Class of 2020 – virtual

Welcome Remarks; Closing Remarks
Dean of the Faculty

Michelle A. Williams, SM ’88, ScD ’91, is Dean of the Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Angelopoulos Professor in Public Health and International Development, a joint faculty appointment at the Harvard Chan School and Harvard Kennedy School. She is an internationally renowned epidemiologist and public health scientist, an award-winning educator, and a widely recognized academic leader. Prior to becoming Dean, she was Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School and Program Leader of the Population Health and Health Disparities Research Programs at Harvard’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Center. Dean Williams previously had a distinguished career at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her scientific work places special emphasis in the areas of reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, and molecular epidemiology. Dean Williams has published over 450 scientific articles. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2016. The Dean has a master’s in civil engineering from Tufts University and master’s and doctoral degrees in epidemiology from the Harvard Chan School.

Student Speech

Nadhira Nuraini Afifa, MD, MPH ’20, is receiving a master of public health degree from the Department of Global Health and Population. Nadhira joined the nutrition concentration, where she was involved in several projects related to malnourished children, especially stunting in low- and middle-income countries. Earlier this year, she had the opportunity to visit Tanzania to work on malnutrition issues among in-school adolescents in the city of Dodoma, along with several other Harvard students. Nadhira grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and received her MD degree cum laude from Universitas Indonesia. She previously served as a general practitioner in rural West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, where she worked on multidimensional issues, from child nutrition to poverty. Outside of her academic world, Nadhira writes for a variety of newspapers and serves as one of the writers for Harvard Chan’s Voices in Leadership series. After graduation, Nadhira will be based in Jakarta to help the Indonesian government address several public health challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. She believes that her “mixed” experience working both as a clinician and a public health professional will uniquely position her to contribute to the future vibrant development of Indonesia.

Commencement Address
Global Director, Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice, World Bank and Director, Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents

Muhammad Ali Pate, MD, MBA, is global director of the Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice of the World Bank and director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, based in Washington, D.C. He is also the Julio Frenk Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Pate has dedicated his career to strengthening public health systems and building innovative partnerships to combat preventable causes of mortality.

A U.S. and Nigerian national, Pate was until recently the chief executive officer of Big Win Philanthropy, based in the U.K. He formerly served as minister of state for health in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. After joining the World Bank Group as a Young Professional in 2000, Pate worked on health issues in several regions, including Africa and the East Asia and the Pacific region. In his contributions to the World Economic Forum and the World Bank Group, he has worked with some of the countries most affected by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria and has led programs that resulted in significant changes to health care systems and disease control around the world.

Pate is an MD trained in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. He holds a master’s degree in health-system management from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and an MBA with a certificate in health-sector management from Duke University.

Alumni Greeting
President, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association

Carmon Davis, MD ’90, MPH ’94, MBA, is a board-certified general pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital. She provides direct primary medical care to well children, teens, and children with complex medical needs in an academic practice. She also cares for children with complex social issues, such as homelessness and violence. Davis is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She enjoys teaching medical students, trainees, and clinicians. She also serves as a faculty facilitator in the Harvard Macy Program for Educators in the Health Professions. Her efforts have been recognized with awards for excellence in clinical care and medical student teaching. Davis was elected by her fellow alumni to serve on the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association in multiple positions over many years (councilor, secretary, and president). She has served on the Harvard Medical School Committee on Admissions and the Harvard Alumni Association. Davis also volunteers her time with organizations devoted to serving our homeless neighbors, U.S. military soldiers, and the arts.

Announcement of Awards
Dean for Academic Affairs

Jane J. Kim, PhD ’05, is dean for academic affairs at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a professor of health decision science in the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Center for Health Decision Science. Kim’s research focuses on the development and application of mathematical modeling methods to evaluate health policy issues, with a strong interest in women’s health. She has led the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of prevention strategies against cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases for informed decision making globally, working closely with the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and most recently, the World Health Organization on cervical cancer elimination. Kim holds a master’s degree in health policy and management and a PhD in health policy and decision sciences from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Presentation of Graduates
Associate Dean for Student Services

Robin Glover, MBA, is a seasoned student affairs professional with over 20 years of related experience. Her areas of expertise, in addition to managing student affairs, include student engagement, staff development, project planning and execution, strategic planning, and enrollment management. Glover joined the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in January 2019 as associate dean for student services. In this role, she oversees the activities of a suite of student-focused offices, including Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, Student Affairs, Career Advancement, and Alumni Affairs. She served most recently as associate dean for the public health and professional degree programs at Tufts University School of Medicine, where she had oversight of student services for the master’s programs. At Tufts, she was instrumental in the growth and development of new programs and served as interim chief diversity officer for the Boston and Grafton campuses. Glover earned her bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Northeastern University.