Equity in Policies and Interventions to Advance Social Connection

On Wednesday, April 10th, from 1-1:50 PM in FXB G12 or online, join us for “Equity in Policies and Interventions to Advance Social Connection” a seminar led by Dr. Ichiro Kawachi, and the latest installment in our Loneliness and Well-being Seminar Series.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory drawing attention to an “epidemic of loneliness and social isolation” and called for a national strategy to advance social connectedness. The advisory also emphasized that “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are critical components of any such strategy. It must recognize that everyone is impacted by social connection, but that some groups may be more disproportionally impacted by some policies. Thus, policymakers must give focused attention to reducing disparities in risk and ensuring equal access to benefits.” To start the conversation about a national policy to advance social connections, Dr. Kawachi will address two questions prompted by the Surgeon General’s advisory – first, what types of social connection should we seek to strengthen? – strong ties versus weak ties, bonding versus bridging social ties; and second, how can policies address inequities in access to social connections by socioeconomic status and race?

This seminar will be led by Dr. Ichiro Kawachi, MB.Ch.B., Ph.D. Dr. Kawachi currently serves as the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Social Epidemiology in the Social & Behavioral Sciences Department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he has taught since 1992. He received his medical degree and Ph.D. (in epidemiology) from the University of Otago, New Zealand.  His research focuses on the social determinants of health and health equity.

Dr. Kawachi is the co-editor (with Dr. Lisa Berkman) of the textbook Social Epidemiology, published by Oxford University Press in 2000 (revised edition with Maria Glymour and Lisa Berkman published in 2014). His other books include Behavioral Economics and Public Health (with Christina Roberto, Oxford University Press, 2015), Neighborhoods and Health (2^nd edition, Oxford University Press, with Dustin Duncan 2018), and The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic, forthcoming in 2024 (Oxford University Press, with Dustin Duncan and Stephen Morse). Dr. Kawachi served for 10 years as Editor-in-Chief of Social Science & Medicine. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine, and an elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He received an honorary Doctor of Science from the Australian National University in 2019.

Speakers’ remarks are based on their own scholarship and experience. As such, they speak for themselves, not for Harvard.