- Reimagining Aging
- Overcoming Violence
- Confronting Climate Change
- Cultivating Well-being and Nutrition
- Conquering Epidemics
How should we respond to a demographic shift that will change how the world lives, learns, and works? Harvard Chan researchers are digging deep into cellular mechanisms, analyzing statistical patterns across decades of health data, exploring how connection with others is protective, and tracking down other clues to healthier and happier aging.
Learn more about this frontierAging matters
Sneha Dutta, PhD ’21, wants to understand why individuals age differently and if there’s a way to counter old age’s harmful effects May 18, 2021–As a master’s student studying biology at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in…
Ensuring safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for vulnerable populations
Although COVID-19 vaccines have begun reaching people around the world, challenges remain to ensuring that the vaccines help those who are most vulnerable, according to an article co-authored by experts from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Better Off: A new podcast from Harvard Chan School
How can we make our families, communities, and our world a little bit better during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond? That's the question we're asking on Better Off, a new podcast from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public…
Op-ed: Want to make the world a healthier place? Vote.
Voting is one of the most potent ways to effect large-scale change in public health, according to Michelle Williams, dean of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In an October 16, 2020 op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer,…
Perspective: COVID-19 highlights pressing need to better understand immunity, particularly in elderly
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of aging populations to emerging diseases and underscores the significant need to better understand immunity and vaccine response among the elderly, according to an April 17, 2020 New England Journal of…
Healthy habits in middle age may reduce women’s stroke risk
Adopting a healthy lifestyle in middle age may significantly reduce the risk of stroke in women, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study analyzed data from nearly 60,000 women who participated…
Study of lipid metabolism in neurons may offer therapeutic possibilities for neurodegenerative diseases
For immediate release: April 13, 2020 Boston, MA – Disrupting the production of a class of lipids known as sphingolipids in neurons improved symptoms of neurodegeneration and increased survival in a mouse model, according to new research led…
Gaining insight into women's health
Could an app help scientists better understand menstruation, fertility, and menopause? On the latest episode of This Week in Health, Shruthi Mahalingaiah and JP Onnela talk about the groundbreaking Apple Women’s Health Study. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, an assistant professor of environmental, reproductive, and…
Following healthy lifestyle habits at middle age may increase years lived free of chronic diseases
For immediate release: Wednesday, January 8, 2020 Boston, MA – Maintaining five healthy habits—eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, keeping a healthy body weight, not drinking too much alcohol, and not smoking—at middle-age may increase years lived free…
Program explores molecular underpinnings of chronic diseases
December 4, 2019—For many years, epidemiological data has shown a link between obesity and asthma. While researchers have long hypothesized that obesity increases the risk of asthma, why or how that risk is increased isn’t entirely clear. A…
Violence and trauma take many forms. Harvard Chan researchers are using scientific rigor to understand how damage to the body and spirit can be prevented, and develop ways to repair the effects of violence and build resilience in the future.
Learn more about this frontierHealth consequences of discriminatory housing policy
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health professors Mary Bassett and Nancy Krieger discussed the harmful health consequences of redlining—a historic government policy that institutionalized housing discrimination against people of color across America.
Reflecting on racism, public health, and social change in a difficult year
In a year marked by the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased public reckoning around racism in the U.S., the 2021 Health Equity and Leadership (HEAL) Conference at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health kicked…
Better Off: A new podcast from Harvard Chan School
How can we make our families, communities, and our world a little bit better during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond? That's the question we're asking on Better Off, a new podcast from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public…
Soaring U.S. gun sales could lead to more deaths, says expert
Fears related to the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest, and the upcoming election are contributing to record gun sales in the U.S.—and more guns to lead to more deaths, says a Harvard Chan expert.
Op-ed: Want to make the world a healthier place? Vote.
Voting is one of the most potent ways to effect large-scale change in public health, according to Michelle Williams, dean of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In an October 16, 2020 op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer,…
2016 U.S. presidential election associated with uptick in heart attacks and stroke
For immediate release: October 12, 2020 Boston, MA – The hospitalization rate for acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in a large southern California health system was 1.62 times higher in the two days immediately after the 2016 presidential…
Frontlines Fall 2020
Quick updates about the latest public health news from across the School and beyond.
Family functioning during pregnancy may affect fetal brain development
How a family functions and manages conflict during pregnancy may influence the development of cortical white matter and subcortical volumes in the fetus and could be associated with brain characteristics that underlie behavioral problems later in life, according…
Why declaring racism a public health crisis matters
Since 2019, policymakers from more than 50 American municipalities and three states have formally highlighted racism as a public health crisis.
Reforming investigations of police killings in the U.S.
It’s important to examine the work of the medical examiners and coroners who investigate killings involving police, in order to uncover possible police misconduct, says a Harvard Chan School expert.
Climate change is one of our greatest public health challenges—but also one of our best opportunities for global progress. Harvard Chan researchers are uncovering the human toll of our changing environment and crafting solutions.
Learn more about this frontierVehicle emissions linked to thousands of deaths in northeast, Mid-Atlantic
An estimated 7,100 people in the northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions died as a result of exposure to ozone and fine particulate matter from vehicle emissions in 2016.
Getting to know … Will Koh, MPH ’21
Will Koh’s childhood interest in the origins of the food on his plate has taken him from an apprenticeship at a whole-animal butcher shop to a position he started in January as a scientist on the nutrition, health,…
NO TIME TO WASTE
How Harvard Chan School researchers are taking action on climate change and fighting for a healthier, more equitable planet.
On Earth Day, Harvard Chan experts talk climate and health
The impact of climate change on health is far-reaching, according to experts from Harvard Chan School. It can lead to higher levels of air pollution, more extreme weather events, the spread of infectious diseases, and greater risk of…
Earth Week 2021
A host of events are planned for Earth Week 2021, including a talk by the lead negotiator for the Paris Climate Agreement, Christiana Figueres.
We’re better off when we stop pandemics before they start
When Aaron (Ari) Bernstein met his first pediatric patient infected with COVID-19, he realized that this little girl's health was connected to an infected bat on the other side of the world. Climate change and deforestation have made…
Texas storm offers glimpse of how climate change threatens public health
February 23, 2021 – An extreme winter storm followed by freezing temperatures, prolonged power outages, and water shortages has threatened the health of millions of Texans. Renee Salas, a Yerby Fellow at the Center for Climate, Health, and…
Pollen seasons are getting longer, driven by climate change
Since 1990, pollen seasons have gotten longer and more pollen-filled, and climate change is responsible, according to a new study.
Harvard Chan School experts tapped for Biden administration posts
Two faculty members from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health—Sara Bleich and Benjamin Sommers—and one former faculty member, Gina McCarthy, have been chosen for roles in the new Biden-Harris administration.
Harvard Chan experts featured in year’s top stories in Harvard Magazine, Harvard Gazette
Experts from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health were featured in some of the top stories of 2020 in both Harvard Magazine and the Harvard Gazette.
From fast food to no food, from the obesity epidemic sweeping the globe to social isolation and unhappiness, we’re still plagued by barriers to human thriving. The links between our health and how we feel, interact and live are complex and clouded. But thanks to the work of Harvard Chan researchers the path forward has never seemed clearer.
Learn more about this frontierA milestone for researchers focused on LGBTQ health
Harvard SOGIE (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) Health Equity Research Collaborative celebrates its 10th anniversary during Pride Month 2021.
Are there toxins in your mascara?
Most of the waterproof mascara, liquid lipsticks, and foundations tested in a recent study contained high levels of fluorine—suggesting the likely presence of toxic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).
Eating disorders in teens skyrocketing during pandemic
Experts are concerned about a dramatic rise in eating disorders among teenagers over the past year. Possible explanations for the increase include teens’ loss of familiar routines and regular connections with friends, anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic, boredom,…
Students lend helping hand to India’s COVID-19 efforts
Working with a professor, a Worcester, Mass. hospital, and Indian friends and colleagues, two students helped secure desperately needed oxygen concentrators for COVID-19 patients to use at home in India.
Natural gas, biomass surpassing coal as biggest pollutants, study finds
Dirty emissions from coal-fired power plants have been declining in recent years. But other sources of air pollution—including soot from the burning of gas, biomass, and wood in buildings—now have more negative health effects than coal combustion, according…
Getting to know … Hannah Cory, PhD ’21
Hannah Cory wants to fix the broken systems that perpetuate weight stigma and allow kids to grow up feeling as if something is wrong with their bodies.
Why everyone should learn about public health
Michelle Williams discussed the importance of the field of public health and how racism is a public health issue.
Frontlines Spring 2021
Quick updates about the latest public health news from across the School and beyond.
Metal mixtures in cord blood linked with reduced birth size
Mixtures of toxic metals in umbilical cord blood were associated with reduced birth size, according to a new study led by Harvard Chan researchers.
The downside of ‘John Henryism’
When Black Americans push themselves to work harder in response to the constraints of structural racism, it can take a toll on their bodies, according to Duke University professor emeritus Sherman James.
Humans and pathogens are locked in a bitter arms race—and the pathogens are winning. They are evolving to resist our best medicines, and humanity’s pipeline of effective antibiotic weapons is empty. The next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. Harvard Chan researchers are fighting on many fronts to make sure humanity is ready when the next outbreak inevitably arrives.
Learn more about this frontierHarvard Public Health article on COVID-19 researchers wins top award
A fall 2020 Harvard Public Health magazine article titled “Bearing Witness” has won a Gold Award for Feature Writing from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
The latest on the coronavirus
Harvard Chan School experts offer comments and context about the coronavirus in a variety of media outlets.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Press Conference with Rebecca Weintraub, Mansi Kansal, and John Brownstein, 06/10/21
You're listening to a press conference from the Harvard School of Public Health with Rebecca Weintraub, director of vaccine delivery at Ariadne Labs, Mansi Kansal, product manager at Google Health, and John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston…
Links found between smoking history and tumor mutations in some lung cancer patients
The amount of tobacco a person with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) consumes is associated with the type and amount of genetic mutations found in their tumors, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of…
Students lend helping hand to India’s COVID-19 efforts
Working with a professor, a Worcester, Mass. hospital, and Indian friends and colleagues, two students helped secure desperately needed oxygen concentrators for COVID-19 patients to use at home in India.
AIDS at 40: Gearing up for the endgame of a global scourge
On June 5, 1981, the CDC published the first official report of the disease that would come to be known as AIDS. In recent interviews, four researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reflected on the…
Preventing pandemics before they start
A new international task force is aimed at stopping new diseases like COVID-19 from spreading from animals to humans.
Why everyone should learn about public health
Michelle Williams discussed the importance of the field of public health and how racism is a public health issue.
Frontlines Spring 2021
Quick updates about the latest public health news from across the School and beyond.
Philanthropic Impact: Equipping the fight against metabolic disease
Support for laboratory technology opens new research possibilities at the Sabri Ülker Center. A $1.4 million gift from the Ülker family has greatly enhanced the physiology research capacity of the Sabri Ülker Center for Nutrient, Genetic, and Metabolic…