Vish Viswanath Headshot

Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath, PhD

Director
Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness

Dr. K. “Vish” Viswanath is the Director of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness. He also holds a joint appointment at the MacGraw-Patterson Center for Population Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is the Director of the Center for Translational Health Communication Science at Harvard Chan and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Viswanath’s work, drawing from literatures in communication science, social epidemiology, and social and health behavior…

Mesfin Bekalu, PhD

Research Scientist
Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness

Mesfin Bekalu’s research interests are centered on health communication, with a specific focus on investigating the intended and unintended effects of media and messages on health-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. This research involves studying the effects of campaign materials designed and produced for strategic communication purposes and delivered through different media (print, broadcast, and the internet), as well as the unintended harmful and/or beneficial effects of media and messages on…

Laura Marciano, PhD

Research Fellow
Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness

Laura Marciano earned her PhD in Health Communication from USI Università della Svizzera italiana (Lugano, Switzerland). During her doctoral studies, she investigated the link between digital media use, mental health, and young people by collaborating on research projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). She received an SNSF Postdoc.Mobility grant to work as a Research Fellow at the Harvard Chan T.H. School of Public Health with Center Co-Director…

Rachel Faulkenberry McCloud Headshot

Rachel Faulkenberry McCloud, ScD, MPH

Research Scientist
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Rachel McCloud’s research focuses on the impact of smartphones and other devices in data gathering and disease prevention. She is studying how connectivity and technology issues impact the ability of individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to use their smartphones for internet access and public health research. Dr. McCloud received her ScD in social and behavioral sciences from the Harvard Chan School, where she focused on health communication in community-based settings.…

Ayla Fudala, MA

Center Staff - Communications Coordinator
Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness

Ayla is the Communications Coordinator for the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Before beginning this position, she served for four years as Environmental Humanities Program Coordinator at Colby College, and for one year as Staff Writer and Environmental Educator at Planet Bee Foundation. She holds B.A.s in English and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and…

Jennifer Kwon

Research Assistant
Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness

Jennifer recently graduated from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health with an Master of Public Health degree in Health and Social Behavior. Her research interests lie in the development and implementation of culturally-sensitive psychoeducation and stigma reduction programs, as well as the interplay between mental health related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and health communication messages and methods. She has a BA in Psychology and East Asian Languages and Civilizations…

Lisa Berkman, PhD, MS

Affiliate Scientist
Director, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
Director, PhD Program in Population Health Sciences
Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy
Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health and Population
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Sara Bleich Headshot

Sara Bleich, PhD

Affiliate Scientist
Professor of Public Health Policy
Department of Health Policy and Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study