Department of Environmental Health
Department Notes Archive
Notes - 11/6/09
I'm happy to announce that Shane Snyder, PhD will join us as our newest Associate Professor starting July 1, 2010. Shane is a key hire in our renewed water program. Shane is a perfect complement...
Notes - 11/2/09
Invitations are out for the 12th James L. Whittenberger Lecture and Symposium on Monday, November 23, 2009. For program details and more see http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/departments/environmental-health/the-12th-whittenberger-symposium/ ...
Notes - 10/21/09
I am happy to announce that the 12th James L. Whittenberger Symposium and Lecture will be on November 23, 2009. The theme this year is Exposing Children to Toxins - Lifelong Consequences. The Whittenberger...
Notes - 10/9/09
Last week Ann Backus, Kelly Studebaker and I traveled to Milwaukee to attend the annual NIEHS Center Directors conference hosted by the Children’s Environmental Health Sciences Core Center of...
Notes - 9/18/09
The department is very prominent in the just released Fall edition of the Harvard Public Health Review. Excellent features on Bob and Roz Wright and John Briscoe. Also featured are students...
Notes - 9/7/09
On Friday we had the pleasure of notifying Russ Hauser of his being named the Frederick Lee Hisaw Professor of Reproductive Physiology. Russ became a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology...
Notes - 8/31/09
It's the start of the new academic year. I am happy to welcome back all of the EH community. I particularly want toe welcome our new graduate students. I was able to greet them by video conference...
Notes - 8/21/09
It's been an incredibly hot week but the first sign of a waning summer is upon us. We'll welcome our new students to orientation next Tuesday! Thanks to all who help put together the orientation and...
Notes - 8/2/09
Congratulations to the 2009 graduates of the Cyprus International Institute (CII)!! Souzanna Achilleos (Cyprus), Despina Pampaka (Cyprus), Photini Photiou (Cyprus), Evangelia Andreou (Cyprus), Despo...
Notes - 7/24/09
Judging from how quiet it was this week I suspect many in our department are enjoying a well deserved vacation! Fewer phone calls and email interruptions provided a great opportunity to get caught up...
Notes - 7/4/09
It was a great treat to have Linda Birnbaum, the new Director of NIEHS, visit the Department the week before last. While the demands on her time have clearly increased, she has agreed to stay on...
Notes - 6/19/09
I returned this week from teaching in Cyprus. As usual, it was sunny every day in Cyprus, compared to clouds and rain every day here in Boston. Always an enjoyable trip, not...
Notes - 6/5/09
Congratulations to all our students on their accomplishments at HSPH culminating in the commencement this week! Our class of 25 students represented the US (17), Nigeria, Peru, India (2), Cyprus, ...
Notes - 5/8/09
Last week I attended a reception in honor of Jim Ware to recognize his 19 years as Academic Dean at HSPH. Jim has been provided biostatistical help to this department since he joined the School...
Notes - 5/1/09
We survived the crazy weather week, breaking the all time high on Tuesday followed by a fifty degree drop on Wednesday and ending with seasonable temperatures today. Our colleagues in Cyprus...
Notes - 4/24/09
We are at the end of school vacation week, that is vacation for the kids, but a challenge to the parents who have to juggle their work and home. Not an easy task and not always a "vacation"! ...
Notes - 4/3/09
It's great to have travel behind me for awhile and have the opportunity to be back in the thick of all that is happening in the Department. Spring 2 classes began this week. We had...
Notes - 3/30/09
I’m glad to be back after nearly two weeks on the road. I am impressed by all the work that has taken place in response to the stimulus plan. Thanks to all the investigators and staff...
Notes - 3/13/09
We were stunned to hear of the tragic and unexpected death of our colleague Michael Shannon on Tuesday. Mike was Chief of Emergency Medicine and Co-Director of the Pediatric Environmental Health...
Notes - 3/6/09
Nice to have Bruce Boley and John Evans stop by this week. Both have been busy traveling, spending time in Kuwait and Cyprus. John reports good progress on the transition of the Cyprus International...
Notes - 2/28/09
Congratulations to all our "Stars" who were honored this week for their milestone years of service. We had 28 Department staff recognized for a combined for a total of over 325 years...
Notes - 2/20/09
A short week but busy one with lots going on. The stimulus plan was front and center with good news on the NIH front. The plan included $9.5 billion for biomedical research. Faculty...
Notes - 2/13/09
We're nearing the end of the review of student applications for the Class of 2009. It looks to be a very strong group of students. Thanks to all the faculty and staff for their dedicated review...
Notes - 2/6/09
Arrived safely back from my trip to Africa late Sunday night. The goal of this trip was to lay the groundwork to establish an African prospective cohort study of chronic disease. The trip...
Notes - 1/23/09
Greetings from Africa! I write from Abuja, Nigeria where I'm part a delegation led by Hans-Olov Adami to plan a prospective African cohort study. Have been meeting with some very talented local...
Notes - 1/16/09
Jon Levy's air pollution risk assessment work was instrumental in a recent legal decision. North Carolina scored a legal victory forcing a major utility (TVA) to control emissions from coal-fired...
Notes - 1/9/09
Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed the break and were able to recharge for the next term. It's been a busy week judging from all the buzz of activity in the offices, conference rooms and...
Notes - 12/23/08
It's been very busy leading up to the holidays and the long anticipated break. I want you all to know how much I appreciate and recognize the hard work that keeps the department incredibly productive...
Notes - 12/5/08
On Wednesday, we learned that Dr. Linda Birnbaum was named the new Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Many of us have had the opportunity to work with...
Notes - 11/21/08
Last Friday the Department hosted the 11th James L. Whittenberger Symposium at the Conference Center. The focus of this Symposium was the "Fetal Origins of Chronic Disease: Effects of Perinatal...
Notes - 10/31/08
Happy Halloween! I saw many scary "things" walking the halls, including some people in costume! Thursday we had a terrific lecture by Dr. Randy Jirtle on “Epigenetics in Human...
Notes - 10/17/08
I just returned from the 2008 Joint Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology and the International Society of Exposure Analysis in Pasadena. Our Department was well...
Notes - 10/3/08
Our Department was well represented at the Gene Environment Initiative Mini-Symposium and Poster Session today. I counted 18 of 43 posters (42%) by our students, post-docs, and faculty. And two...
Notes - 9/29/08
First, congratulations to Jack Dennerlein on his marriage this past Saturday. We wish him and his partner Jeffrey Gonyeau all the best! See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/fashion/weddings/21dennerlein.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=jack...
Notes - 9/11/08
I hope everyone had an opportunity to meet and hear our new Dean, Julio Frenk, at his reception last week. President Faust made it clear how highly she regards Julio and how well his background...
Notes -8/28/08
The new students have arrived for orientation this week. We are pleased to welcome the Department’s incoming class of 45 students from 15 different countries. With representatives...
Notes - 8/8/08
On Tuesday, August 5th, the Cyprus International Institute graduated its’ second class of 12 students. Another important milestone in our joint effort with the Cyprus Government...
Notes - 8/1/08
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and taking some well deserved time off to enjoy the warm weather. As I'm sure you've noticed I've also taken time off from writing these notes but want to...
Notes - 6/20/08
The Commencement ceremony two weeks ago was once again a great celebration of the accomplishments of our students. It was a great honor for me to represent the Department at the awarding...
Notes - 6/13/08
At this time of year, we celebrate the accomplishments of our students. We also have the chance to recognize and congratulate our outstanding teachers. Robert Pojasek received a Petra T. Shattuck...
Notes - 6/5/08
Today has to be the best day of the academic year. I am so proud to recognize the accomplishments of our students. It is a unique honor to be able to represent the Environmental Health faculty as we...
Notes - 5/4/08
Congratulations to Dr. Anita Patel (“Immunity and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: Environmental and Generic Risk Factors”) and Dr. Brock Christensen (“Epigenetic Profiles, Asbestos Burden,...
Notes - 4/25/08
This week we marked Administrative Professionals Week. I thought this was a holiday created by Hallmark to sell cards. However, searching the web I found it was organized in 1952...
Notes - 4/18/08
Congratulations to Jaime Hart and Lina Lander who successfully defended their doctoral dissertations in the past week. Great work. As I mentioned last week, we were fortunate to have photojournalist...
Notes - 4/14/08
Thanks to Bob Wright for his leadership and tremendous personal effort in preparing the Superfund Basic Research Program proposal which was submitted this week. Bob would be quick to point out...
Notes - 4/8/08
Thanks to all who helped make our admitted student Open House a success last week. All of our top recruits attended, and the feedback from the attendees was very positive. Congratulations...
Notes - 3/21/08
Congratulations to Dr. Bob Wright who has been promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School. Bob has had important leadership roles in our Department as Director...
Notes - 3/10/08
I'm happy to share the news that several members of the HSPH Occupational & Environmental Medicine Residency Program were recently recognized for their outstanding work: Philip D. Parks,...
Notes - 2/15/08
Congratulations to Jay Mizgerd for his just published invited review entitled "Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection" in the New England Journal of Medicine. Our congratulations also to...
Notes - 2/1/08
Our Winter Celebration is on for Tuesday February 5 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Conference Center at Harvard Medical on Avenue Luis Pasteur! Based on the final list of RSVP's we'll have over...
Notes - 1/11/08
Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the break and the chance to be with friends and family. It already seems like it was months ago but it was certainly nice to take a break from the...
Notes 12/7/07
First, congratulations to Melissa Perry who became the proud mother of a baby boy on Thursday this week. Details are limited but I'm told Melissa and her new son are doing well. Congratulations...
Notes - 11/19/07
You probably have heard by now that Dean Barry Bloom announced he is stepping down at the end of the academic year (http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/11.29/99-hsph.html). I think President...
Notes - 10/16/07
I hope you were able to attend the James L. Whittenberger symposium, “Environmental Genetics and Epigenetics”, on September 28, 2007. Andrea Baccarelli and Bob Wright gave terrific...
Notes - 9/26/07
We are looking forward to the ENVIRONMENTAL GENETICS & EPIGENETICS Symposium on Friday. We will start with an Introduction to Epigenetics by Dr. Andrea Baccarelli followed by a description...
Notes - 9/10/07
I am back from the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) meetings in Mexico City last week. The meeting was organized and hosted by our colleagues (and HSPH graduates) Mauricio...
Notes - 8/29/07
Orientation started this week, and we are excited to welcome our 23 new students. ?We have 10 Master of Science students, 12 Doctor of Science students and one student entering a one year residency program....
Notes - 8/21/07
I returned back from Switzerland over the week-end. I returned to find the department still in good order, and my office barely recognizable for its neatness. My new assistant Lisa Smith has taken...
Notes - 7/30/07
We are at the end of July and the second summer term has begun which must mark mid-summer. I hope everyone has taken or has plans to take a well deserved vacation break. Jim Shine was back at...
Notes - 7/20/07
Last month at the 100th Annual Conference of the Air and Waste Management Association in Pittsburgh, Jack Spengler received the Lyman A. Ripperton Award for distinguished achievement as an educator...
Notes - 7/6/07
I hope everyone enjoyed the July 4th festivities and had the opportunity to be creative with time off during the week. The Wednesday holiday made for some interesting work schedules. It...
Notes - 6/25/07
Greetings from Cyprus! I arrived Tuesday evening to teach for a couple weeks and have enjoyed reconnecting with the faculty and students here at the Cyprus International Institute. I was particularly...
Notes - 6/11/07
Commencement on Thursday was a great event. Altogether we awarded 12 Doctor of Science degrees, 1 Doctor of Philosophy, 9 Masters of Science, and 2 Masters of Occupational Health. My job...
Notes - 6/1/07
The big tent should be going up this week-end as we begin preparations for graduation next Thursday. I have always looked forward to the commencement ceremonies and consider congratulating the graduates...
Notes - 5/21/07
Lots of good news as our faculty and students are recognized for their outstanding work….Dr. Melissa Perry has been promoted to Associate Professor of...
Notes - 5/14/07
The end of the term is here as classes end this week. Students are finishing up final projects and preparing for final exams. Students, faculty, and the teaching assistants are all looking...
Notes - 5/7/07
On April 25th, Ann Backus testified on safety in the commercial fishing industry in Washington, D.C. before the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Marine Transportation. Based on her work with...
Notes - 4/27/07
There seems to be a general sigh of relief throughout the campus and a lot of empty champagne bottles around! Congratulations to Jennifer Adibi, Lope Barrero, Lisa Baxter, Jennifer Cavallari,...
Notes - 4/20/07
All else pails this week in comparison with the events on the Virginia Tech campus. Our hearts go out to the families of those senselessly murdered and our academic colleagues, students, faculty...
Notes - 4/13/07
With the home opener at Fenway this week and the Boston Marathon on Monday I was looking forward to a little warmer weather. Not quite spring yet in Boston but hopefully soon! Thursday we...
Notes - 4/6/07
I am very happy to share the news of our most recent faculty hire. On April 1, 2007, Dr. Marc Weisskopf joined us as the Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational...
3/30/2007
From my last note, you know I was in Cyprus last week. From there we went to Athens. Daylight Savings Time started on Sunday in Greece. Does that mean I have to fall back twice in the...
3/21/2007
Greetings from Cyprus!Jeanne and I are in Nicosia, Cyprus. We are here to celebrate the success...
3/9/2007
I am sorry to report that Heather Nelson has now joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She and her husband Toben will have faculty positions there. Heather...
2/27/2007
It was noticed that I got the Department notes out on Friday evening last week. This week I have fallen back to being late. Sorry. We continue to work on the Department web site. Thanks to...
2/16/2007
Our Financial Administrators are hard at work preparing the FY08 budget for submittal next week. Thanks for their efforts and everyone's cooperation on this important planning process.We've...
2/9/2007
I had a great time last Thursday night at our Winter Celebration, and think everyone else who attended did also. It's always nice to get together after hours and let our hair down (ok,...
2/2/2007
Happy Ground Hogs Day. Looking out the winter of my new office, I only see clouds and no sunshine. I think that means 16 more weeks of classes.Students are back from their Winter Term studies...
1/29/2007
Last week several of our MIPS colleagues moved into their new office and lab space on the third floor. As I mentioned in my last notes, moving into new offices and new lab space is a challenging...
1/19/2007
Wednesday to Sunday of this week I was in San Francisco with David Christiani and Majid Ezatti at an NIEHS strategic planning meeting on Global Environmental Health. (For those that think these meetings...
1/5/2007
It may not look like winter outside but that's no reason not to celebrate. We're planning our annual EH Winter Celebration for February 8 this year. Mark your calendars for an evening...
12/22/2006
After the many weeks (months) of talking about the renovations, we are happy to report that we moved the department office down to our new digs on the 13th floor on Wednesday. We are still unpacking,...
12/15/2006
On Wednesday, December 20 the students of Rose Goldman's EH 210 class will have a poster session in Rm 101a, just off the cafeteria. Stop by 10:30 - 12:30 to see their work. The Harvard Center...
12/11/2006
Last week we passed the 54th anniversary of the Great London Fog. At least 4000 people died from the smog caused by the trapping of air pollution from coal burning over the period of December...
12/4/2006
My schedule has been taken over by meetings this past week. We hosted the annual meeting of the EPA PM Centers here (at the Newton Marriott). Petros Koutrakis and Alice Smythe did a terrific...
11/27/2006
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the break! My wife and I had 24 family, friends and assorted college students for dinner at our house on the Cape. We always look forward...
11/17/2006
I got back from Kuwait on Wednesday evening. We are proposing to continue studies of the environmental exposures and public health consequences of the 1990/1 invasion and occupation of Kuwait. This...
11/13/2006
Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend! I spent a good portion of the weekend traveling to Kuwait. I am in Kuwait now with a large number of our...
11/3/2006
Our Department is well represented at the On My Own Time exhibit at the FXB atrium. I encourage all to visit the display and enjoy the talents of our colleagues. It was liberating to...
10/27/2006
First, congratulations to David Christiani and his colleagues on the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Textile Worker Study. This is one of the longest-running epidemiologic studies funded by NIOSH....
10/20/2006
In my notes last week I forgot to thank Patrice Ayers and the other folks in MIPS for the nice party celebrating (belatedly) Les Kobzik’s promotion to Professor at the Brigham and here at HSPH....
10/16/2006
We were all saddened by the death of our colleague Joe Harrington last Monday. Joe had been a member of our faculty since 1963. Between 1982 and 1986, Joe was Chair of the new Department...
10/6/2006
I had the pleasure today of meeting with the Landmark Methods Group. This is a self-described “motley group of Landmark-based doctoral students, post-docs, research scientists and very junior...
10/2/2006
The first month of the Academic Year comes to a close today and we and our students seem to have settled into a constructive routine. This morning I am pleased to announce two new grant programs to support...
9/22/2006
Yesterday, the EPA Administrator announced the new air quality standards for particulate matter. The 24-hour standard for fine particles was reduced to 35 micrograms of particles per cubic meter instead...
9/15/2006
Dr. Ken Olden kicked off our Environmental Health Colloquium series describing his research on "Possible Role of Fatty Acids in Tumor Progression and Metastasis". Thanks to Ken for a...
9/8/2006
This week I was at the International Conference for Environmental Epidemiology and Exposure in Paris. This was a joint annual meeting of the International Society for Environmental...
9/5/2006
As you undoubtedly have seen, the students are back! While I don't relish the lines in the cafeteria I do welcome the energy and vitality that our students bring every September....
8/25/2006
In my last notes I mentioned that Dr. Ken Olden will be joining us as the Yerby Visiting Professor in September. I met with Dr. Olden last week and am happy to say he will start with...
8/4/2006
Last week I sent the first of a number of emails that will keep you informed of progress with the renovations and some of our Department Activities. Today I want to share a few general...