Faculty Research Speaker Series

"SARS: How Did It Get Here, How Is It Transmitted, and Is It Here to Stay?"

Speaker: Megan Murray, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology

Wednesday, November 19
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Kresge 101

A Brown Bag Lunch Information Session

"HSPH in the News: Getting the Word Out"

Speaker: Robin Herman, Director of Communications, Office of Communications

Wednesday, December 17
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Kresge 101

HSPH members are invited to bring their lunches to both events. Drinks and dessert will be provided. RSVP to deansoff@hsph.harvard.edu.

These lectures are not open to the public.

HSPH Participating in Energy Conservation Contest

HSPH faculty, staff and students will be talking turkey a little earlier than Thanksgiving this year. The school is taking part in the "Go Cold Turkey" energy conservation competition among Harvard’s Longwood schools and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). The campaign at HSPH is being organized by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative and Operations.

Started last year on the Cambridge campus, the "Go Cold Turkey" initiative asks participants to take an online pledge to conserve energy over the Thanksgiving holiday. (See page 5 for the text of the pledge). Residents of Harvard’s undergraduates’ dorms competed and saved over 100,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, according to the Harvard Green Campus Initiative.

This year’s competition involves HSPH, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and FAS (excluding the College and Continuing Education).

The pledge period starts at midnight on November 17 and runs through midnight November 27. Pledges can be taken at http://www.greencampus.harvard.edu/CERP.

The winning school will be the one with the largest percentage of online pledges from students, staff and faculty.

There is an added incentive. Any group of between 50 and 150 people (organized by building, institution, department, graduate student group or other) that registers as a group with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative is eligible to compete for a wine and cheese event.

The winning group must have the highest percentage of pledges in relation to the number of its members and be part of whichever school wins the "Go Cold Turkey" competition.

To register as a group, contact Jessica Woolliams, jwoollia@hsph.harvard.edu, or Antje Danielson, antje@eps.harvard.edu, by November 12.

The winners will be announced on Friday, December 5.

The "Go Cold Turkey" Pledge

"I pledge to turn off my computer, lights and appliances and to turn down my heat (if applicable) before leaving campus for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Or, if I remain on campus, I pledge to minimize my energy consumption over the four-day holiday. I recognize that inefficient energy use generates unnecessary pollution and as such will do my part to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of this waste on the natural environment, the United States, and the world. Most importantly, I pledge to continue to turn off my computer, lights and appliances and to turn down my heat (if applicable) at the end of each day, and/or whenever they are not in use."

Elections to IOM Announced

Jeffrey Drazen, Parker B. Francis Professor of Medicine, HMS, and professor in the Department of Environmental Health, and Leona Samson, professor of toxicology, MIT, and adjunct professor of toxicology, Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, have been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

Current active members elect new members from among candidates nominated for their professional achievement and commitment to service. An unusual diversity of talent among members is assured by the Institute’s charter, which stipulates that at least one-quarter be selected from outside the health professions, from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as law, administration, engineering, and the humanities.

Current projects of the IOM include: an assessment of evidence on the potential benefits and risks of testosterone replacement therapy, and of whether clinical trials should be conducted and how; a review of the current state of knowledge and policy regarding spinal cord injury; and a study to assess the factors responsible for the childhood obesity epidemic in the U.S.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM is a resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on issues related to human health. With their election, members make a commitment to devote a significant amount of volunteer time as members of IOM committees, which engage in a broad range of studies on health policy issues.