Applications are invited from graduate students who are writing dissertations or are engaged in major research on topics in practical ethics, especially ethical issues in architecture, business, education, government, law, medicine, public health, public policy, and religion. The Center seeks applicants who have excelled in their fields of specialization, have demonstrated an interest in questions…

In the early 1990s, Harvard ‘s Diana Eck, professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, together with her students, began to study and document the changing religious landscape of the United States. The inspiration for this groundbreaking work, and the first researchers, were Harvard students. “When I first met these new students — Muslims from…

A $10 million gift to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from an anonymous donor was announced today to support financial aid for students in the School’s Nutrition and Occupational Health Sciences programs, and to provide significant program support for the School’s Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program. The anonymous donor, who has…

Patients who had major surgery at high-quality hospitals in the U.S. cost Medicare less than those who had surgery at low-quality hospitals according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The difference in Medicare spending was driven primarily by the cost of care in the weeks following surgery.  The…

Individuals born by cesarean delivery were 15 percent more likely to become obese as children than individuals born by vaginal birth—and the increased risk may persist through adulthood, according to a large new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, individuals born via cesarean delivery were 64 percent more likely to be…

HILT awarded six Spark Grants of $5,000 – $15,000 this fall. Awardees will: Develop new methods for hands-on teaching. Matthew Hersch (FAS) will develop experiential learning opportunities for students in history of technology courses including in-class demonstration and simulation. Expand a pilot “writing oasis” program for graduate students. Nancy Khalil (FAS) will expand “Graduate Writing…

Through a collaboration with Harvard’s Public School Partnerships and the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), more than 150 Boston Public School (BPS) teachers and staff were invited to attend the Anna Deavere Smith’s groundbreaking performance of “Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education,” on Friday, Aug. 26. The critically acclaimed play outlines the civil rights…

In 2016, public support for the Common Core State Standards and school vouchers continues to fall, with vouchers viewed more favorably by Democrats than Republicans. Support for charter schools remains steady, as does backing for the federal requirement that students be tested annually. Teachers think 10% of their colleagues are performing unsatisfactorily, but the percentage…

Researchers have identified a potential molecular mechanism through which lead, a pervasive environmental toxin, may harm neural stem cells and neurodevelopment in children. The study, from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, suggests that lead exposure can lead to oxidative stress—a process that can change cell behavior and has been linked with health problems—among…

Are there any ways of preventing or delaying the development of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of age-associated dementia? While several previously published studies have suggested a protective effect for cognitive activities such as reading, playing games, or attending cultural events, questions have been raised about whether these studies reveal a real cause-and-effect relationship or…

Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, has welcomed twenty-four Fellows for the 2016-2017 academic year. “We are delighted to welcome one of our most distinguished and diverse classes of W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute…

The Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT) annual conference is an event designed to engage Harvard faculty (and some students and academic professionals) in a University-level dialogue about teaching and learning innovation. This year’s event will showcase varied interactive instructional approaches and considerations for Harvard in an evolving education landscape. See the full conference program and…

Four Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellows will join the Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health this academic year. Each fellow will teach a course during the term that he or she is at the School. Dr. Muhammad Pate, M.D., Nigeria’s former minister of state…

Heat waves are becoming more common, but the number of hospital admissions for heat stroke has declined significantly in the United States in recent years, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published in the journal Environmental Health. In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers examined…

People who work in “green” offices that are well-ventilated and have low levels of indoor pollutants and carbon dioxide may have significantly better cognitive function than people working in more traditional office environments, according to a recent study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHGE), SUNY Upstate…

The rate of cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has declined substantially during the presidency of Barack Obama, according an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Author Michael Fiore, M.P.H. ’85, writes that since 2009, smoking rates have dropped about 0.78 percentage points per year and are now at 15.3 percent. If this…

Children traumatized by war can still go on to lead normal lives, according to Theresa Betancourt, associate professor of child health and human rights and director of the research program on children and global adversity at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In an interview with DW.com published Aug. 21, 2016, Betancourt said that…

Exposure to community violence may put the health of youth born with HIV infection at risk, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers. They found that children and youth with perinatal HIV (PHIV) who reported exposure to violence in the past year—34 percent of the nearly 300…