To the Harvard Chan community,
Welcome to the new academic year!
This year marks the 10th anniversary of a transformative gift from the Chan family and the Morningside Foundation—a pivotal moment in our School’s history. It has helped us to recruit stellar faculty, advance bold research, and support our exceptional students.
But we still have unfinished business.
At Alumni Weekend in 2014, Gerald Chan, SM ’75, SD ’79, said he hoped his philanthropy would “send a message to the world that it is in public health we should invest for a better future.” He described his hope that a public health “worldview” would take hold as policymakers, researchers, business leaders, educators, and the public at large focused on creating conditions that promote well-being for everyone.
This is my hope, too. In fact, I believe it’s a dream that we all share. It’s what draws us to public health.
In the coming months, I plan to present my vision of how we as a community can make major strides toward this goal over the next 10 years.
As I noted in a community update last month, I have convened three working groups to develop recommendations for refining our approach to education, research, and financial stewardship. I will report on their progress and share findings from my listening tour at a State of the School Address on Oct. 29. The working groups will deliver their final reports in December. I will then incorporate their recommendations into a unifying vision that will shape our day-to-day work, our strategic planning, and our ongoing fundraising efforts.
In the meantime, I’m eager to provide updates on several important projects:
You’ll be hearing a lot this year about Harvard Chan LEADs (Learn & Engage Across Differences), an initiative to build capacity for constructive dialogue among all members of our community.
Such skill-building is a priority across Harvard, as President Alan Garber made clear in a recent interview with the Gazette. It’s a particular priority for me and my leadership team because such skills are essential to success in public health: We can’t improve well-being at population scale unless we are able to listen to, learn from, and communicate effectively with people of many different backgrounds and perspectives.
At Orientation last week, our fabulous incoming students began to dig into the hard work of building a pluralistic community committed to civil discourse.
To my mind, that requires recognizing that each of us brings a rich array of experiences and identities to every conversation. It requires actively seeking to understand views that differ from our own—and doing so with humility, compassion, and respect. It also requires accepting that each of us may encounter views at Harvard Chan School that make us uncomfortable or that even feel painful. Those moments can be deeply challenging. It’s on each of us to respond in a way that reaffirms our individual and collective commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and vibrant community dedicated to the open exchange of ideas. We hope the LEADs programming will give all of us the tools to do just that.
Please keep an eye on your inbox for training opportunities for staff, faculty, and postdocs as well as students.
Another important goal for Harvard Chan LEADs is to create opportunities for us to come together as a community, learning and contributing side by side, regardless of our roles, responsibilities, or seniority. Three such programs are in the works:
- Our second annual Community Day of Service will be held on Sept. 30. We have organized more than two dozen service projects across Boston and on campus; look for an email later this week with the sign-up link.
- The Big Read is a new initiative that invites all members of the community to read the same public health book over the winter months. When we return for the spring semester, we’ll gather for in-person and online discussion circles and other programs about the book’s themes. The first step is selecting the book from several terrific options; please cast your vote!
- And for an entirely different experience, the Dean’s Office and The Studio are organizing a public health sing-along in November, led by two incredible lyricists working with the American Repertory Theater. More details later this fall!
Finally, I’m delighted to share that we will be updating elements of the Kresge Building over the upcoming year, starting with the elevator lobbies and a new gender-inclusive restroom on the first floor. We’ll also be installing new signage both inside and outside the building to highlight our vision of a world with health, dignity, and justice for all—a world where everyone can thrive.
Andrea
Dean of the Faculty
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
