Dear members of the alumni community,
Welcome to Alumni Weekend 2023! The theme of this year’s weekend is The Right to Health: Equity and Justice for All, which challenges all of us personally and professionally. It is an invitation to learn, discuss, and broaden our thinking as we work to improve health and promote equity, so all human beings can thrive. After all, the work we do is rooted in the truth that universal access to health care, without discrimination, is a basic human right, as established by the United Nations in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Throughout the weekend we will have opportunities to discuss and consider our work through this lens. The call to equity and justice in health and healthcare requires us to identify, address, and work to eliminate systemic and structural barriers so that all people have the opportunity to live a healthy and fulfilling life, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, or social economic status. We will cover numerous subjects that highlight how critically the world needs active, engaged, and dedicated public health professionals like all of us.
And as always, we will present the Alumni Association Awards to six alumni from across the world to recognize their outstanding accomplishments. I’m always incredibly proud to be part of the Harvard Chan community and to be together among inspiring individuals like all of you. Thank you for being here and for all that you do.
This is my last Alumni Weekend serving as Alumni Association president, but it will not be my last Alumni Weekend. I look forward to this event every year because I cannot think of a better chance to recharge, reflect, and recommit to this critically important work. I encourage all of you to spend some time throughout the weekend nurturing old friendships and creating new connections. They will serve you well now and, in the future, as you work to improve health and promote equity, so all human beings can thrive.
All the best,
Trishan Panch, MPH ’10
President, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association
