Want to know what our students have been up to lately? Please see some recent highlights below:
Please Note: The HPM Student News will be on hiatus in AY2020-2021. We look forward to resuming this newsletter in AY2021-2022.
Winter Session/Spring 1 2020
We hope that this edition of the HPM Student Newsletter helps make your day a bit brighter.
Stay safe and healthy!
HPM 245 – Public Health Leadership
Many HPM students participated in HPM 245 in January, and by all accounts, it was another very successful year in the course. It was the first class taken by our new MPH-65 Health Management students, who found it to be a great way to get to know others within HPM and beyond during their first full week at Harvard Chan.
Adventures at the CDC
This experience, directed by Professor Henning Tiemeier, gives students a wonderful opportunity to connect with the CDC and in several state or local public health officials across the US. During the first 5 days of this course (SBS 550), the students have an intense classroom experience, which takes place at the CDC in Atlanta. During the second week of this class, students travel to one of ten program sites across the United States to work with the CDC and state or local public health officials to develop an evaluation plan for a state Material and Child Health program (Title V).
Adrie Lofters (MPH-65 Health Policy) was in Nashville, TN working on creating an evaluation plan for the Tennessee Department of Health’s Baby and Me – Tobacco Free program. The program is aimed at helping women and partners quit smoking while pregnant and remain quit after giving birth. Of her experience, she says, “My partner Nicole Bejany (MPH-45 Health and Social Behavior) and I had a wonderful experience and I am very appreciative of the support we received from TN DoH staff during our stay.”
Ryan Driscoll (MPH-65 Health Policy), who was stationed in Louisiana, had this to say about the details of her CDC project: “Miguel Cid (MPH-65 Health and Social Behavior) and I were in New Orleans working with the Louisiana Department of Health on a project that will provide Expedited Partner Therapy for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who are diagnosed with Chlamydia. Our time in Louisiana included visits with providers, potential partner clinics, researchers at Tulane, and an LGBTQ community advisory board.”
Other HPM students who participated in this course were Liza Abraham (MPH-45 Health Policy), Karen Jiang (MPH-65 Health Policy), Natalie Myren (MPH-65 Health Policy), Yingna Wang (MPH-65 Health Policy) and Joe Zarrella (MPH-65 Health Policy).
Jean Jung (MPH-65 Health Management)’s Nonprofit is featured in the Harvard Chan Newsletter
Jean Jung and a team of three other Harvard graduate students are getting ready to launch a nonprofit called Dreamworld VR that will enable pediatric patients to virtually visit others like themselves. This idea is aimed at children who spend a considerable amount of time in pediatric wards with chronic diseases such as asthma or diabetes or cancer, and who sometimes have to remain isolated for health reasons.
To read more details about this project and the inspiration behind it, please see the complete article at https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/for-kids-facing-long-hospital-stays-a-happier-reality/
HPM 560: Happy Cities: A New Model for Designing New Urban Areas
HPM 560 Happy Cities: A New Model for Designing New Urban Areas brought together HSPH students and
industrial design and architecture students from Thailand to reimagine urban development in the context of well-being and healthier, happier, and more prosperous living. Eric Sun (MPH-45 Health Policy), Rosanna Sobota (MPH-45 Health Policy), and Jacob Petrini (MPH-65 Health Management) all took part in this course.
Over the 2-week course in Bangkok, students were exposed to the Whole View Model, explored development sites like Makkasan and Bangkok’s canal network, learned about and experienced Thai culture, traditions, and food, and presented group projects to leaders from MQDC – Magnolia Quality Developments Corporation, Bangkok City government, and the Thai Health Foundation.
Jake Petrini had a great experience, and said, “Thank you to the D-LAB at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MQDC – Magnolia Quality Developments Corp for bringing together public health, industrial design and architecture students with MQDC collaborators in Bangkok to re-imagine urban development for healthier, happier, and more prosperous living.”
Saamon Legoski (MPH-45 Health Policy) is featured in the Harvard Chan News
Saamon Legoski was recently featured in the News section of the Harvard Chan School’s website. The story highlights his drive to reform environmental policies that affect underprivileged populations, and his focus on environmental justice. To read more, please visit: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/positive-disruption/
HPM Students Travel to Lebanon with GHP 543
Amber Gautam (MPH-45 Health Policy), Nancy Tang (MPH-65 Health Management), Peter Joo (MPH-45 Health Policy), and Adam Hunter (MPH-45 Health Policy) all took part in the course GHP 543: Humanitarian Negotiation on the Frontlines. This course, taught by Claude Bruderlein, brought students to Lebanon in 2020 for an 18 day field mission.
When asked about this trip, Adam Hunter stated, “My perspective on the experience is that our group had an amazing opportunity to be in Beirut and study the Lebanese health system during their peaceful revolution (and impending economic collapse, leading to exacerbated healthcare disparities in a highly privatized system), and the almost-crisis between the U.S. and Iran.”
“In consulting with stakeholders from the Supreme Court to UNHCR to MSF to revolutionary protesters, we were able to provide feedback to key interest groups about the current state of health care in Lebanon and were also able to draw important parallels with our own exclusive and dysfunctional health system in America and refugee/immigrant health access at the border with Mexico.”
Toke Odimayomi (MPH-45 Health Policy) Travels to the Yucatan Peninsula with EH 201
The course EH 21o: Social and Sustainable Innovation Driven by Sustainable Development Goals examines the relationship between sustainable development goals, community problems and current sustainable and social solutions to serve as a starting point for developing new solutions that might serve as the business or social cases for new startups in health, sustainability or social ventures.
During this trip, Toke took classes with students from the Autonomous University of Yucatan and worked in multi-national teams to assess community needs.
As part of this course, students prepare climate change vulnerability and resiliency enhancement plans, design health and social solutions to problems to serve as the business case for sustainable startups, develop business or social plans for potential investors, and engage the community into participating in developing and implementing solutions and in recommending frameworks to enhance sustainable and social entrepreneurship in a community.
When asked about what some of the highlights of this program were, Toke said, “I’d say my favorite part of the trip was meeting so many amazing students/colleagues from the Yucatan universities. Their generosity and kindness was like none I had known before. They really made us feel at home away from home.”
“In terms of experiences, I’d say my favorite was visiting the School of Ecological Agriculture. It was amazing to learn about traditional Mayan farming practices being mixed with new technology. There, we learned how to make traditional Maya herbal medicines and ate an absolutely delicious meal that had been made from things grown and raised at the school. We also learned about (and played with) the endangered sting-less Melipona bees that are native to the Yucatan peninsula.”
Haitham Shoman (Master of Science in Health Policy and Management) co-authors an article for the Globalization and Health Journal
Haitham, and his colleague, Paul Truche (MPH in Clinical Effectiveness) published an article in Globalization and Health Journal – on the globalization of national surgical, obstetrics and anesthesia plans. To read more, please visit: https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-019-0531-5
Olivia Sonderman (MPH-45 Health Policy), as part of the Harvard Chan Student Organization for the Arts, started The Creative Writing Group
The Creative Writing Group happens every Thursday at 1 pm, and is made possible with the support of the Harvard Chan Student Organization for the Arts. Anyone is welcome to join. For the last month, 3-4 students have participated each week. The prompts are drawn from a box. For the last month, prompts have included:
“He/she/they took a…”
“From the heart”
“A terrible mistake”
“Let’s make this the last time”
When asked about how this group works, Olivia explained, “Similar to Fight Club, the first rule of Writing Group is we don’t talk about the pieces that were written in writing group outside of writing group . Within writing group, you are encouraged to share your writing with the group, but it is 100% optional. Writing Group is a safe space, and we welcome all people and conversation.”
Traveling to Nepal with GHP 296
The purpose of this course, taught by Prof. Lindsay Jaacks, is to expose public health students and practitioners to the topic of the epidemiological and nutrition transitions in rapidly developing countries.
The course includes extended field visits to various institutions/sites that are dealing with agriculture, nutrition, and the provision of health care to address the growing non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in Nepal.
Sawhel Maali (MPH-65 Health Policy) and Zach Pope (MPH-45 Health Policy) were among the Harvard Chan students selected for this course. Of their experience, Sawhel says, “Under Assistant Professor Lindsay Jaacks’ mentorship, we were able to travel across Nepal, including the cities of Kathmandu, Dhulikhel, Chitwan and Pokhara, over three weeks to better understand the role of food systems on health in light of the rapid epidemiological transitions occurring in the country.”
“We had opportunities to engage with all kinds of stakeholders, from government researchers to female community health workers and farmers, who graciously welcomed our curiosities and offered us insight into their work. While we have come away with a taste for Dal Bhat, a staple of Nepali cuisine, we have also come away with the understanding that there is vast opportunity in working with global partners to identify innovative solutions for problems we are facing back home.”
“Understanding Medicare For All” Podcast
Confused by the Medicare For All debate?
Curious about what politicians mean by it?
Concerned about healthcare in the U.S.?
Join Jake Petrini (MPH-65 Health Management) and Stacey Yi (MPH-65 Health Management) on a podcast journey to better understand Medicare For All and its implications on healthcare in the U.S. You may subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and many more! Please visit their website for more information: https://factfictionmfa.wixsite.com/understandingmfa.
Details:
Understanding Medicare For All is a podcast driven by curiosity. We created this podcast as a means to understand what Medicare For All is and to invite other people to join our journey of understanding and learning. We invite those who are curious, perplexed, excited, and uncertain about Medicare For All to join us. We have an amazing line up of guests and believe there is something for all listeners.
Hebron Kelecha (MPH-45 Health Policy) Ties the Knot!
Hebron married Nebyou Abera over the New Year’s holiday. Both ceremonies were held in the US. The ceremony pictured above was in Texas, which was follow by a traditional Ethiopian ceremony (pictured below), which was held in Kansas. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Fall 2019
2019 Public Health Leadership Lab Conference
The 2019 Public Health Leadership Conference, which took place on Saturday December 7th, was open to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health students as part of the Public Health Leadership Lab. At the Public Health Leadership Lab, the belief is that solving the public health issues of today requires strong leadership and collaboration across multiple sectors. The conference’s mission was to optimize development of public health leaders through interactive, engaging workshops in the domains of Self-Awareness, Decision-making & Communication, Diversity & Inclusion, Team Engagement, and Self-care/Wellness.
The keynote speaker at this year’s event was Dr. Michelle Morse, MD MPH. Dr. Morse s the Founding Co-Director of Equal Health and is the social medicine course director at Harvard Medical School.
Many HPM students were involved in organizing this incredible event. Sharma Joseph (MPH-45 HP Candidate) was a member of the host team was critical in organizing and managing the overall logistics of the day, and provided a wonderful introduction of Dr. Morse. Hussein Saghir (MPH-45 HM Candidate) participated in the Community Engagement Team, and was involved in the overall marketing strategy of this event including website management and worked on outreach to community groups.
When asked about his experience at the conference, Saghir said, “The hands on workshops led by our peers were inspiring and informative. It was apparent a significant amount of preparation and thought was put into the sessions which were interactive and stimulating. Dr. Michelle Morse’s talk challenged and inspired us to think about the impact we can have on the world in the face of obstacles and tragedies such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It was heartening to see over 130 of our peers and colleagues in attendance on a Saturday afternoon as well.”
There were two rounds of workshops for this event. In the morning, Mehdi El Boukhari (MPH-45 HM Candidate) assisted with a workshop entitled, “Applying Design Thinking to Public Health,” which featured HPM Professor Linda Cyr. This workshop challenged participants to approach complex problems with creative solutions. Adrie Lofters (MPH-65 HP Candidate) and DJ Song (MPH-45 HM Candidate) ran the “Calling Racism Racism: A Lens for Leadership Practice at Harvard and Beyond” workshop. This session explored how to lead conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A. Taylor Thomas (MPH-45 HM Candidate) and Rebecca Yao (MPH-45 HP Candidate) worked on the “Leadership: Keeping it Authentic” workshop, where theories of authentic leadership that have been recently popularized by Harvard Business School Professor and former Medtronic CEO Bill George were examined. Tiffany Alunan (MPH-65 HP Candidate) and Kanyinsola Oyeyinka (MPH-45 HM Candidate) were involved with running the “Navigating Conflict and Difficult Conversations” workshop, which examined the framework of nonviolent communication as a means to transform challenging conversations and conflict.
In the afternoon round of workshops, Samatha Calero (MPH-45 HP Candidate) and Benjamin Todd (MPH-65 HM Candidate) managed the “What is Implementation Science? Applications for Public Health Practice” workshop, which gave participants an introduction to implementation science as a framework and a set of tools to create organizational or practical change. Elizabeth Alpert (MPH-45 HP Candidate) and Dora Tao (MPH-65 HM Candidate)’s team’s workshop was entitled “The Power of Language,” which provided participants with a safe space for hands-on exploration about the topic of language in the context of power and privilege. Nimerta Sandhu (MPH-45 HM Candidate) assisted with the workshop entitled, “Who, What, Why? Self-awareness in Leadership,” which focused on helping participants to explore was of assessing personal value, individual skills, and global needs to build a framework for ongoing self-awareness in leadership. Spyros Potiris (MPH-45 HM Candidate) worked on “Reframing Failure: Transforming Setbacks into Opportunities for Growth,” which focused on changing mindsets around failure as an integral part of leadership.
Congratulations to all of our HPM students for their participation in this important event!
Alicia Nelson (MPH-65 HP Candidate) Presents at the Rose Service Learning Fellowship Event
On November 5, 2019, Alicia Nelson was among several fellows that presented their practicum projects in addition to their Rose Service Learning projects, which focused on a their own professional development insights from the service learning perspective. The Rose Service Learning Fellowships are funded by a generous gift from Dr. Deborah Rose, SM ’75 to support students and post-doctoral fellows at Harvard Chan to travel and engage in service learning projects. Alicia’s project, entitled, “The Last Clean Air: Personal Freedoms & PM2.5 Regulation in Interior Alaska,” focused on communicating the health effects of PM2.5 to decision makers and wood burning stove owners, and aimed to promote community-driven solutions within an EPA nonattainment area.
Intersectionality in Leadership – Panel Discussion and Networking Event
On December 4, 2019, Women in Leadership (WIL), the Black Student Health Organization and the Latinx Students in Public Health Association joined forces to lead a panel discussion on intersectionality in public health leadership. Panelists discussed their experiences in leadership roles as women with other underrepresented identities in settings that lack diversity. This was an inspirational event with extensive dialogue about fostering belonging and authenticity in leadership. The distinguished panelists were: Dr. Jennifer Joe, a physician entrepreneur, Dr. Sunita Patolia, a Team Lead at Partners HealthCare, A.G. Breitenstein, Chan alum and Co-Founder of Humedica, and Dr. Melissa Colón, a Postdoctoral Scholar and Project Manager at Massachusetts Essentials for Childhood.
This event was sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Special shout outs go to our very own Adrie Lofters (MPH-65 HP Candidate), who served as a fantastic moderator, Natalie Myren (MPH-65 HP Candidate & WIL Events Committee), Colette Rector (MPH-65 HP Candidate & WIL Co-VP of Marketing), Leslie Turner (MPH-65 HP Candidate & WIL Co-VP of Events), and WIL’s phenomenal advisor, Dean Nancy Turnbull. Thanks also to Leslie Turner for sending along this great recap and picture!
Robert Korycinski (MPH-65 HP Candidate) wins NCI Director’s Award for Administrative Performance
Robert Korycinski received this award in July 2019, however, he attended the ceremony on December 5, 2019 at the NIH Main Campus in Bethesda, MD. The 2019 NCI Director’s Award for Administrative Performance was awarded to each member of the Healthy People 2030 Cancer Workgroup (of which he was a member) for “in recognition of outstanding leadership and contributions in the development of national cancer health objectives for Healthy People 2030.” Congratulations Robert!
E-Poster Night – November 12, 2019
Our 2nd Year MPH-65 HP students participated in the MPH Field Practice E-Poster Night, which will took place in Kresge Café on November 12, 2019. There were about 60 posters at this event and also included projects from Environmental Health, Global Health, and Health and Social Behavior. The event was open to all, and attendees, faculty and DRPH students voted for their favorites. Congratulations to all of our MPH-65 HP students! Here are the projects that were presented:
Sydney Birnbaum
The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs): Developing a Partnership Strategy (Edenbridge Health)
Food Insecurity and Public Health
Organizing a Legislative Oversight Hearing as Tool for Education and Action
Massachusetts State Senate, Office of Senator Jo Comerford
Saamon Legoski (MPH-45 HP Candidate) has received a Student Grant from the Harvard Office for Sustainability
Saamon Legoski is pleased to announce that his team project, tentatively entitled, “Not just sea turtles: the human consumption of microplastics,” is now being funded by Harvard’s Office for Sustainability. This is the first project to ever look at plastic food containers; specifically, those found on Harvard campuses. The Office for Sustainability’s Student Sustainability Grant Program provides students with seed funding to support new ideas and innovative projects that address global sustainability challenges with on-campus applications. The Program supports projects that are specifically aligned with the goals, standards, and commitments in Harvard’s Sustainability Plan. Special consideration is given to projects that address climate change and enhancing human well-being. Congratulations Saamon!
Haitham Shoman (SM in Health Policy and Management Candidate) Presents at APHA
Haitham Shoman presented at the annual APHA conference in Philadephia, which was held November 4-6. 2019. The title of the project that was presented is “Assessment of Pakistan’s Surgical System by Tracking the Lancet Global Surgery Indicators for a National Surgical, Obstetric and Anesthesia Policy Plan.” To read more about this project, please visit: https://apha.confex.com/apha/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/438384 Congrats Haitham!
Haitham is also a current Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Fellow in the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He will be posting his work in health policy via twitter, the first in his series of posts can be found here: https://twitter.com/HarvardPGSSC/status/1161663659359133696.
In another of his recent posts, Haitham describes his work with Pakistan’s Indus Health Network in Karachi. This project is led by Dr. Lubna Samad, consultant pediatric surgeon, and Boston-based PI, Dr. John Meara, who is the Director of the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, and is focused on the development of a National Vision for Surgical Care. Please see the tweet below for more information:
Meet our Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Fellows!
Dr. @haitham_shoman kicks off a new series of highlights by discussing his work on surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia plans in Pakistan.@HarvardChanSPH @ghd_ihn @indushospitalpk @JohnMeara pic.twitter.com/ido1ktExs7— HarvardGlobalSurgery (@HarvardPGSSC) August 14, 2019
Frinny Polanco-Walters (MPH-45 HP Candidate) has Twins!
Eliana Esperanza Walters (5lbs 12 oz )and Zander Ramón Walters (7 lbs 1 oz) were born on November 5, 2019. Both are home after a brief stay in the NICU. Frinny is happy to report that everyone is doing well and that she’s more in love with them each day. Congratulations to Frinny and the entire Polanco Walters family!
Jacob Petrini (MPH-65 HM Candidate) Moderates at the Voices In Leadership’s “Leadership in our Times” with Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman
On October 30, 2019, Jacob Petrini had an amazing time moderating a conversation with Wendy R. Sherman, for her Voices in Leadership visit. Sherman is a professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. In addition, she is a Senior Fellow at the School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Ambassador Sherman is Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Ambassador Sherman spoke to students about embracing the unexpected journey and having a core group of trusted friends and thought partners.
Congratulations to our MPH-65 Health Policy Graduates!
Congratulations to all of our wonderful MPH-65 HP students! It has been a pleasure having you here, and we wish you the best of luck!
Spring 2019E- Poster Night – May 7, 2019                      And the Winners of e-Poster Night are: 1) First Place: Ernest Barthelemy – “Surgery in Haiti: Advocating for a Comprehensive National Policy” 2) Second Place: Tajah Tubbs (MPH-45 Health Management) – “Evaluation of Appointment Impaction and Clinic Policies to Address Patient Access in the Indian Health Service” 3) Third Place: Stephen Wang – “Longitudinal Associations Between Income Changes and Incident Cardiovascular Disease: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study” 4) Audience Favorite (tie between two presenters): Kortney Robinson (MPH-45 Health Management)– “Attempts to Influence Surgical Prescribing of Opioids” AND Loretta Cheung (MPH-45 Health Management) – “Strategies on Improving Telemedicine Reimbursement in the U.S.” Congratulations to Tajah, Kortney and Loretta!
Congratulations to Ahmed Abdelfattah (MPH-45 Health Management) and Emily Damon (MPH-65 Heatlh Policy)! World Malaria Day – Can Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa eliminate Malaria?
Can Nigeria, the populous country in Africa eliminate Malaria? was held on Thursday, April 25, 2019. This event was sponsored by the Defecting Malaria Initiative, the Nigerian Student Association (NSA), The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN). Key issues in Malaria elimination as well as the public health impact of malaria in Nigeria was discussed, and the challenges of malaria elimination. Suggestions for better and alternative strategies to be employed in the fight against malaria in Nigeria were also explored.  An audience led Q&A session was moderated by Ebere Azumah (MPH-45 Health Management), Harvard T. H. Chan-NSA president. Tasty Nigerian dishes were served. HCSA Election Results 2019Congratulations to Jane Rho and Jacob Petrini (both MPH-65 Health Management) on the latest election results for the Harvard Chan Student Association (HCSA) election results for the 2019-2020 academic year: President: Lucas Buyon Vice President of Academic Affairs: Jake Petrini Vice President of Student Advocacy: Jane Rho Vice President of Student Life: Sarah Zelasky Saadia Sediqzadah (SM1 in Health Policy and Management) Awarded the Mind Brain Behavior Graduate Student Award at Harvard
The MBB Graduate Student Award from the Mind Brain Behavior Interfaculty Initiative at Harvard specifically supports interdisciplinary research between the brain sciences and any other scientific discipline. Dr. Sediqzadah was awarded for her research project, “Cost- Effectiveness Analysis of Early Intervention in Psychosis”, which merges mental health and decision science. She hopes to present her research to mental health policy analysts in support of early intervention in psychosis in young adults. This project is supervised Dr. Ankur Pandya, Assistant Professor of Health Decision Science in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Congratulations Saadia! #HackingPublicHealth – Saturday, April 20, 2019
The first-ever hackathon at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health drew 100+ students from across Harvard and area colleges to “hack” solutions for public health. This event was organized by the the Public Health Innovation x Technology (PHIT) Student Forum, a group that several students in HPM participate in.
The day started started with an overview of the hackathon and a teaming presentation, followed by track specific presentations. Attendees worked within one the three tracks representing public health challenges: Social Determinants of Health (supporter: HSPH Student Innovation Fund); Engaging Patients in Preventive Care (supporter: Partners HealthCare Pivot Labs); and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (supporter: Deloitte). They formed 22 teams across the three tracks, attended skill-building workshops (design thinking, AI 101, lean business model, and pitching), and worked throughout the day on developing their ideas. The event culminated with track-specific pitches to a panel of judges representing leaders in Boston’s public health sector, and an awards presentations for first ($1,000), second ($500), third ($250) place, and Health Equity and Leadership winners within each track.
HPM Students were part of several of the winning teams at this event: Social Determinants of Health Tajah Tubbs’ (MPH-45 Health Management) group won first place and the HEAL award for their Rethinking Diabetes Management project. Joy Madubuonwu’s (MPH-65 Health Policy) group, CoNexus, won third place for their project that facilitated access to safe spaces for people who are homeless. Engaging Patients in Preventive Health Jacob Keteyian’s (MPH-65 Health Management) group, Onere, won second place for their project that created comprehensive mental health program embedded within existing university infrastructure supporting undergraduate students with an evidence-based workshop and telemedicine monitoring program. AI in Healthcare Isaac Acqah’s (MPH-45 Health Management) group, Diaploy won second place for their tech-based platform solution designed to help ministries of health predict, prepare for, and prevent the spread of diarrheal diseases by using AI image recognition to detect outbreaks. MPH-65 Health Management Student Project named Semi-Finalist in the MIT $100K CompetitionJean Jung and Nancy Tang (both MPH-65 Health Management)‘s group project has been named as a Semi-Finalist in MIT’s $100K Competition. The MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition is an event that brings together students and researchers from across MIT and Greater Boston to launch their talent, ideas, and technology into leading companies. The competition runs as series of distinct, increasingly intensive contests: Pitch, Accelerate, and Launch. Each contest focuses on developing specific founder skills. For semi-finalists in Accelerate and Pitch, the MIT $100K brings together a network of resources, including mentorship from venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and attorneys; media exposure; prototyping funds; business plan feedback; and discounted services. More than $300K in non-dilutive funding is awarded to accelerate these new ventures. Jean and Nancy’s project, entitled Wondermap, is a non-profit startup that enables pediatric patients to fight isolation and develop emotional and social intelligence. The Launch Finale is on May 15. Please send along your best wishes to our HPM competitors! Good luck Jean and Nancy! Tajah Tubbs (MPH-45 Health Management) leads first Native American Student Association Seminar
On Monday, April 8th, the Native American Student Association (NASO) kicked off its spring Women in Leadership Annual Conference – April 5, 2019
The Harvard Chan Women in Leadership Student Organization’s 2019 Conference, entitled Forging Ahead: Driving Change in the Face of Adversity, featured a diverse group of female leaders from multiple industries including academia, hospital administration, politics and journalism. Through guest speaker addresses, panel discussions, and skill-based workshops, 40+ students from Harvard and other Boston area schools learned how to think about implicit bias, seek professional mentorship, and combat persistent workplace challenges including pay inequity, sexual harassment, and lingering “boys club” behavior.
The Harvard Chan Students who organized this event are pictured above: Violette Perrotte, Laura Heath (MPH-45 Health Policy), Amy Long, Mary Erklauer (MPH-65 Health Management), Isabel Janmey, Allie Sosinsky, Emily Caplan (MPH-65 Health Management), Alexandra Rashedi, Christina Wu (MPH-65 Health Policy). MPH-65 March Grads Meet up in Washington DC
Sarah Bourland and Rachel Cohen (both MPH-65 Health Policy) have both moved to Washington DC were thrilled to be able to meet up on Capitol Hill. Sarah recently landed a job as Policy Advisor and State Advocacy Director at Patients For Affordable Drugs in DC, and Rachel is currently working for Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA). Hop into Spring 2019A big thank you to all who attended, and a special thanks to Ahmed Abdelfattah (MPH-45 Health Management) for setting up video games on the big screen for us!        HEAL Conference 2019On Saturday March 30th 2019, EDI Fellows Kelley Butler (MPH-65 Health Policy), Saadia Sediqzadah (MSc in Health Policy and Management), Tajah Tubbs (MPH-45 Health Management), Tariana Little (DRPH Program) and Keona Wynne (MSc in Bioethics), along with the support of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, hosted the HEAL 2019: Now What? Health Equity and Leadership in Action at HSPH. This was a skills-based conference rooted in health equity and social justice.  Discussions on action included actions to promote racial, gender, sexual and socioeconomic Winter 2019Many HPM students were kind enough to share some of their Winter Session experiences with us. Here’s a bit of what folks were up to in January: Adventures at the CDCThis experience, directed by Professor Henning Tiemeier, gives students a wonderful opportunity to connect with the CDC and in several state or local public health officials across the US.  After spending a week in Atlanta at the CDC headquarters, these students then jetted off to work with state officials in various locations. Here is who went from HPM, where they landed, and what they worked on:  Liz Gipson (MPH-65 Health Policy) was in Helena, MT working with Amanda Aubel (MPH-65 HSB) on evaluating a healthy relationships curriculum designed for rural middle schoolers. They came up with a five-year plan to help the Department of Public Health determine if the program can be designated evidence-based or not. Also, they didn’t realize until they were there that the creator of the curriculum is an HSPH alumn, Allison Smith-Estelle (ScD ’03) — what a small world!  Robert Korycinski (MPH-65 Health Policy) traveled to the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus, OH to help design an evaluation plan for the Ohio Child Fatality Review program, which assesses the preventability of all deaths of those less than 18 years old in the state. Their group focused specifically on evaluating how the the program examines infant deaths due to preterm birth.  Dina Nathanson (MPH-45 Health Policy) was stationed in New Orleans, LA with fellow Harvard Chan student Jane Carpenter (MPH-65 HSB). They helped design an evaluation plan for the state’s initiative to increase the rate of physicians conducting developmental screening tools on children 0-5 at the recommended periodicity. They also traveled to Baton Rouge and Lafayette to interview stakeholders.  Joy Madubuonwu (MPH-65 Health Policy) was stationed in New Mexico, where she worked with a team to create and evaluate a program for the New Mexico Department of Health to mitigate the onset of type 2 diabetes for women with a history of gestational diabetes who attended their community health centers.  Lakshmi Ramachandran (MPH-45 Health Policy) was stationed at the Texas Department of Health Services (DSHS). Her team’s project was the Obstetric Hemorrhage Learning Collaborative. Lakshmi explains, “As is many times cited at HSPH, the US unfortunately leads OECD countries maternal mortality and morbidity. One of the largest preventable causes of maternal morbidity is obstetric hemorrhage, or excessive bleeding associated with childbirth. Modeled after a California program, the DSHS has teamed up with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as a number of state specific stakeholders to implement an obstetric hemorrhage bundle (group of services) int he 224 birthing hospitals across Texas – in an attempt to reduce maternal morbidity. Our role was to develop an evaluation plan so that DSHS could assess the efficacy of this program.”   Liz Sherman (MPH-65 Health Policy) was in Burlington, Vermont. Her project was evaluating Medicaid EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment) outreach activities to families.  HPM 245: Public Health LeadershipMany HPM students participated in HPM 245 in January, and by all accounts, it was another very successful year in the course. It was the first class taken by our new MPH-65 Health Management students, who found it to be a great way to get to know others within HPM and beyond during their first full week at Harvard Chan.  GHP 542: Field Trip to BrazilIn this course, students generally learn about several infectious diseases that are endemic in Brazil and the biological, environmental and socioeconomic factors associated with their persistence and distribution. Both Harvard Chan and Brazilian students participate in the course. Professors from Harvard and from Brazil lecture and lead discussions during the trip. These lectures focus on selected infectious diseases as well as social determinants of health, health policy in Brazil, and data sources and analysis. Students attend these lectures and discussions during the first week , meet with both researchers and public health workers, and also visit health care facilities. During the second week, students work in small teams to develop proposals.  Two HPM students, Miguel Linares (MPH-45 Health Management) and Kenan Courtney (MPH-65 Health Management) were able to participate in this year’s course. Here are a few photos from their travels:    GHP 297: Field Trip to ChileThis course offers a chance to learn about Chile’s innovative health system, which has been a model for several countries around the world. Students also have an opportunity to observe Chile’s initiatives in prevention and promotion in primary care, and the development of a family medicine approach to community health care and initiatives in tobacco control, obesity reduction and mental health. During the two weeks of this trip, students have interviews with key officials, including the current Minister of Health, Carmen Castillo, representatives from the association of physicians, and with members of private clinics and hospitals. They also get to interact with academic observers and researchers from key university programs. Students visit municipal government offices, as well as clinics and hospitals in urban and rural areas. Chilean residents in family medicine also attend the course and work with the Harvard students on projects.  This was a special year as it marked the course’s 15th anniversary. HPM had several students participate in this course: Emily Caplan (MPH-65 Health Management), Amanda Graff (MPH-45 Health Policy), Kate Kollars (MPH-45 Health Policy), Tuli Mitra-Majumdar (MPH-65 Health Policy), Rohan Rastogi (MPH-45 Health Policy), Ajeet Singh (MPH-45 Health Policy). and Mao Yanagisawa (MPH-65 Health Policy). Please enjoy the following pictures from their trip:         Sarah Moselle (MPH-45 Health Management) travels to Singapore Sarah Moselle and fellow student Anthony Morgan (MPH-65 GHP) traveled to Singapore to work on their practicum with IQVIA. IQVIA is a multi-national life sciences consulting company that uses data science to support clients working in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and clinical research industries. IQVIA has recently begun to expand its offerings to serve public health stakeholders, such as global health donors, UN agencies, and governments. Working under the supervision of their fantastic preceptor, Harvard Chan Health Management alumna Annie Wang, Sarah and Anthony supported the development of IQVIA’s Asia Pacific public health strategy. They are also happy to report that they did their best to visit as many hawker centres as possible in three weeks. Takahito Hatano (MPH-45 Health Management) travels to Thailand for Practicum Project In conjunction with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Takhito researched Thailand’s health awareness. He met with many officials and conducted interviews during his visit. Takahito’s research focused on the way that blood pressure was measured, and what his subject’s general knowledge of blood pressure was. His trip included a visit to both Phutthamonthon Hospital and Maha Sawat Tambon Health Promoting Hospital to learn about Thailand’s health service system at district and sub-district levels. Takahito’s visit was featured in the news at Mahidol University while he was there, and can be viewed here: http://www.aihd.mahidol.ac.th/news/?p=14496  Dan Ebner (MPH-45 Health Management) Awarded the Zetema FellowshipDan recently learned that he was selected as a 2019 fellow for this program. The Zetema Fellowship Program is designed to support and develop emerging US healthcare business and policy leaders. Each year, this program selects a few graduate students and gives them the opportunity to learn from panelists and staff, contribute to research and writing, participate in project meetings, and enhance and benefit from the Zetema network. Congratulations Dan! Winter Ball and a Winter Ball AlternativeStudents clearly enjoyed their time at the Winter Ball on February 1, which was held at the Westin Copley Place for the first time this year. Students, Staff, and Faculty enjoyed hors d’ouevres in the Essex Ballroom and then moved to the Staffordshire Ballroom for dancing and desserts. As usual, the photo booth was the big hit of the evening. Photo booth pictures of HPM students and other attendees can be viewed here. Of course, there was fun to be had elsewhere that evening as well. Cheers to MPH-65 Health Policy students Alicia Nelson, Liz Gipson, Kristoffer Szumigalski and Clare McGlave!  Rohan Rastogi (MPH-45 HP) Publishes Article in The Incidental EconomistRohan’s article focuses on policies related to hospital hand hygiene, which was written in collaboration with HSPH Visiting Associate Professor Austin Frakt, a New York Times columnist and founder of The Incidental Economist health policy blog. Here’s the link to this article: https://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/an-abundance-of-caution-hand-hygiene-vs-fire-safety-in-hospitals/. Congratulations Rohan! Emily Allen (MPH-45 Health Policy) Welcomes New Addition to Family!Dylan Harlow Budris-Allen was so excited to join the family, that he arrived 2 weeks early on 12/14/18. He weighed 7lbs and was 19.5 inches long. Emily and her family have all been happy and healthy and have loved their time together over the winter session during Emily’s “special elective in maternal-child health.” Congratulations Emily!
Fall 2018HPM Students Take on Key Roles in the Harvard Chan 2018 Public Health Leadership Conference on December 8, 2018
Sagar Desai (MPH-45 HM Candidate), Angel Rosario (MPH-45 HM Candidate), Rupsha Biswas (MPH-45 HM Candidate) and Matthew Hughsam (MPH -65 GHP Candidate) organized the 2018 Public Health Leadership Conference, which took place on Saturday December 8th, and was open to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health students as part of the Public Health Leadership Lab. At the Public Health Leadership Lab, the belief is that solving the public health issues of today requires strong leadership and collaboration across multiple sectors. The conference’s mission was to optimize development of public health leaders through interactive, engaging workshops in the domains of Self-Awareness, Decision-making & Communication, Diversity & Inclusion, Team Engagement, and Self-care/Wellness. “It was powerful to be a part of a conference organized both by, and for, public health students. It inspired me to see us leverage our collective wealth of knowledge and experiences to drive each other’s leadership growth. I look forward to taking the lessons learned from this conference and applying them to my work.” – Sagar Desai
Tuli Mitra-Majumdar (MPH-65 HP Candidate) , Amanda Woo (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Sarah Koser (MPH-45 HP Candidate), and Christina Wu (MPH-65 HP candidate), pictured above, were involved in planning workshops for the conference as the culminating event of the Public Health Leadership Lab. Also pictured are Mao Yanagisawa (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Alicia Nelson (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Tuli Mitra-Majumdar (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Kelly Butler (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Katherine Fernandez (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Joy Madubuonwu (MPH-65 HP Candidate), Amanda Graff (MPH-45 HP Candidate), who attended as conference participants. It was a sold-out event. Saadia Sediqzadah (SM in HPM Candidate) Organizes “What’s on your Mind? A Chat about Mental Health” on December 4, 2018
Saadia is concurrently a PGY-4 psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto, and an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Fellow at Harvard. During her fellowship, she has been reflecting on the limited opportunities to discuss mental health challenges in a safe space. To address this issue, she recently organized an event called “What’s on Your Mind? A Conversation About Mental Health.” This was a collaboration between the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Mental Health Student Alliance. The objectives were simple: come, eat (pizza), listen and share personal experiences with mental health disorders and experiences as a caregiver. The best way to challenge mental health stigma is to simply talk about it and to normalize such conversations. They were pleasantly surprised to find the great turn out and clear interest in the topic! Saadia looks forward to hosting more events in the Spring term. Ideas for future events include mental health and spirituality, coping strategies, mental wellness, and education about mental health disorders (symptoms and treatment). She hopes to see you there! Ebere Azumah (MPH-45 HM Candidate) coordinates the World AIDS Day lecture featuring Phyllis Kanki on December 3, 2018
Ebere Azumah, President of the Nigerian Student Associate, coordinated the HIV/AIDS in Nigeria Discussion that was organized in observance of World AIDS Day on December 3, 2018. She stated, “It was a great day to gather great minds and listen to the wisdom of Dr. Kanki and the charge to continue to demand better treatment for patients with HIV in Nigeria especially the babies born with antiviral resistance. This day reminds us of the importance to give a voice to those living with HIV, that they are also humans and important in Nigeria, in West Africa and all over the World.”
Ebere also shared the following comments from fellow students outside of HPM: “According to UNAIDS, 1.8 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2017. This clearly indicates that the battle against HIV is far from over. We the global community need to work hard to ensure that everyone has access to HIV prevention, treatment and care. We were grateful to see many professors and students participate in the World AIDS Day lecture or wearing the red ribbon-these symbolizes that we the public health school are champions of this mission. A mission of leadership and activism to move the HIV/AIDS agenda forward,” Tip, Sai Lone MPH candidate, President Harvard Chan ASEAN Student Organization.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a presentation from Dr. Kanki in commemoration of World AIDS day. For three decades, this day has been recognized worldwide. It is a way to not only continue raising awareness around the disease but also to remember those that have died and uplift those that live with the disease everyday.” Lem Atanga McCormick MPH Candidate, Chair- World AIDS Day Nigerian Student Association (NSA) Design Thinking Crash Course on November 15, 2018
On November 15, 2018, the Public Health Innovation x Technology Forum (PHIT) and Harvard Chan Design and Strategy Student Club (HaDas) held a design thinking workshop, led by Co-President Tony Gallanis (SM Candidate in Epidemiology). The workshop covered processes, skills, and methodologies used by innovative design thinking consultancies to brainstorm around ways to improve the Kresge Cafeteria experience. Several students from HPM participated in this event, and these groups are planning to hold a larger hack-a-thon type event in the spring semester. Stay tuned! 4, 3, 2, One..Smile! |
EatWell team wins Rabobank-MIT Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize
On May 4, 2018, Dan Wexler (MPH-65 Health Management), Priya Patel (MPH Candidate, Global Health), and their EatWell team, won the 2018 Rabobank-MIT Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize! EatWell was chosen from 30 submissions for this competition. In January, judges selected the seven finalist teams, which were paired with mentors that helped develop business plans and pitches. EatWell is a nonprofit organization that plans to sell meal kits at kiosks in urban areas where it’s difficult to buy affordable, nutritious food. Congratulations Dan! |
HPM at the Spring MPH Field Practice Poster Night
On April 24, 2018, MPH student presenters from five fields of study participated in a highly interactive evening of field practice posters and dialogue. Students shared experiences and learnings from their Practica via electronic posters in Kresge Cafe. MPH Students from Health Policy and Management swept the awards at this year’s event. Congratulations to all of the HPM students who won prizes at Poster Night!
| Prize | Student Name | Field of Study | Poster Title | Host Organization |
| First | Sukanya Venkatesan | Health Management | Admission Planning Using Predictive Analytics To Optimize Bed Utilization | Dana Farber Cancer Institute |
| Second | Greg Zwisler | Health Management | What next for The Netherlands’ top healthcare innovation center? | REshape Center at Radboud University Medical Center |
| Third | Morgan Medlock | Health Policy | Incompetent to Stand Trial: Strategies for Jail Release and Community Re-entry | Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute for Texas |
| Audience Favorite | Kia Byrd | Health Policy | Project Focus: Crafting School Policies to Support Girls of Color | City of Boston, Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley |
World Malaria Day Event – April 24, 2018
Benjamin Aiwonodagbon (MPH-45 Health Management) coordinated the organization of 2018 World Malaria Day Panel Discussion organized by the Harvard Chan Nigerian Students Association in partnership with the Harvard University’s Defeating Malaria: from the Gene to the Globe Initiative. Panelists included Dr. Ify Aniebo, Dr. Ajibola Ibraheem Abioye, and Dr. Heverton Dutra.
MPH-65 Health Management ’19 Cohort Runs a 5K!
On April 22nd, the MPH-65 ’19 took cohort bonding to the next level by running a 5k together this spring. All fourteen of us (plus friends) enjoyed the spring weather with a run/jog/walk through the streets of Cambridge.
HPM Students Successfully complete the Public Health Leadership Lab
Pictured: Nayely Chavez, Edem Hado, Maya Kiel,and Meghan Rossini, all MPH-65 HP students
The following students received their PHL Lab Certificates:
| Charlotte | Baynard | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Nayely | Chavez | MPH-65 Health Policy |
| Sheryl | Choo | MPH-45 Health Policy |
| Rachel | Earl | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Lara | Jackson | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Maya | Kiel | MPH-65 Health Policy |
| Chrissy | Kreider | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Kristy | Lupejkis | MPH-45 Health Policy |
| Mariana | Mora | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Deborah | Pan | MPH-65 Health Management |
| Shreya | Patel | MPH-45 Health Policy |
| Rose | Penfold | MPH-45 Health Policy |
| Valencia | Walker | MPH-45 Health Policy |
| Benjamin | Aiwonodagbon | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Edem | Hado | MPH-65 Health Policy |
| Olivia | May | MPH-65 Health Policy |
| Pedro | Orta | MPH-45 Health Management |
| Meghan | Rossini | MPH-65 Health Policy |
Congratulations, everyone!
Vidur Sharma is the next HCSA President!
Congratulations to Vidur Sharma (MPH-65 Health Management), who has been elected President of the Harvard Chan Student Association for the 2018-2019 Academic Year! He plans to focus on improving the student experience at Harvard Chan by streamlining the registration experience, establishing spaces to take a professional phone call, and even the “simple” things like making sure staplers next to printers actually have staples.
Women in Leadership’s Annual Spring Symposium
On April 6, 2018, the Women in Leadership Student Organization held their Annual Spring Symposium. This year, the theme was “Leading by Example: Redefining the Dynamics of Power”. HPM students Sarah Bourland (MPH-65 Health Policy), Mahrokh Irani (MPH-45 Health Management), and Amanda Woo (MPH-65 Health Policy), helped to plan the event. Several accomplished speakers participated, including Loretta Sanchez, Beatriz Merino, Christine Spadafor, Dr. Linda Kaboolian, and Dr. Nicole Noll. There was a great turnout of 50 people, and the day ended on a high note with a lively networking reception.
Story by Kia Byrd to be Featured in an Anthology of Short Stories
A short story written by Kia Byrd (MPH-45 Health Policy) about a patient experience written during the first year of medical school will soon be published in an anthology of other short stories written by medical trainees. The anthology will be published through Gordian Knot Books in the coming months. Way to go, Kia!
Interdisciplinary Panel: Gun Violence
Winter Session 2018
Many students were kind enough to share some of their Winter Session experiences with us. Here’s a bit of what folks were up to in January:
Adventures at the CDC
This experience, directed by Professor Marie McCormack, gives students a wonderful opportunity to connect with the CDC and in several state or local public health officials across the US. After spending a week in Atlanta at the CDC headquarters, these students jetted off to work with state officials in various locations. Here is who went from HPM, where they landed, and what they worked on:
Lara Bertoia (MPH-65 Health Policy): Went to Nashville to work with the Tennessee Department of Health Family Planning Program. She wrote an evaluation plan to find out why very few males use their family planning services.
Sarah Bourland (MPH-65 Health Policy): Went to Chicago and worked with the Illinois Department of Public Health to develop a program evaluation plan for their School-Based Health Centers.
Nayely Chavez (MPH-65 Health Policy): Had the opportunity to travel to Cheyenne, Wyoming. She worked with Tolani Akinolah (SBS) to put together an evaluation plan for Wyoming’s Personal Responsibility Education Program, a comprehensive sex education curriculum offered to youth-serving organizations, like schools.
Molly McGlone (MPH-65 Health Policy): Went to Tallahassee, Florida to design a program evaluation for Florida’s Healthy Start Interconception Care Model program, which aims to improve the maternal health of at-risk mothers between pregnancies.
GHP 542 – Harvard-Brazil Collaborative Public Health Field Course
Edi Gold (MPH-45 Health Management) sent along these lovely pictures and wrote to tell us about her trip:
“Over January-term, I participated in the Global Health field course to Fortaleza, Brazil, where we learned about some of the city’s pressing public health issues with a group of half Harvard students, half Brazilians. Brazil, a country with limited resources, has a universal health system that provides free care to all of its residents with no “line-cutting,” and no apparent corruption. It was awe-inspiring to see first-hand what can be achieved with limited resources. I was part of the group identifying an intervention for Early Childhood Development in the city. I met babies born with congenital Zika syndrome and I accompanied community health workers to home visitations to help vulnerable mothers bond with their babies. Aside from our academic work, we took a weekend trip to Jericoacoara, a haven with dunes, lagoons, and a warm ocean, and spent evenings eating shrimp, fries and drinking ice-cold beers on the beach. Brazil keeps their beer very, very cold. It was a fascinating experience that can only be achieved outside the classroom.”
Edi Gold (MPH-45 Health Management), Emily Damon (MPH-65 Health Policy) and Meghan Rossini (MPH-65 Health Policy) with their classmates in Brazil.
Annie Wang (MPH-65 Health Management) visits Jakarta as part of Practicum
Annie writes of her experience there:
“mClinica is a healthcare technology start-up based in Southeast Asia, and has the largest network of pharmacy professionals in the world. The CEO, Farouk Meralli, is an HPM alum from 2012 who has a very inspiring “for profit meets public health” vision for his company.
I worked with the team in Jakarta on a scale-up strategy for SwipeRx Beta, the “Amazon for pharmacies” which just concluded a pilot and is positioned to take on the rest of Indonesia’s 22,000 pharmacies.”
Dennis Porto (MPH-45 Health Management) travels to Indonesia
Dennis attend the Indonesia Trek with a group of HSPH, HBS and HKS students. There, they met with business and political leaders in Jakarta, explored temples in Yogyakarta and ended the trip on the beaches of Bali.
Dennis outside of the Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
GHP 297 – Winter Session Trip to Chile
Edem Hado (MPH-65 Health Policy), Maya Kiel (MPH-65 Health Policy) and Alexis Bolick (MPH-65 Health Management) all participated in GHP 297, which marked it’s 15th anniversary this year. This course offers students a chance to learn about an innovative health system that has been a model for several countries around the world and to observe Chile’s initiatives in prevention and promotion in primary care including an important public private partnership and the development of a family medicine approach to community health care and initiatives in tobacco control, obesity
reduction and mental health.
Visiting with the Minister of Health of Chile.
Visiting a clinic in Chile
Sunny Stirewalt (MPH-65 Health Management) visits Haiti for Practicum
Here’s a quick note from Sunny about her trip:
“Over break, I visited the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation Clinic. It was such an incredible experience to work on the ground with the organization. Throughout the week, I was able to work with the community health workers and clinicians to improve the health forms and data collection process. I am so grateful for this opportunity!”
Sunny Stirewalt (right), and her preceptor, Sarah Gleason, the US operations director of Saint Rock Haiti Foundation.
Jamison Langguth (MPH-65 Health Management) works on Practicum in Hawaii
A big Aloha from Jamison, who spent his time in Oahu evaluating workload differences between phases I/II/III clinical trials in oncology to better inform resource allocation as part of his practicum experience at Yale University.
Zuckerman Fellowship Students Travel to Puerto Rico
MPH HPM students Grace Truong (MPH-45 HP/JD), Andrea Quiñones-Rivera (MPH-45 Health Policy), and Rohit Abraham (MPH-45 Health Policy) traveled to Puerto Rico with Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. As part of the Zuckerman Fellowship field experience, they had the opportunity to learn about the challenges and opportunities that Puerto Rico faces post-Maria. To learn about leadership in times of crisis, they met with policy makers, including: Hon. Carmelo Rios Santiago (Speaker of the Senate), House Rep. Manuel Natal Abelo, and Kenneth McClinton (Former Secretary of State, Senator, & Lt. Governer). To learn more about energy and infrastructure post-Maria, they met with Jose Maeso (Business Development Manager for the Puerto Rico Energy Center) and Lyvia Rodriguez (Executive Director of Project Enlace). The Zuckerman Fellows also met with local leaders in the healthcare sphere, including Dr. Lillian Rivera and the CEO of Med Centro, Dr. Luz León López (Demographics Expert, UPR School of Public Health), Professor Mayra Vega (UPR School of Pharmacy), and Maria Levis Peralta (MPH ’08, MPA’07, CEO & Founder of Impactivo).
With Hon. Carmelo Rios Santiago (Speaker of the Senate) in the Capitol of Puerto Rico
Zuckerman Fellows at La Fortaleza, the home of the Governor of Puerto Rico
Zuckerman Fellows with Manuel Natal Albelo, the youngest elected official in Puerto
Adedolapo Ojo (MPH-65 Health Management) welcomes baby Nathan!
Congratulations Adedolapo and family!
Sarah Bourland (MPH-65 Health Policy) and Senator Elizabeth Warren
Sarah Bourland and her CDC partner, Diana Ha (MPH-45 Social Determinants of Health & Disparities), had the good fortune of running into Senator Elizabeth Warren while at the airport during their CDC trip. The Senator was very friendly and asked all about their public health interests.
Fall 2, 2017
December 1, 2017 – World AIDS Day
In celebration of World AIDS Day, the Nigerian Student Association, Africa Health Student Forum and the Office for Diversity hosted a panel discussion on the subject of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This discussion was moderated by our own Benjamin Aiwonodagbon (MPH-45 Health Management).
Panelists included: Jessica Haberer, Associate Professor of Medicine & Director of Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Sabina Mugusi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow & Lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania.
MPH-65 December Graduation Celebration
Several departments gathered on December 4 to celebrate all of the MPH-65 students who were slated to finish off their studies in December 2017. Health Policy and Management was proud to celebrate twelve of our own MPH-65 Health Policy students as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
Steven Weiss, Stuart Henige and Kolton Gustafson, all MPH-65 Health Policy December Degree Candidates
Anne Occhipinti, Assistant Dean of Professional Education, Corrina Wainwright and Jacob Barerra, MPH-65 Health Policy Degree Candidates
Patrick Ross, MPH-65 Health Policy Degree Candidate, Ankur Pandya, Assistant Professor of Health Decision Science, Jane Kim,Professor of Health Decision Science, Emily Arsen and Max Deng, both MPH-65 Health Policy Degree Candidates
Congratulations everyone!
Aleesha Shaik (MPH-45 Health Policy) Receives Award and Publishes Article
On December 9th, Aleesha received the Special Recognition award from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians for her contributions to the Chapter and to Internal Medicine in Pennsylvania.
Aleesha and her sister Aana Shaik at the awards ceremony in December.
Also, in September 2017, an article that Aleesha worked on got published in Pediatrics:
Parent Coping Support Interventions During Acute Pediatric Hospitalizations: A Meta-Analysis.
Authors: , , , , , , , ,
September 2017, VOLUME 140 / ISSUE 3
Fall 1, 2017
Highlights from Pumpkinfest!
Thanks so much to everyone who baked for and attended Pumpkinfest on October 31, 2017. We had a great turnout, and lots of tasty treats. HPM’s next student event will be our annual Hot Cocoa Party. We look forward to seeing you there!
Beth Ann Lopez, MPH 65 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
Beth Ann wrote an article on antibiotic resistance in the July 2017 issue of the Manila Times entitled “Overcoming the “super bug” crisis in Asean.” The article focuses on the issue of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in that region, which is caused by the improper use of antimicrobial medicines, like antibiotics:
http://www.manilatimes.net/overcoming-super-bug-crisis-asean/338053/
Chelsea Rice, MPH 45 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
Chelsea just reported on the launch of The Quabbin Retreat in Petersham for athenahealth’s newsroom, athenaInsIght, which was published in September. She explains, “The athenaInsight project is athenahealth’s effort to launch a healthcare news site that features successful clinical stories and data-driven trends across their cloud-based electronic health network. The Quabbin Retreat is a dual-diagnosis substance use treatment center that Heywood Healthcare, a Massachusetts-based health system, has recently opened. Research shows that treating behavioral health issues and substance use disorders concurrently is more effective, but before The Quabbin Retreat, the closest treatment center for dual-diagnosis patients in Massachusetts was almost 90 minutes away. They had to overcome a lot of community stigma to transform this historic former nursing home for nuns into a treatment center, but it could have a major impact on a region suffering from the opioid epidemic.”:
https://www.athenahealth.com/insight/community-buy-key-treating-opioid-epidemic
Dan Wexler, MPH-65 Health Management Degree Candidate:
Since January, Dan has been developing EatWell, a non-profit startup that aims to make healthy eating more accessible for low-income, urban families. This summer, he partnered with the Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition and their Vigorous Youth Group to help reduce the impact of food insecurity. One of the main projects was running the farmers market at Mattapan Square, where Dan held a cooking demo and taste test for EatWell’s 30-minute, one-pot meal kits, teaching young families new ways to make a healthy, delicious, and nutritious dinner. Dan and the Vigorous Youth Group also worked together to build a garden bed and plant vegetables in the Kennedy Gardens.
David Opp, MPH-65 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
On October 4-5, David was one of thirty scholars from across the country to attend the Winston Health Policy Scholars Symposium in Washington, D.C.. During this immersive experience, he got to meet former Winston Fellows and Board Members who work at the epicenter of health policymaking, bringing to life much of what he’s learned in class. As a fitting end to his trip, he ran into three HSPHers (one recent alum who now works in D.C. and two who were visiting for a lobby day at Congress) in line for his flight back to Boston!
Dennis Porto, MPH-45 Health Management Degree Candidate:
Dennis has passed the American Board of Dermatology’s certifying exam and is now a Board-Certified Dermatologist. Congratulations Dennis!
Dennis also edited a textbook that has just become available in print: “Botulinum Toxins: Cosmetic and Clinical Applications.” 1st ed., John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2017.
Jacob Barrera, MPH-65 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
Jacob was featured on the CDC’s Health Equity Matters Summer 2017 Newsletter. This article focuses on his involvement with the CDC’s Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program as well as the future of public health:
https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/newsletter/2017/summer/features.html
Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn, MPH-45 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
In September, New was featured in Reuters in an article entitled, “Six Dreamers sue Trump administration over DACA decision,” as well as in a Harvard Crimson article entitled, “Public Health School Student Sues Trump Over DACA.” New is among a half-dozen undocumented young people suing President Donald Trump over his move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. For more information, and for a link to a statement from Dean Michelle Williams, please click HERE.
Spring 2017
Highlights from the HCHC’s talk, “Describe the HealthCare system in your Country”
The Harvard Chan Student Club for International HealthCare Systems put together its first roundtable discussion on Wednesday, March 29, 2017. At this session, the discussion focused on healthcare systems in Europe. Students from France, Germany, Netherlands, and the United-Kingdom introduced the system in their country, and helped facilitate a debate about the strengths and weaknesses of each system.
The HCHC team that put this talk together were all HPM Students: Eddy Ang (MPH-45 HM), Kailing Rao (MPH-45 HM), Srik Ram (MPH-45 HM), Deborah Pan (MPH-65 HM), Greg Versmee (MPH-45 HM).
The featured panelists included two HPM Students: Hannah Herzig (MPH-45 HP) and Olivia Jagger (MPH-45 HM).
William Hsiao, K.T. Li Research Professor of Economics visits students in HPM 290
Professor William Hsaio visited with the MPH-65 Health Policy students as part of HPM 290 in early March 2017. It was a wonderful evening.
Jacob Barrera, MPH 65 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
Jacob presented at the Kentucky Cancer Summit: Policy Workshop – ACA Repeal and Replace. Please read more about it here: http://www.chlpi.org/policy-analysis-development-action-chlpi-co-sponsors-kentucky-cancer-summit/
Rhea Boyd, MPH 45 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
On Wednesday April 5, 2017, Rhea and her colleagues planned a national recognition of Voting Rights as a Public Health Issue! There were two events that day: a lecture and discussion with Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director, MassVOTE, and a social media storm to spread the word. If you would like to get involved in any future activities, please visit https://vote4health.squarespace.com/ or on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Voting4Health
Abraar Karan MD, MPH 45 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
Abraar has published several items:
“Publication should not be the endgame of medical research,” BMJ. February 2017: http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2017/02/16/abraar-karan-publication-should-not-be-the-endgame-of-medical-research/.
“Please Keep Religious Intolerance Out of Medicine,” Huffington Post. 2017: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/589b4995e4b0985224db5ca8?timestamp=1486573754824
“Revisiting Health as a Human Right- Does Everyone Have a Right to be Healthy?” BMJ. March 2017: http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2017/03/21/abraar-karan-revisiting-health-as-a-human-right/
“A Doctor’s Dilemma: A Case of Two “Right” Answers,” Hastings Center Bioethics Forum. 2017: http://www.thehastingscenter.org/doctors-dilemma-case-two-right-answers/
Abraar was also invited to present a Social Impact Pitch at the 14th annual Unite For Sight Global Health & Innovation Conference at Yale University on April 22-23, 2017.
Linh Nguyen, MPH 65 Health Management Degree Candidate:
Linh’s presentation, “Long-term health access among refugee patients: a needs assessment,” was featured at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Health Equity Symposium on April 6, 2017.
Suresh Pavuluri, MPH 45 Health Policy Degree Candidate:
Suresh was one of 15 medical students chosen for the Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. These fellowships provide students with a 12-day trip to Germany and Poland where the actions of professionals during the Holocaust and in Nazi Germany serve as a backdrop for an intensive course of study on the current ethical challenges in their fields.
Saranya Ramakrishnan, MPH 65 Health Management Degree Candidate:
Saranya recently published an article in the American Psychological Assosciation’s PsychNet:
“Rethinking Cross-Cultural Adaptability Using Behavioral Developmental Theory: An Analysis of Different Migrant Behaviors,” APA PsychNet. 2017: http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2017-05868-001
Diane Russo, MPH 42.5 Health Care Management (Policy) Degree Candidate:
Diane’s lecture was recently accepted to the annual American Academy of Optometry October 2017 meeting in Chicago. The title of her talk is “Social Determinants of Health: An Overview and Link to Optometry.”
