The familiarity signals the strides Smith has made as director of the Office of Government and Community Programs (OGCP), a well-established nexus between HSPH and its surrounding neighborhood.

"Before we can go out with any integrity to the larger community, we have to look at our backyard, so to speak," said Smith. "We can’t just hop over our neighborhood and deal with issues in Mattapan if we are not trying to deal with these same issues in our own neighborhood."

OGCP helps fulfill the "practice" part of the Division of Public Health Practice. With its assistance, HSPH students and faculties work with community leaders to establish and maintain public health programs in the neighborhood. Some faculty members have become active participants in community initiatives as members of community boards, advisory committees, or community collaborations. Students meet regularly with OGCP staff to help identify community public health needs and propose projects to meet those needs. Community leaders, in turn, have requested assistance from the OGCP staff.

"Collaboration is extremely important," said Smith. "A project may be out of the scope for any one of us individually, but together we can be a powerful force for public health."

OGCP was created about 15 years ago. In 1994, the Center for Public Health Practice opened and later became the Division of Public Health Practice. OGCP is part of the Division, which is led by Director Deborah Prothrow-Stith.

One of the earliest projects launched by OGCP dealt with infant mortality issues and was called Project LIFE (Lowering Infant Fatality through Empowerment.) At the time, studies showed that infant mortality rates were on the rise in Massachusetts, particularly among African Americans, who suffered from an infant mortality rate three times that of whites, said Smith. Pockets of these high death rates–so-called "death zones"–were found across Boston, and one of these zones was Mission Hill.

Two MPH students, Emilio Carrillio and Mariette Murphy, with the support of faculty member Steven Gortmaker of the Department of Health and Social Behavior and Milt Kotelchuck of HMS, approached Smith and HSPH Dean Howard Hiatt about starting Project LIFE. Given the go-ahead, the students formed a collaboration with the Mission Main Tenants Task Force, the Mission Extension Local Tenants Policy Council, and the Parker Hill Neighborhood Service Center Advisory Board. They met with new and expecting mothers in the housing projects of Roxbury to talk about ways the mothers could care for themselves and their new babies. Project LIFE continues today with an expanded agenda that includes an after-school program. It is now an independent organization, but Smith still serves on its board of directors.

"We are no longer in control of Project LIFE, but to me, that’s what it’s all about," said Smith. "If you want to do public health, you need to empower people to take control. We were prepared for people to take leadership roles in the community with determination. That is our goal."

OGCP is involved in numerous activities in the Mission Hill area. Each year, it sponsors the Mission Hill Walk for Health, a four-mile walk around the neighborhood that raises money for neighborhood youth groups.

Community Partnership Day allows representatives from 40 human and social service agencies and organizations from Mission Hill and greater Boston to meet HSPH faculty, students, and staff for a day of information sharing and networking.

Every fall and spring, OGCP coordinates a food drive with the Longwood Medical Area/Mission Hill’s Fenway Food Project.

The office promotes ongoing youth violence prevention efforts, including an active collaboration with the Teens Against Gang Violence program, offering the assistance of HSPH students as volunteer tutors and mentors. The collaboration is part of a larger new Youth Violence Prevention Center Partnership.

Faculty members meet with local grade-school students and their teachers each year under the guidance of Marshall Katler.

Currently, Smith is working with the University on a new after-school initiative undertaken by Harvard, the City of Boston, and other organizations. The University has pledged $1 million each year for the next five years to launch the Harvard After-School Initiative to help develop after-school programs and collaborations between Harvard and these programs. The programs will start in the neighborhoods of Fenway, Allston-Brighton, and Mission Hill. Smith is helping initiative leaders develop meaningful models to implement the program in the neighborhoods.

"We are working to fulfill our mission in our name–public health practice," said Smith.

For more information about OGCP and its initiatives, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/php.