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Beckfield leads interdisciplinary faculty and graduate student retreat to develop undergraduate environmental justice curriculum

Jason Beckfield leads a retreat at Wood's Hole on environmental justice

HCPDS Associate Director Jason Beckfield, PhD, led the first of three pilot retreats aimed at developing undergraduate curriculum in the “emerging field of environmental justice, or the convergence of environmental concerns with equity and civil rights” in response to the 2022 Report on the Future of Climate Education at Harvard University. Read about the retreat that took place at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in The Harvard Gazette. Photo credit:…

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Gut check: Study deepens understanding of link between gut bacteria and emotions

Gut microbiome

HCPDS faculty member Laura Kubzansky, PhD, is a co-corresponding author of a study published in Psychological Medicine that contributes to “gut-brain axis” research by tracking over 200 women, and evaluating their self-reported feelings (as well as how they handled these emotions) along with stool samples. “The analysis found that people who suppressed their emotions had a less diverse gut microbiome. The investigators also found that people who reported happier feelings…

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The Harvard Gazette: Berkman shares why living longer doesn’t necessarily mean we can work longer

Lisa Berkman sitting in Harvard Yard with colorful chairs

In this interview, HCPDS Director Lisa Berkman points out the complexities involved with having a heterogeneous workforce and the wide variety of reasons (e.g., health reasons, caregiving responsibilities, job qualities) why someone may leave the workforce. Based on findings from the newly published volume “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer,” that she co-edited with Beth Truesdale, she shares some hopeful solutions.

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Christina Cross in The Harvard Gazette: “Why living in a two-parent home isn’t a cure-all for Black students”

Illustration of Christina Cross in The Harvard Gazette

Harvard Pop Center Postdoctoral Fellow Christina Cross, PhD, has penned an op-ed in The Harvard Gazette in which she shares her forthcoming research on why a two-parent household is not a panacea for better educational outcomes for low-income Black students. Dr. Cross points to President Biden’s proposed American Families Plan as an example of a policy that could better address inequalities in opportunity than policies anchored to a two-parent household…

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“In India, anything and everything is a super-spreader event”

Headshot of Professor Subramanian

Harvard Pop Center faculty member S (Subu) V Subramanian, PhD, tells The Harvard Gazette that “in India, anything and everything is a super-spreader event.” A visualization dashboard of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in India by Subramanian’s Geographic Insights Lab was also cited by The New York Times in an article describing the recent and devastating surge of infections in the county.