Dear Harvard Chan School Alumni,

It has been an honor to serve as President-elect of the Alumni Association in what has been another extraordinary year. We find ourselves at a unique confluence of events: an enduring global pandemic, accelerating climate change, long overdue recognition of the corrosive effects of racial and gender inequity, as well as the panoply of established public health challenges. I am sure that future generations will wonder what it was like to live in this maelstrom with so much change all at once. As ever, narrative coherence will be established in retrospect but in the meantime the resilience and ingenuity of people, of governments, and of course of the public health community provide plenty of reasons to be hopeful.

In these challenging times, it has been incredible to see the School, the Alumni Association under Carmon’s leadership, and the Office of Alumni Affairs continue to flourish. As I look to the future it is with incredible gratitude as well as pride that I become President of the Alumni Association and in so doing build on this strong and vibrant foundation. In particular I would like the Association to focus on three areas: building connections and supporting mentorship within the alumni community, building connections beyond the traditional boundaries of public health (namely in the technology, business, and finance industries) and establishing awareness and effective advocacy regarding the immediate climate crisis. Each of these priorities is interdependent, builds on the existing work of the Alumni Association, and supports the broader interests of the School. More details will be coming soon, but if you are interested in being part of these initiatives please reach out to me at the address below.

The value of public health in society and the specific mission of the School have arguably never been more tangible or relevant. In spite of daunting challenges ahead, we are faced with an unprecedented opportunity to advance our values and in so doing to create a more just and resilient world with not just better health outcomes but a fairer distribution therein. There is plenty of work to do.

Sincerely,

Trishan Panch, MD, MPH ’10
President-elect, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association