September 26, 2016 — Postdoctoral researchers, research associates, and their faculty mentors celebrated together at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s “Postdoc Appreciation Day” on September 22, 2016 in the Kresge Cafeteria. Held in conjunction with National Postdoc Appreciation Week, the event was a formal “thank you” for the contributions that postdocs and research associates make to the School. The event was organized with the support of the Office of Faculty Affairs.
In opening remarks, Michael Grusby, senior associate dean for academic affairs, praised the School’s more than 450 postdocs and research associates for the work they do to push the frontiers of research and produce new evidence in a range of disciplines.
The event was emceed by Christian Suharlim, MPH ’14, research associate in the Center for Health Decision Sciences, and president of the Postdoctoral Association (PDA), which represents postdocs across the School’s nine departments.
Fred Tabung, vice president of the PDA, presented the 2016 Outstanding Faculty Mentor of the Year award to Russ Hauser, Frederick Lee Hisaw Professor of Reproductive Physiology and acting chair of the Department of Environmental Health. The award honors outstanding faculty members who are exemplary role models and have provided consistent guidance, emotional support, and motivation to their postdoctoral fellows. Other finalists for the award included Alkes Price, Philippe Grandjean, Murray Mittleman, and Edward Giovannucci.