Dean Barry Bloom

"I would just like to say how terrific it is to see such a great turnout," said Dean Bloom. "There is an incredible spirit in this place." He added, "We are very grateful for every single thing that you do. We appreciate it not just once a year, but every single day."

Almost half of the hour-long event was devoted to questions from employees, including some taken from an "Ask the Deans" bulletin board set-up in the cafeteria days before the address.

Rethinking Public Health

Deans Bloom and Ware and the School's chairs have been re-envisioning the future agendas of public health to predict, as challenged by President Lawrence Summers: "What should we be doing in the next 10 or 20 years that people 100 years from now will look back at Harvard and say, 'That really made a difference in making the world a better place?'" explained Dean Bloom. That's the School's big challenge now, he said.

Among hundreds of public health challenges, the School has chosen the following major, cross-cutting agendas that exert a tremendous impact on the world and that need further study: the unfinished agenda of infectious diseases; the coming epidemic of chronic diseases; the unnecessary epidemics of violence, injury, and environmental threats; health disparities; and health system development and reform.

Research Findings and Accomplishments

Dean Bloom provided a quick sampling of the numerous scientific accomplishments of HSPH from the previous year. Researchers created a method and a model that suggested that combining both AIDS treatment and prevention in Africa could save approximately 10 million more lives than spending on one or the other. An assessment in U.S. hospitals showed for the first time that quality of care varies tremendously among regions and also within hospitals. Three symposia convened public health leaders from several countries to discuss how to address the complicated problem of health disparities.

HSPH Associate Professor Sue Goldie received a $500,000 MacArthur "genius" award for her work in decision science. Professor Christopher Murray received an award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop innovative ways to assess health in poor countries. Professors Meir Stampfer, Walter Willett, and Graham Colditz were ranked numbers one, two, and seven, respectively, in a list by the Institute for Scientific Information of the last decade's most cited scientists in clinical medicine.

Public Health Concerns in the News

With flu season fast approaching, some of the discussion centered on bird flu, with one employee asking just how real is the risk. Dean Bloom, an expert in immunology and infectious diseases, noted that there has been a major flu pandemic every 20 to 30 years for the past 200 years. No one knows for certain if and when another pandemic may emerge.

The good news is that a study by HSPH's Christina Mills, Marc Lipsitch, and others indicates that a virus similar to the one that caused the massive 1918 flu pandemic is no more transmissible than SARS, which was contained. The bad news is that flu patients are able to infect others before symptoms appear, most likely rendering classic control methods such as quarantine ineffective.

Getting in front of the threat by manufacturing vaccines will be important, said Dean Bloom. The U.S. is fairly good at producing vaccines, but, unfortunately, not particularly good in allocating their distribution.

On a related front, HSPH is helping battle the threat of bird flu through its training programs. Dean Bloom noted that numerous leaders in Thailand who are at the frontlines of research into the threat were trained at the School.

Another prominent news item-disaster preparedness and response-was on people's minds following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Pakistan, India, and the Kashmir region less than two weeks before the State of the School Address. This disaster came on the heels of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. Gulf Coast and less than a year after a tsunami hit parts of South Asia and Africa.

There have been numerous efforts at the School to aid the victims of these disasters. Among them is the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, led by HSPH's Jennifer Leaning and Michael VanRooyen. In response to the hurricane, the group worked with the American Red Cross to deploy health care professionals to the Gulf Coast. Now, the group is working with the International Rescue Committee to aid victims of the October 8th earthquake.

Financial Picture

The School has maintained a fiscally responsible approach to finances, realizing a 12 percent increase in revenues last fiscal year and a positive net balance.

	Dean James Ware

"We could not ask for more effective guidance from our Office for Financial Services and also everyone in this room," said Dean Ware. "Collectively, we are responsible for these successes because all of you and all of us are working so hard to raise the resources to do our work."

As a result of the increased revenue, seed funding has been made available for new initiatives, including:

• Bioinformatics core to help scientists collaborate and make sense of huge quantities of genomic data

• Health disparities working group to address major gaps in health outcomes between and within countries.

• Global health projects

• Quantitative health sciences

Women and Diversity

The School continues working toward diversifying its staff, students, and faculty and toward addressing the needs of women pursuing scientific careers. HSPH Professor Deborah Prothrow-Stith has been named the HSPH representative to the University Committee on Faculty Development and Diversity. A newly established distinguished visiting professor program plans to invite faculty members of color from other institutions to spend time at HSPH.

Allston Planning

Harvard University's vision for an Allston campus is taking shape, Dean Ware explained, and he outlined on a map where the new campus is anticipated and where HSPH may eventually establish a presence. In addition, there are ongoing discussions about the School retaining a building in the LMA to help preserve collaborative relationships in the area.

Both Deans Bloom and Ware encouraged the audience to provide input into Allston planning, answering questions from the audience regarding the incorporation of transportation, environmentally friendly buildings, and urban planning to encourage exercise.

GPTW Suggestion Box

Have more questions for the Deans of the School? Or ideas about how to improve work life at HSPH?

Employees are encouraged to take advantage of the Suggestion Box on the Great Place to Work web site at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/gptw/.

It's anonymous, and it works. Past feedback has led to the following innovations:

• Brigham Circle crosswalks were repainted.

• A "safe drop-off/pick-up zone" was established on Huntington Ave.

• A Landmark Center group has been assembled to provide recommendations to the Deans on how to better integrate the two campuses.

• GPS clocks have been installed throughout the buildings. The clocks keep highly accurate time.