One believed that public health “could captivate the imagination of the best medical and engineering brains.”
Another said that “we must work for an improvement of world health in the hope of ensuring a lasting world peace.”
A third saw public health as “an area that requires, first and foremost, a concern for human rights.”
These eloquent words come from three of Harvard School of Public Health’s past deans—David Linn Edsall, James Stevens Simmons, and Howard Hiatt, respectively. This trio and 12 other deans have shepherded the development of the School, from its opening in 1913 with eight students, to today, when more than 500 students earn degrees each year.
For more on the deans who have helped propel the School in its mission to create powerful ideas for a healthier world, take a sneak peek at this story from the upcoming special Centennial issue of Harvard Public Health magazine.
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Is there an event, person, or discovery in Harvard School of Public Health history that you’d like to read about? Send your suggestions to centennial@hsph.harvard.edu.