October 9, 2019—About 140 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni returned to the School on October 4–5 for Alumni Weekend to reconnect with former classmates and learn more about current research in public health.
During the event, the Alumni Association honored three individuals chosen by their peers to receive the School’s 2019 Alumni Award of Merit—the highest honor presented to alumni:
Lilian Cheung, SM ’75, SD ’78, is lecturer and director of health promotion and communication in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School. She was recognized for her leadership in health communications focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
Michael Egboh, MPH ’94, is country director of Chemonics GHSC-PSM Project Nigeria. He was honored for his work in the international development sector, particularly in health care, as a strategic leader, activist, and educator.
A. Eugene Washington, SM ’78, is chancellor for health affairs at Duke University, and president and CEO of Duke University Health System. He was honored for his career as an accomplished clinical investigator, public health researcher, and health care innovator, translating research into health policy and transforming health care to focus on patient outcomes.
Additional alumni awards were presented to:
- Dustin T. Duncan, SM ’07, SD ’11, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (Emerging Public Health Professional Award)
- Nwando Olayiwola, MPH ’05, professor and chair in the Department of Family Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, and founding director, National Center for Primary Care Innovation and Transformation, Ohio State University (Public Health Innovator Award)
- Louise Ivers, MPH ’05, executive director of the Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital (Leadership in Public Health Practice Award)
The event also included presentations by alumni and faculty members on topics relating to “misinfodemics”—false science that spreads and harms the public’s health. In the opening plenary, Robert Blendon, Richard L. Menschel Professor of Public Health, and Joanne Kenen, executive health care editor of Politico, discussed the negative health consequences of the death of expertise and the dissolution of the media. Emmanuel d’Harcourt, MPH ’02, Uma Dhanabalan, MPH ’99, Lacey Gibson, SM ’17, and Alison Scholes, SM ’12 gave TED Talk-style presentations, relating the event’s theme to Ebola, cannabis, yoga, and “Dr. Google.” Elsbeth Kalenderian, MPH ’89, and Brittany Seymour, MPH ’11, presented on digital pandemics of public health misinformation through an anti-fluoride case study.
New members of the Alumni Council marked the start of their terms over the weekend. They included:
- Carmon Davis, MPH ’94, president
- Trishan Panch, MPH ’10, president-elect
- Natalie Meyers, SM ’13, secretary
- Ahmed Abdelfattah, MPH ’19, class of 2019 president
- Aparna Chandrasekhar, SM ’12, councilor
- Priti Lakhani, SM ’13, councilor
Photos: Kent Dayton