May 26, 2017
Thank you Dean Williams!
Graduates of the class of 2017, proud parents and families, honored guests and friends, fellow alumni, esteemed faculty and staff, honorable Dean Williams, and distinguished commencement speaker Ms. McCarthy.
As President of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association, I am honored to congratulate you and welcome you as new members of our alumni association on behalf of more than 13,000 alumni members that came before you.
You are graduating fully equipped with the state of the art knowledge and necessary skills to address the emerging “public health” challenges and save and improve the lives of millions of people around the globe.
Never before was “public health” at the center of “development” as it is nowadays—believe me. It intersects with human, social and economic development in all countries—high-income, low-income, and middle-income countries alike. Improving health is not only an end in itself but also a means to achieving other social and economic development goals.
For example, good health in childhood enhances cognitive functions and reduces school absenteeism and early drop-out rates. Children with better health can be expected to attain higher educational levels and to be more productive in the future, therefore contributing to human capital formation, which is an essential condition for economic growth.
Similarly, to improve health outcomes, we need to address the social determinants of health, which are responsible for about 70 percent of the population’s health. These include socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, health behavior factors, as well as physical environment conditions.
Also, there is strong evidence that investing in health matters for a range of economic outcomes, such as wages, earnings, productivity, labor force participation, retirement, and labor supply.
So, as you walk out with your degrees and think about what you will do, think big! Think how you are going to contribute to the bigger cause of human well-being.
Class of 2017!
I take this opportunity to welcome you not only to the profession but to join a vibrant alumni association. Your engagement with the alumni association will provide you with great resources and access to a large network of alumni across the globe. For example, our “Career Advancement Committee” works to enable and support alumni in exploring new career opportunities and to strengthen ties with current students; our “Professional Development Committee” aims at providing and connecting alumni with resources to develop their technical and managerial skills; and our “Global Alumni Network” aims at expanding and connecting the alumni network globally to each other, to the Harvard Chan School, and to Harvard as a whole. So I urge you to join one of our committees, engage in our events, and consider running for leadership positions on the Alumni Council.
As you enter your next phase of professional life, I hope you will stay connected with the School and Alumni Association, so we can grow our network to the four corners of the world, celebrate our successes and support each other both socially and professionally.
On behalf of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association, I congratulate you once again and wish you all the best in all your future endeavors.
photo: J.D. Levine
Additional coverage
Harvard Chan graduates urged to ‘speak truth to power’
Commencement day photo gallery
Commencement eve photo gallery
Commencement slideshow
Storify, a collection of photos taken by students, families, and friends
Student, faculty, and staff award winners
Dean Michelle Williams address
Former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy address
Watch a webcast of Gina McCarthy’s address
Student speaker William Seligman address