Dear Colleagues:

Once again we are embarking on a new academic year. To new and returning students, let me extend my special welcome and invitation to share in the excitement of the time for our discipline of public health. In the University and the world, the centrality of our work is evident.

At Harvard, President Lawrence Summers has identified three areas of special importance to the University at this time, to which I believe the School of Public Health has much to contribute–global health, life sciences and public service. Public health is an important element of each of these, and we look forward to working with our colleagues across the University to strengthen Harvard’s contributions to research, education and practice in these areas. I will be sharing more about these initiatives with you as they develop.

Many factors are contributing to the more general emphasis on public health, not all of them so positive–the global AIDS epidemic, SARS, concerns about bioterrorism and the alarming incidence of obesity. But these are opportunities for us in public health–not only to address these immediate threats but also to build the case for public health in its broadest applications. Realization of the effectiveness of a strong vaccination program has been heightened through the discussions of smallpox and anthrax; pursuing a program of dual use can lead simultaneously to preparedness and improvement in the general public health infrastructure.

As you pursue your studies this year, I look forward to working with you and to providing a productive and supportive environment for your work. To all my colleagues, best wishes for the 2003-2004 academic year!

Yours sincerely,

Barry R. Bloom