Raveena Longia
MPH-65 Health and Social Behavior
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
I was working with many immigrant patients with HIV and HCV and saw several of the same barriers in my own South Asian communities – like the stigma of talking about their mental health, finding a doctor, navigating the bus system, not being understood by culturally aware doctors – and realized many community barriers are structural and parallel each other. I wanted to go from clinical work toward more quantitative and research skills to make strong policy recommendations.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Think about what you want to get out of the program – and not necessarily just academic-wise. This is a chance to meet people from all over the world, sit 1-on-1 with incredible faculty, and understand the history of the Boston area. This program is what you make of it, and there are lots of opportunities to hone your interests.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
In a time where it’s increasingly harder to wade through misinformation and strong evidence, I envision myself working with other strong community leaders who are doing on-the-ground work but whose initiatives are being lobbied against. I want to understand the hard evidence, hear community stories, and push for strong research, policies, and recommendations that become equitable.
Akshar Abbott
MPH-45 Epidemiology
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
I care a lot about leveraging public health innovation to bring high-quality healthcare to Americans living in rural communities. I came to HSPH seeking to learn how epidemiology and biostatistics methods can help test and iterate upon such efforts, identify outcome disparities, and provide an evidence-based framework for decisions that promote health equity.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Wholeheartedly bring your lived experience, your passion for your work, and your domain knowledge to share with your classmates. You will meet remarkable people at HSPH, and opportunities for collaboration abound.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
I hope to help foster interagency collaboration on federal healthcare innovation, building effective new diagnostic tools and treatments to address the health challenges of Americans from all walks of life. For me, this work centers on the core aspiration of our democracy – the decoupling of demographics and destiny, empowering all Americans to live their fullest lives independent of who they are or where they live.
Momi Afelin
MPH-65 Nutrition
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
The small class sizes and the opportunity to learn from the leaders in the field!
What advice would you give to prospective students?
There’s so much going on at HSPH and other Harvard schools that it’s easy to be overwhelmed your first semester. To get the most out of your time here, identify a few skills and topics you want to grow in to help sift through the events and opportunities available. I also recommend taking advantage of the ability to cross-register at other schools!
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
I envision facilitating change in the planetary health space post-graduation. My goal is to work with island and coastal communities to respond to environmental changes impacting human health. I’m especially interested in the ways traditional ecological knowledge is used in Hawai’i to create climate-resilient and environmentally friendly food systems.
Faisal Reza
MPH-45 Generalist
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
It has been inspiring to develop professionally in the multidisciplinary HSPH community, at any time and from anywhere in the world through the MPH Generalist Program while being deployed across the public health agency where I am stationed and to partner organizations, to serve in public health emergencies and in routine public health practices.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
I would advise prospective students to reflect on their lived experiences to envision how their proposed MPH program and time at HSPH can enable them to make a public health impact.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
The MPH Generalist Program has been a transformative experience that will enable me to lead multidisciplinary teams that can scale and augment our abilities to effectively use information to secure the health of the public.
Simone Barry
MPH-45 Epidemiology
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
I am a passionate clinician researcher with a strong interest in public health. I wanted to meet and learn with like-minded individuals and study at what could only be described as the world’s best public health school. I also wanted to inspire my children and teach them the great honor of education.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Dare to dream. If you are thinking of applying, then you should. It is a really fantastic school, and I really feel so lucky to be a part of it. It is such an amazing community.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
I am a TB clinician. I want to drive the push to end TB both within Australia and also within Western Pacific and beyond. I want to be a servant leader who works with others toward a common goal.
Clark Williamson
MPH-45 Health Management
(Graduated in 2023)
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
While completing my medical school training, I began to more fully recognize the various intersections patients and healthcare providers have with the larger healthcare ecosystem which often hinder, rather than improve, the provision of high-value and quality care. I knew learning from practitioners and leaders in the field of healthcare delivery reform and innovation at Harvard Chan would prepare me to not only ask the right questions, but also equip me with the skills to become more solutions based and action oriented. I additionally found the ability to personalize my courses and practicum in the area of health management ideal as it would provide the deeper investigation of system finances and delivery reform I desired.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
I would encourage prospective students to reach out to current or previous students as early as possible to ask about their favorite courses. For those in 45-credit programs, you often have one opportunity to take some courses, and there are too many courses to sift through on your own.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
I will be returning to medical school at UNC to complete my final year and apply to Internal Medicine residency programs. I am looking forward to opportunities in residency in which I may further work on the implementation of value-based strategies in hospitals and clinics. While my career is sure to have unexpected turns, this year at the school of public health has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and practical skills I hope to utilize as a physician and/or public health leader.
Michael Dillon
MPH-45 Health Policy
(Graduated in 2023)
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
After finishing my 33-year career at PWC, the accounting and consulting firm, I realized I needed to gain additional knowledge, skills, and experience to create and advocate for equitable health policy for the LGBTQ community. HSPH was the optimal environment that could help me improve those skills to be impactful in this important area of social policy and change.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
My advice would be to come to HSPH with a focus on what’s truly important to you and what gives you individual mission and purpose. Having this at the center of your studies and extracurricular activities, along with the flexibility and agility to pivot as necessary, will help you chip away at big social change every day. LGBTQ health has been my purpose and mission at HSPH.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
My focus on change in public health will be across a variety of roles – as an advocate, policy creator, volunteer, Board member, and funder. In these positions, I hope to improve the health outcomes for LGBTQ youth by focusing on the social determinants of health: primarily housing insecurity, mental health, and gender-affirming care.
Yipeng Ge
MPH-45 Health and Social Behavior
(Graduated in 2023)
Why did you decide to attend Harvard Chan?
I wanted to learn from a diverse group of passionate students from around the world to collectively better address the complexities and challenges that exist for public health, such as health and social inequities rooted in structural racism and settler colonialism. I gained a breadth of experience and skills across the Harvard schools and campuses to leverage the privilege for the communities and people I work with back home in Canada.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Follow your passion for public health! The field of public health is so interdisciplinary and undergoing constant evolution and growth to adapt to the needs of people and communities and needs more diverse voices for ensuring that the work of promoting and protecting community health and wellbeing is centered around communities and empowers communities.
Where do you envision facilitating change in public health?
I am really grateful to be training to be a public health and preventive medicine specialist physician in Canada, specifically at the University of Ottawa. I will be working and learning at various public health organizations at the local, provincial/territorial, and federal levels in Canada. After my residency training, I hope to continue to practice primary care medicine along with working with inspiring people and teams on systems-level change in public health to advance anti-racism and health equity strategies in Canada.
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