“As the first director of the Harvard PhD Program in Health Policy, which includes six Schools, my admiration for the School of Public Health has grown. The Department of Nutrition, under Professor Walter Willett’s leadership, has become a top priority of mine. The Department’s research agenda and strong emphasis on training doctoral students are both exemplary. I have a deep appreciation for the critical importance of financial aid in attracting the best and the brightest students, and enabling them to complete the program in a timely fashion.
“I am pleased that my husband and parents, Muriel and David Pokross, joined me in establishing a multigenerational endowment for doctoral student aid in the Department of Nutrition, which we will continue to support. We sincerely believe that these students will foster a ripple effect worldwide, as they graduate and go on to influence many others.”
— Joan Curhan, former Director of Harvard PhD Program in Health Policy and Harvard College Secondary Field in Global Health and Health Policy and Chair of the HSPH Nutrition Round Table Steering Committee
“While working in the supermarket industry, I learned that countries where the population is most in need of improved nutrition often suffer from the worst food distribution problems. As a professor of marketing, I became interested in how these populations could be better served.
“We have focused on HSPH because its students, especially those from other countries, really need the assistance. The School truly is proficient in its use of gift monies, and donors can have great impact with their support.”
— Ronald Curhan, MBA ’57, DBA ’71, Professor Emeritus, Marketing Department, School of Management, Boston University and member of the HSPH Nutrition Round Table