Around the School, September 28, 2007, Harvard Public Health NOW

Welcome Prospective Students

HSPH will host two information sessions for prospective students.

Monday, October 1, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 13, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

SAVE TWO DATES

Herbert Sherman Memorial/ Dean's Distinguished Lecture:

"Behavior and the Value of Medical Technology: Why Technology Assessment Needs the Social Sciences"

Wednesday, October 10
4 pm to 5:30 pm
Kresge G-2

Speaker: David Meltzer, associate professor, Departments of Medicine and Economics, and Harris School; director, Center for Health and the Social Sciences, University of Chicago

"State of the School Address"

Thursday, October 11
12 pm to 1 pm
Kresge Cafeteria

Members of the HSPH Community are invited to join Deans Barry R. Bloom and James H. Ware to discuss recent accomplishments at the School, as well as priorities, challenges, and special initiatives in the current academic year.

You are invited to bring your lunch. Light refreshments will be provided. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.

Landmark Community

A special shuttle bus will depart at 11:30 a.m. from the Regal Theater on Brookline Ave. to the Kresge Building at 677 Huntington Ave. and return to the Landmark Building at 1:15 p.m. Regular Landmark Shuttle service will also take place.

Donald Berwick Wins Heinz Award for Public Policy

Donald Berwick, professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, was one of six recipients of the 13th annual Heinz Awards. They were "bestowed on six extraordinary Americans whose pioneering achievements have helped expand human understanding, spur innovation and enhance the world's capacity to sustain itself," according to the Heinz Family Foundation, which confers the award.

Berwick heads the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a not-for-profit organization. He also recently was named one of five recipients of the $100,000 Purpose Prize, awarded annually by Civic Ventures. Berwick's Heinz Award was in the arena of public policy.

Rosenthal Named to State's Public Health Council

Meredith Rosenthal, associate professor of health economics and policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management, has been appointed to the Massachusetts Council on Public Health. The Council's duties include the promulgation of rules and regulations, public hearings, and approving certain appointments. She was appointed by the Secretary of Elder Affairs and the Secretary of Veterans' Services.

HSPH Alumni Win Handful of Awards

Sandra Garcia, MPH 94, ScD 98, has been awarded the Guttmacher Institute's Darroch Award for Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research. Garcia works at the Population Council as Director of Reproductive Health for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Population Council is an NGO. Garcia is responsible for research and projects for Latin America and the Caribbean in four priority areas: family planning/contraception, maternal health, reducing unsafe abortion, and sexually transmitted infections. The Darroch Award was established in 2005 to recognize excellence among sexual and reproductive health researchers who are in the early or middle years of their career.

Pammie Crawford, SM 05, has been named a Fulbright Scholar. With the funding, Crawford plans to conduct a comparative assessment of policies to transfer health services to Aboriginals and their impact on adolescent mental health among First Nation populations in British Columbia, Canada.

Arturo Cervantes, MD, MPH 94, DPH 98, was recently appointed Director General of the National Center for Injury Prevention for the Ministry of Health in Mexico. The Center is in charge of designing public policies for injury prevention and coordinating nationwide efforts aimed at reducing fatal and non-fatal injuries. Currently, the primary area of concern is road safety. Each year, more than 17,000 people die, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and millions are injured because of motor vehicle accidents. The Center will lead national initiatives in the prevention of home and workplace injuries, as well as violence prevention efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Health.

Jason Blackard, PhD 2000, has been selected to receive one of the American Society of Microbiology's prestigious ICAAC Young Investigator Awards. Blackard is now a research assistant professor in the Division of Digestive Diseases at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. His research focuses on the molecular biology of co-infections of HIV and hepatitis C.