September 27, 2016 —Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni returned to the School on September 23–24 to reconnect with former classmates, learn more about current research in public health, and meet new Dean Michelle A. Williams, SM ’88, ScD ’91.
During the weekend, the Alumni Association honored three individuals chosen by their peers to receive the School’s 2016 Alumni Award of Merit—the highest honor presented to alumni:
Dileep Bal, MPH ’71, has spent decades fighting cancer, obesity, social injustice, and tobacco use as the founder and former director of California’s Tobacco Control Program and later as president of the American Cancer Society. He is a retired district health officer of the Hawaii State Department of Health, and a clinical professor at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine.
Howard Dubowitz, SM ’83, is an international expert in the field of child abuse and neglect. Now serving at the University of Maryland School of Medicine as head of the Division of Child Protection and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, he has broadened recognition of these issues as a significant—and preventable—public health problem.
Richard Heinzl, MPH ’90, is the global medical director of WorldCare Inc., and founder of the first North American Chapter of Doctors Without Borders. As CEO of several commercial telemedicine companies, he has pioneered new ways for physicians to consult online and for complex medical imaging to be securely transmitted.
Additional alumni awards were presented to:
- Carolyn Langer, MPH ’92, chief medical officer, MassHealth, and director, Office of Clinical Affairs, University of Massachusetts Medical School (Leadership in Public Practice Award)
- Carol Peden, MPH ’09, professor, Department of Anesthesiology, and Executive Director, Center for Health System Innovation, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (Public Health Innovator Award)
- Joel Christopher Spicer, MPH ’06, president and CEO, Micronutrient Initiative (Emerging Public Health Professional Award)
The weekend also included presentations by alumni and faculty members on topics relating to politics and public health. John Quelch, SM ’78, professor of health policy and management at Harvard Chan and Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, presented a case study on the 2012 proposal by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to ban the sale of sodas and other sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces at food-service establishments. A faculty panel considered Global and Domestic Perspectives on Power, Politics, and Public Health, and ten alumni explored various angles related to the theme in a series of brief, “TED-style” talks.
Photos: Kent Dayton