Exposure to common flame retardant chemicals may increase thyroid problems in women
For immediate release: Monday, May 23, 2016 Boston, MA — Women with elevated levels of common types of flame retardant chemicals in their blood may be at a higher risk for thyroid disease—and the risk may be significantly higher…
Green office environments linked with higher cognitive function scores
For immediate release: October 26, 2015 Boston, MA – People who work in well-ventilated offices with below-average levels of indoor pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) have significantly higher cognitive functioning scores—in crucial areas such as responding to a…
Green public housing may reduce health risks from environmental pollutants
For immediate release: October 15, 2015 Boston, MA ─ Low-income housing residents who live in “green” buildings that are built with eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient features appear to have fewer “sick building” symptoms (SBS) than residents of traditionally…
How the environment affects our health
From polluted air outdoors to bland workspaces indoors, the environment can negatively impact both our physical and mental health, according to three Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health experts who spoke October 5, 2015 in Harvard’s Geographical…
Harvard plans for ‘a more sustainable future’
Harvard launched a new five-year plan on October 22, 2014, aimed at improving the University’s environmental footprint, as well as the health and well-being of its students, faculty, and staff. The plan centers around five core topics: emissions…
A burning passion
[ Winter 2014 ] When Catlin Powers first stepped into a nomadic family’s canvas tent in the Chinese Himalayas, she was overpowered by the smell of burning yak dung, the traditional source of fuel. She almost choked on the thick…
Inaugural HSPH edX course draws thousands of students from around the globe
Professors ‘amazed’ by level of student interaction online February 21, 2013 – Beginning last October, thousands of students from around the globe began studying at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in a totally new way. They studied…
HSPH to launch second public health course on edX
January 2, 2013 -- Harvard School of Public Health’s new online course, “Health in Numbers: Quantitative Methods in Clinical and Public Health Research,” an introduction to biostatistics and epidemiology, has drawn 53,857 students from all over the world.…
Sloan Foundation grant supports research on mass transit-microbiome link
[ Winter 2013 ] As a key player in the National Institutes of Health’s Human Microbiome Project, HSPH’s Curtis Huttenhower helped identify and analyze the more than 5 million microbial genes that exist in the human body—in the stomach and the mouth,…
Messages of Silent Spring still relevant 50 years later
The environmental lessons of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring have applications today, 50 years after publication of the seminal book. Despite the book’s impact over five decades, some of its lessons appear to need reteaching, according to John…