated Garbage Man: Minister Winston Dang of Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration". Washington International. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  46. ^ "Magazine Archives". Harvard Public Health Review. Winter 2007. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
  47. ^ "Dr. Rochelle Walensky – Mass General Brigham Infectious Diseases Fellowship". Harvard Medical School. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
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Centers and Institutes

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