The meaning of happiness
Researchers, policy makers, and public health practitioners recently gathered at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health to explore ways that happiness is promoted through evidence-based practice and policy across the globe.
Alumni return to Boston for 2018 Alumni Weekend
September 24, 2018—Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni returned to the School on September 20–21 to reconnect with former classmates and learn more about current research in public health. During the event, the Alumni Association honored…
Happiness might boost health — but how?
Although some scientists are skeptical about the notion that happiness can improve health, researchers at the new Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health hope to amass enough evidence…
Shedding light on Internet use among the poor
March 22, 2016 -- Harvard Chan School’s Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath co-authored a study that looked at how low-income people use the Internet. According to your study, there’s not a lot of data on how this population uses the…
Zika highlights tension around public health directives
With the mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to a dramatic rise in severe birth defects in Brazil, health officials in nearby countries are advising women to delay plans to become pregnant. But women’s rights advocates have countered that the recommendations…
Off the Cuff: Making the case for childhood immunization
[Spring 2015] Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath, professor of health communication, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences Q: There has been an uptick of measles, whooping cough, and other infections in the United States. Many of these infections, which are…
Measles outbreaks worrying, but ‘on-time’ childhood vaccination remains norm in U.S.
New report recommends compensating providers for vaccine counseling March 12, 2015 — The recent measles outbreak that spread through 17 states brought the issue of childhood vaccination into the headlines, leaving some with the impression that a growing…
Report urges investment in health, well-being of young adults
Young adults in America are plagued with debt, low-paying jobs, poor physical health, and psychological burdens, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Titled “Investing in the Health and Well-Being…
Overcoming inequality by improving Internet access
July 22, 2014 — Health and wealth are intimately connected. In the United States, people with lower incomes and less education are more likely to smoke, to be overweight, and to be less healthy. One reason for this…
The hidden health costs of the Great Recession
What is the total price tag for the Great Recession? Almost five years after the official end of the worst downturn since the Great Depression, there is still no clear answer. What we do know is this: A…