Social epidemiologist Lisa Berkman is the Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy, Epidemiology, and Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She was appointed director of the HCPDS by Harvard Provost Steven E. Hyman in October 2007. Dr. Berkman was chair of the School’s Department of Society, Human Development and Health from 1995–2008. Recognized for her groundbreaking work in the field of social epidemiology,…
Dr. Jason Beckfield is professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He was appointed the Center’s associate director in the summer of 2016. He holds a PhD in sociology from Indiana University-Bloomington. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty in 2006, Beckfield was assistant professor in the department of sociology at the University of Chicago. He recently served as the chair of Harvard University’s Department…
Laura is responsible for overseeing operations, administration, finance, communications, training programs and seminars/events. Laura also works closely with the Center director and stakeholders in setting programmatic goals, building strategic partnerships both domestically and internationally, and disseminating the work and accomplishments of the Center. She has over 25 years experience in project management, marketing, and development at both Harvard and other academic institutions.
Dr. Austin is professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School; a member of the research faculty in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital; and director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders: A Public Health Incubator. She is also the founder and faculty member of…
Dr. Avendano is professor of public policy and global health, and head of the department of global health and social medicine at King’s College London; and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His research leverages quasi-experimental methods and data from randomised controlled trials to examine the health consequences of social programmes and policies such as maternity…
Rob is the associate director of finance for the Center, responsible for budgeting and forecasting, endowment and grant management, pre- and post-award financial stewardship, as well as some human resource functions. Rob has over 20 years of operations, financial and administrative management experience with organizations in the non-profit, government, and corporate sectors. Rob holds a master’s degree in management from Lesley University, and a B.S. in accounting from the University…
Dr. Bärnighausen is the Alexander von Humboldt University Professor at the University of Heidelberg; director of the Heidelberg Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Heidelberg; and senior faculty at the Wellcome Trust’s Africa Health Research Institute (ARHI) in South Africa. Till’s research focuses on developing and testing population health interventions that address large healthcare needs in poor countries, in particular for HIV and other chronic conditions such…
Dr. Bauhoff is assistant professor of global health and economics in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His research focuses on innovations in health care financing and service delivery that can increase access, efficiency and quality of care in low- and middle-income countries. He also examines ways to improve the design and implementation of health care policies and programs.
Dr. Sara Bleich is professor of public health policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Her research provides evidence to support policy alternatives for obesity prevention and control, particularly among populations at higher risk for obesity. Her goal is to fill critical gaps in the scientific…
Dr. Block is associate professor of population medicine at Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. He is a practicing general internal medicine physician who also supervises internal medicine residents in their continuity primary care clinics. His primary research interests are the psychosocial and contextual influences contributing to the obesity epidemic, point-of-purchase interventions to improve dietary choices, and financial incentives to promote weight loss. Previously, Dr. Block was a Robert…