School name
The School’s official, full name is Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
In writing and speaking and on signs, awards, and other prominent public displays, the first reference to the School’s name should always be the full “Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.”
In subsequent references, the following short versions are acceptable:
Harvard Chan School
the School
The following are not acceptable:
HSPH*
HCS
HCSPH
HTHCSPH
SPH*
Harvard Chan School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Chan School of Public Health
Harvard’s Chan School
T.H. Chan School
Chan School
*The abbreviations “HSPH” or “SPH” may continue to be used sparingly on such items as charts and graphs that require a very small, shortened version of the name.
The words “Harvard Chan” may be used without the word “School” when they are used as an adjective:
Several Harvard Chan faculty members spoke at the event last week.
Harvard Chan students are remarkable individuals.
In text, capitalize “School” when referring to Harvard Chan School. Capitalize “University” when referring to Harvard University. Otherwise, when referring to other schools or universities, those words are lowercase.
If the first reference to the School’s name appears in a listing rather than in text—for example, in an address at the top of a letter—then the full name should be spelled out in the first reference in the text (for example, in the body of the letter).
Albert Hofman, MD, PhD
Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Public Health and Clinical Epidemiology
Chair, Department of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthDear Dr. Hofman,
Thank you for agreeing to speak at our conference in October. As chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a world-renowned expert in your field, you will be a most welcome addition to our program. We look forward to hearing from you and your colleagues from Harvard Chan School as we gather to share knowledge on this critical topic.
In the case above, the School name in the address does not constitute the first mention. The full name of the School must therefore be spelled out in the body of the letter.
When possible, use “Harvard Chan School” rather than “the Harvard Chan School.”
The partnership will be led by scientists at Harvard Chan School.
The partnership will be led by scientists at the Harvard Chan School.
Degrees
Do not include periods in degree abbreviations:
PhD
Ph.D.
MPH
M.P.H.
Note that DrPH (doctor of public health) and PhD (from the Latin philosophiae doctor) include lowercase letters.
PhD
PHD
DrPH
DRPH
Also note that abbreviations for some Harvard degrees are written “backwards” from those of other institutions.
SD – doctor of science
SM – master of science
Degree abbreviations after names should appear as follows:
Susan Smith, MPH ’87, SD ’92
John Jones, DrPH ’17
Note that a comma appears after the person’s name, there is a space between the degree name and the apostrophe, and the apostrophe “faces” left. A comma also follows the degree year in a sentence:
Susan Smith, MPH ’87, SD ’92, spoke at the conference.
Only list advanced degrees; bachelor’s degrees are generally not listed. Depending on the person’s preference, all advanced degrees may be listed (master’s- and doctoral-level degrees) after the name, but list just the terminal degree if both degrees are in the same field. If not in the same field, you may list all of them with the most recent degree last:
MD, PhD
MD, MPH
MPH, MPP
Note that in writing, the word “master’s,” when referring to a degree, includes an apostrophe.
He received his master’s degree in public health.
He received a master of public health (MPH) degree.
Only students who have officially graduated can be designated by their degree and class year. Until they graduate, they should be called “students” with an “expected graduation” year.
Departments
Capitalize department names in full descriptions of an academic department: (This style applies only to departments at the School and at Harvard.)
Capitalize “Departments” when referring to more than one and when “Departments” comes before the name of the academic specialty:
The student was conducting research in the Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.
The student was conducting research in the biostatistics and epidemiology departments at Harvard Chan School.
Departments at other institutions
Capitalize the department name only if it is preceded by the name of the institution:
The research came out of the University of Connecticut Department of Biostatistics.
The department of biostatistics at the University of Connecticut released the report.
Fields of study
Fields of study are not capitalized.
She is studying public health with a concentration in health policy.
She is studying Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy.
Titles
Note on use of titles in text
In text, School style does not use titles (e.g., “Dr.” or “Professor”) with a person’s name. On first mention, the person’s full name is used; on subsequent references, only the last name is used.
Michael Mina is an assistant professor of epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology. Mina is also a faculty affiliate in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases and a faculty member in the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.
Dr. Michael Mina is an assistant professor of epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology. Dr. Mina is also a faculty affiliate in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases and a faculty member in the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.
Department heads
Heads of departments at Harvard Chan School are referred to by the title “chair.”
chair
chairperson
chairwoman
chairman
In listings
In listings, the word Chair is capitalized.
Marcia Castro
Andelot Professor of Demography
Chair, Department of Global Health and Population
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Or, depending on the style of the listing, all the information may appear together, with commas:
Marcia Castro, Andelot Professor of Demography and Chair, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Note: In listings, do not use “of the” in the person’s title:
Marcia Castro, Chair of the Department of Global Health and Population
In text
In text, as opposed to listings, DO use “of the” in the title, and DO NOT capitalize titles.
Marcia Castro is chair of the Department of Global Health and Population.
Marcia Castro, chair of the Department of Global Health and Population and Andelot Professor of Demography, spoke at the event last week.
The chair of the Department of Global Health and Population, Marcia Castro, spoke at the event last week.
The Chair of the Department of Global Health and Population, Marcia Castro, spoke at the event last week.
Exception: Capitalize titles only when they are the person’s official title immediately preceding their name or it is a named professorship. (This is a general rule for all titles, not just academic titles.)
Last week’s presenter was Chair of the Department of Global Health and Population Marcia Castro.
Marcia Castro is Andelot Professor of Demography.
Marcia Castro is Andelot professor of demography.
Examples with a simpler title:
Last week’s presenter was former Harvard University President Larry Bacow.
Larry Bacow is the former president of Harvard University.
The former president of Harvard University, Larry Bacow, spoke at the event last week.
Larry Bacow, former president of Harvard University, spoke at the event last week.
Deans
The rules for department chairs apply for dean-level titles as well.
Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD
Dean of the Faculty
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Andrea Baccarelli, Dean of the Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty, spoke at the event last week.
The dean of the faculty, Andrea Baccarelli, spoke at the event last week.
Dean of the Faculty Andrea Baccarelli spoke at the event last week.
Exception: Capitalize Dean when referring to Andrea Baccarelli, even if the title appears after his name.
Andrea Baccarelli is Dean of the Faculty at Harvard Chan School.
Faculty members
The same rules apply to faculty members.
In listings
Jacqueline Bhabha
Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights
Director of Research, FXB Center for Health & Human Rights
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Jacqueline Bhabha, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights and Director of Research, FXB Center for Health & Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
In text
Jacqueline Bhabha is professor of the practice of health and human rights and director of research at the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights.
Jacqueline Bhabha, professor of the practice of health and human rights and director of research at the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights, spoke at the event last week.
Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights Jacqueline Bhabha spoke at the event last week.
The director of research at the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights, Jacqueline Bhabha, spoke at the event last week.
Secondary appointments and affiliates
If a faculty member has a primary appointment at another institution with a secondary appointment at Harvard Chan School, that person’s title would read “X professor in the Department of” instead of “X professor of.”
For example, Satchit Balsari is an assistant professor in emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He holds a secondary appointment at Harvard Chan School. Thus, he would be listed as follows:
Satchit Balsari
Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health and Population
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
If a faculty member has a primary appointment in one department and is also affiliated with another, that person’s additional title would read “Faculty Affiliate in the Department of X,” as follows:
Michael Mina
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Department of Epidemiology
Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Michael Mina is an assistant professor of epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology. He is also a faculty affiliate in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases and a faculty member in the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.
Note that, as in the example above, we refer to a person as a faculty member “in” a center or institute, rather than “of” a center or institute.
Researchers and instructors
The rules for researchers, including (senior) research scientists, research associates, research fellows, visiting scientists, and instructors, are the same as those for faculty members.
In listings
Victor Barrera Burgos
Research Scientist
Department of Biostatistics
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Victor Barrera Burgos, Research Scientist, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
In text
Victor Barrera Burgos is a research scientist in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Victor Barrera Burgos, a research scientist in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard Chan School, spoke at the event last week.
Research Scientist Victor Barrera Burgos spoke at the event last week.
Staff
Rules for staff member titles follow those for Harvard Chan faculty, etc., as noted above.
School description (boilerplate)
Below is a short version of the Harvard Chan School brand narrative that can be used regularly in print and digital communications.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan School teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America’s oldest professional training program in public health.
Graduation
Graduation (“graduation week,” “graduation festivities,”)
Refers to the grouping of events that take place over the course of a week in May. Inclusive of BOTH University and School events.
Awards Ceremony (Officially: “Awards Presentation and Ceremony”)
Refers to the event honoring recipients of awards from Harvard Chan School.
Convocation (Officially: “Harvard Chan School Convocation”)
Refers to the event at the Reggie Lewis Center celebrating students graduating from Harvard Chan School.
Commencement (Officially: “Commencement Morning Exercises”)
Refers to the event in Tercentenary Theatre (Cambridge campus) celebrating all graduates from the College and all Harvard schools.
Class of 2023
Refers to a specific year’s graduates. “Class” is capitalized, and the year is not abbreviated
