Aging, longevity the focus at annual School of Public Health Alumni Weekend

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni returned to campus for their annual weekend Oct. 13-15, 2017 where they heard about public health perspectives on aging and longevity from a variety of experts and connected with former classmates.

In addition, the Alumni Association honored three individuals chosen by their peers with the School’s 2017 Alumni Award of Merit—the highest honor presented to alumni.

Recipients of the Alumni Award of Merit included:

• Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, M.P.H. ’97, Professor of Medicine and Director, Calcium Metabolism and Osteoporosis Program, WHO Collaborating Center for Metabolic Bone Disorders, and Scholars in HeAlth Research Program (SHARP), American University of Beirut
• Neil Powe, M.P.H. ’81, Constance B. Wofsy Distinguished Professor, University of California San Francisco; Chief of Medicine, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
• Joan Reede, M.P.H. ’90, S.M. ’92, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership, Harvard Medical School

Additional alumni awards were presented to:

• Teresa Chahine, S.D. ’10, Social Entrepreneurship Program Leader, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Innovation Advisor, Alfanar Venture Philanthropy (Emerging Leader in Public Health Award)
• Farouk Meralli, S.M. ’09, Founder and CEO, mClinica, Singapore (Public Health Innovator Award)
• Huey-Jen Jenny Su, S.M. ’87, S.D. ’90, President and Distinguished Professor, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan (Leadership in Public Health Practice Award)

Alumni also heard from faculty and fellow alumni on a range of topics related to aging and longevity.

David Canning, Richard Saltonstall professor of population sciences and professor of economics and international health, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard Chan School, and Deputy Director of the Program on the Global Demography of Aging at Harvard University, spoke about what the aging population means for the global economy. William Mair, associate professor of genetics and complex diseases, discussed whether declining health in old age is inevitable. Lorelei Mucci, associate professor of epidemiology, talked about improving longevity and quality of life in cancer survivors.

Four alumni gave brief TED-style talks called “TEAM” talks—Talks that Educate, Actualize, and Motivate—on topics ranging from how to improve seniors’ health outcomes to terrestrial applications of space medicine.

Click here to see the photos.

– Karen Feldscher