Nearly 40 percent of the uninsured population in America lives in the suburbs and nearly one in seven suburban residents lacks health insurance. Despite the suburbs’ general reputation of affluence, the U.S.’ growing poor population in suburban areas faces substantial barriers to accessing health care—similar to those faced by the urban and rural poor—according to…

Thirty remodeled “green” public housing units in Boston were each found to have at least one toxic chemical — including concentrations of formaldehyde that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s cancer-based screening level — in the air both before and after renovation, according to a new study by Silent Spring Institute and Harvard T.H. Chan…

Puerto Rico is facing an unfolding public health disaster in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Stephanie Kayden, vice chair and chief of the division of International Emergency Medicine and Humanitarian Programs in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and assistant professor in the Department of Global Health…

The Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging has announced a long-list of 20 semi-finalists in the competition to revise the final line of Harvard’s alma mater. These text entries were selected out of a pool of 168 entries by a subcommittee of the Task Force, with input from the Task Force generally. There were…

On Sept. 27 the members of the Faculty Council discussed a draft of the final report of the Committee on Unrecognized Single-Gender Social Organizations and voted on proposed legislation. The Council next meets on Oct. 11. The next meeting of the Faculty is on Oct. 3. The preliminary deadline for the Nov. 7 meeting of…

In an effort to renew its commitment to collaborations with Mexico on research and education, Harvard University has established the Eduardo Matos Moctezuma Lecture Series. This series celebrates the excellence of Mexican archaeology, represented by the figure of Professor Matos Moctezuma. In addition to honoring Mexico’s pre-eminent archaeologist, the series seeks to convene world-renowned experts…

A newly discovered cellular messaging mechanism could lead to a new way to deliver therapeutics to tissues affected by disease, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Researchers found that a type of extracellular vesicle (EV) — a sac secreted by cells that contains proteins and RNA molecules —…

Researchers, students, and academic leaders from the U.S. and Japan recently gathered at the Longwood Campus to share experiences and brainstorm ideas for supporting and promoting women in academic research careers. The Advancing Women in Public Health & Medicine Symposium was held Sept. 15, 2017, at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center. It was sponsored by…

The Harvard Black Students Association (BSA) held its inaugural convocation for first-year students earlier this month. Freshmen, upperclassmen, and graduate students filled Memorial Church on Sept. 2 for an event that celebrated diversity, inclusion, and culture while addressing the challenges many minority students say they face on campus. While the majority of attendees were members…

A new study of the human microbiome—the trillions of microbial organisms that live on and within our bodies—has analyzed thousands of new measurements of microbial communities from the gut, skin, mouth, and vaginal microbiome, yielding new insights into the role these microbes play in human health. The study, from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School…

The most recent guidelines on statins recommended that millions more Americans take the cholesterol-lowering drug to prevent cardiovascular disease. But most of this additional population are from disadvantaged backgrounds, making it more difficult for them to obtain the medications, according to a new study. Under the guidelines, released by the American College of Cardiology and the…

The SNAP program — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps — is a federal program designed to reduce food insecurity and help families obtain nutritious foods. But a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that SNAP, which serves one in seven Americans, may also be subsidizing…

From assessing what motivates women in rural Zanzibar to give birth at a health facility rather than at home, to studying what fuels obesity rates among Tanzanian women before and during pregnancy, nine Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health students spent the summer in seven countries doing internships in maternal health. They spoke about…

Daily physical activity — including household chores and walking to work — may help lower colorectal cancer risk, according to a new study. Strong evidence also suggests that consumption of whole grains, other foods with dietary fiber, dairy products, and calcium supplements may also lower risk. On the flipside, the researchers found that processed meat,…

On Sept. 13 the members of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences nominated a Parliamentarian for the fall term of 2017 and a Parliamentarian for the spring term of 2018. They also spoke with the Committee on Unrecognized Single-Gender Social Organizations and discussed proposed legislation. The Council next meets on Sept.…

Wide cycle tracks that separate bicyclists from other traffic and bike parking facilities with security guards or cameras are among the factors that motivate college students in China to bicycle, according to a study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Peking University. The study was published online Aug. 18, 2017 in the…

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) announces the opening of WE ALL, an inaugural design-build installation at the Grove in North Allston. WE ALL is first built project to occupy a newly expanded section of the Grove, a site at the intersection of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue. WE ALL presents a communal…

A new Massachusetts Department of Public Health report showing a decline in the number of opioid overdose deaths for the first half of 2017 is encouraging news for health officials who hope the state is starting to make inroads on the opioid epidemic. Many health experts believe the number of deaths from the epidemic in…

A crowd of faculty, staff, and students gathered at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on Sept. 6, 2017 for the unveiling of a portrait of David Hunter, Vincent L. Gregory Professor in Cancer Prevention, Emeritus and former Dean for Academic Affairs and Acting Dean. The event was held in the Kresge Building’s Rosenau…

Tropical storm Harvey has wreaked devastation on Houston, Texas since making landfall as a hurricane on Aug. 26, 2017. Richard Serino, distinguished visiting fellow at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School and former deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), spoke…

As Peruvian researcher Jaime Miranda described the administrative hassles and corruption standing in the way of better cardiovascular care in his country—including long lines and days of missed work for the poor and excessive prescriptions from specialists for the wealthier and better-connected — his colleagues in the room, physicians and public health professionals from developing…