Researchers from HSPH and the Muhimbili University College of Health Services in Dar es Salaam found that a simple daily regimen of multivitamins can significantly delay the progress of the AIDS virus among infected women in Tanzania.

The Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention launched Your Disease Risk (www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu/), a web site that helps users find out their risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and 12 types of cancers. Users receive personalized tips for preventing the diseases. The Center also launched a Spanish-language version, Cuidar de su Salud (Take Care of Your Health).

A Center for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research was funded to aid researchers in undertaking one of the first in-depth studies of how heavy metals exposure at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Oklahoma may affect the health of children living there.

The Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project Monograph (www.hsph.harvard.edu/thegeocodingproject/webpage/monograph/) launched, giving officials and researchers a systematic way to monitor health disparities across a wide range of outcomes using basic socioeconomic information.

The Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series was devoted to interaction and collaboration across the University. Lectures included "Human Genome Sequence Variation and the Inherited Basis of Common Disease" by David Altshuler, Director of Medical and Population Genetics at the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research. "Ancient Perspectives on Future Climate" by Daniel Schrag, Director of the Harvard Center for the Environment, and "The Future of Scientific Computing at Harvard" by Alyssa Goodman, Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University.

The CDC awarded a grant to HSPH and the Kennedy School of Government to develop and establish the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to produce a corps of experts on terrorism preparedness and response.

Researchers discovered what they believe is the fundamental cellular mechanism that links two fast-rising public health threats: obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The research went further than previous studies.

The School launched an initiative in bioinformatics, offering tutorials, workshops, and guidance on methodologies in the field, as well as promoting opportunities for collaboration.

The School bestowed its highest honor, the Julius B. Richmond Award, to key figures who successfully fought the biggest tobacco companies to reach the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, as well as to an HSPH professor who established the link between passive smoke and lung cancer in non-smokers.

The School established a program for Interdisciplinary Training in Genetics and Complex Diseases, funded by the federal government as part of the National Institutes of Health Roadmap for Medical Research.

A Program on the Global Demography of Aging was established to carry out research on important themes related to global aging and health, with an emphasis on issues in the developing world.

An analysis of the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed up to 40 million people, suggested that a similar pandemic today could be kept in check through vaccinations.

The Great Place to Work Committee launched a recognition award program for employees who go above and beyond the call of duty. Ninety-seven employees have been recognized so far.

Following the devastating December tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, HSPH Professor Jennifer Leaning, an expert in disaster response and humanitarian relief, helped link HSPH community members to resources that could aid victims.

Associate Dean Howard Koh was named the inaugural recipient of the Harvey V. Fineberg Professorship of Public Health, endowed with a gift from Richard L. Menschel, MBA '59, and his wife Ronay A. Menschel, to honor a former dean of the School and former Harvard provost. Through Mr. Menschel's initiation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation also established a fellowship fund for talented students who have demonstrated their commitment to public service.

A series of three symposia on health disparities brought international experts to the School and represented a call to action to address the complex problem. www.hsph.harvard.edu/disparities/

HSPH hosted an Open Forum and Town Meeting to discuss issues faced by women pursuing careers in science.

The School received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to establish a program to reduce cancer disparities in minority and underserved populations.

Following a CDC study that suggested people may live longer if they are a little overweight-findings that conflict with long-established HSPH research-the School convened a symposium on overweight, obesity, and mortality. www.hsph.harvard.edu/weighing_the_evidence/

In a conceptual breakthrough, HSPH statisticians determined how to analyze huge quantities of genetic data, surpassing the capabilities of traditional techniques and speeding the quest for understanding the genetic basis of complex diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

Five of 20 fellows from a fellowship program in social entrepreneurship at Harvard University will attend HSPH due to a $10 million gift from the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation.

The School and Common Good were awarded a $1.5 million grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to design a prototype for a new medical injury compensation system including specialized administrative courts.

Researchers found that regular use of vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk for death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.