Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women in China, with 1.1 million new cases annually. China’s breast cancer mortality has doubled over the past 30 years. Diagnosis tends to be made when the women are older and already in Stage III/IV, compared to Western countries where patients generally are diagnosed earlier and…

The McKinsey Quarterly has named articles by Harvard Business School professors Teresa Amabile and Cynthia Montgomery to its 2012 list of the journal’s 10 most popular articles. Amabile and co-author Steven Kramer were recognized, at number two, for “How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work,” an examination of how senior executives routinely undermine creativity, productivity, and…

When it comes to international relations (IR), Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Stephen Walt would suggest less testing and more conceiving. Walt and John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago believe “downgrading theory and elevating hypothesis testing is a mistake,” when it comes to IR. The authors even call it “the road to ruin”…

Mercury released into the air and then deposited into oceans is increasingly contaminating seafood commonly eaten by people in the United States and globally, report scientists from Dartmouth College, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and colleagues from other institutions in new research in the current issue of the journal Environmental Research and a companion report. The…

This year, the partnership between the Office for Sustainability, the Office of Career Services, and Green Building Services will expand sustainability-focused offerings for students during Wintersession to include a full day of sustainable tours, and three days of shadowing experience. Students interested in Harvard’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction goal, energy auditing, green building, and other green…

A visit to homes of disadvantaged mothers and at-risk newborns can provide a health care team with unique insights into how a family is faring—more than might be revealed at often rushed visits at a clinic or hospital. This was one of the insights shared at the 7th Annual Maternal and Child Health Symposium, titled…

It should come as no surprise that the health care systems of the United States and India differ in many ways, but what may be surprising is the amount they have in common. This fact—and what each country can learn from the other as it pursues improvements in health care—was the subject of a talk…

In order to spread disease inside the human body, the malaria parasite must evade the human immune system—which it does remarkably well. Now, researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have uncovered details about the mechanism by which the parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, avoids detection—it changes a critical protein on its surface that it uses as…

No matter where they live, how much education they have, or what their incomes are, people have very similar perceptions on the impact of diseases and injuries. This finding – counter to the prevailing belief that people throughout the world view different health conditions in very different ways depending on their culture or individual circumstances…

On Dec. 11, Harvard Law School’s Program on the Legal Profession (PLP) and the Indian School of Business (ISB) co-hosted a major international conference on the future of corporate business in India and the role of the legal profession. The event was held at the ISB campus in Hyderabad, India. The conference is part of…

A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that coffee consumption lowered women’s risk of type 2 diabetes by eight percent. Men lowered their risk four percent by drinking regular coffee and seven percent for decaf. The findings, which drew on data from the approximately 80,000 women and 40,000 men in…

Harvard Law School Professor William Alford ’77 was a participant and panelist at major events on the political and legal future of China, held recently at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Fairbank Center at Harvard. On Nov. 28, Alford spoke on a panel titled “Rule of…

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank ’77 (D-Mass.) will retire from the U.S. Congress in December after 32 years in Washington, where he earned a reputation as one of Congress’s most progressive members on civil rights, military spending and financial regulation. The Harvard Law Bulletin caught up with Frank in mid-July—not long after his marriage to Jim…

On Friday, Dec. 7, Harvard’s Japanese Language Program and the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies co-hosted an award ceremony and reception honoring Harvard students, who have excelled in Japanese language courses and who have achieved distinction in Japan-related essays. Marissa McGarry and Tatyana Avilova, a junior and senior in the college respectively, both received Tazuko…

The Nieman Fellows at Harvard have selected Marcela Turati of the Mexican news magazine Proceso as recipient of the Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism. Turati was chosen for her coverage of the drug war and her role in protecting and training members of the media. She is a standard-bearer for…

Harvard-Yenching Librarian James Cheng brought together his colleagues from Ivy League and non-Ivy League schools to discuss how East Asian research libraries can better collaborate to ensure their valuable collections are accessible for scholarly research. “Harvard cannot do it all alone,” said Cheng. “Collaboration is a timely topic for us all, and while we are…

Harvard Law School Professor Jonathan Zittrain has been named among the 100 Foreign Policy Global Thinkers for 2012. The annual list from Foreign Policy (FP) “presents a unique portrait of 2012’s global marketplace of ideas and the thinkers who make them.” This year’s list also features Alex Macgillivray ’00, who serves as general counsel for…

The Institute for Global Law and Policy (IGLP) at Harvard Law School recently welcomed Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former president of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste José Manuel Ramos-Horta to the IGLP Honorary Council. As a member of the honorary council, Ramos-Horta will advise the IGLP, strengthen its ability to mentor young scholars, and…

A new study led by HSPH’s Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, finds that fish oil capsules with omega-3 fatty acids failed to prevent the onset of atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia that often follows cardiac surgery and increases patients’ risk for stroke. The study analyzed health outcomes from an international trial of…

The Labrary, open for public exploration through December 21, is a storefront space envisioned and realized by students in Harvard’s Library Test Kitchen course. Projects that explore and celebrate the library of the future include: Bookface, Nicholas Rivard Bookface is an online photo opera that invites Labrary visitors to reflect on their relationship with the…

The Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies is very pleased to announce that Elaine Papoulias has been selected as its new executive director. Papoulias is the former director of the Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and East-Central Europe at the Harvard Kennedy School, and is a long-time affiliate of CES and co-chair of the center’s…

The Research Excellence in Administration Certificate at Harvard (REACH) program, a University-wide sponsored training series, is currently accepting applications for the spring 2013 semester in both the Foundations and Intermediate levels. Applications are due January 11, 2013. If you would like more information on the program, we invite you to attend one of our upcoming…

Editor and author James Geary, a 2012 Nieman Fellow, has been selected as the deputy curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism. In this position he will serve as editor of Nieman Reports, oversee other Nieman print and online publications and manage a range of duties related to the Nieman Fellowship program and the foundation’s…

The buzz in the classroom was palpable. About 20 Harvard Law students were huddled in small groups, tasked with formulating an action plan to deal with leaked evidence of the CIA’s sabotage of a North Korean nuclear missile test. The sabotage had claimed the lives of dozens of North Korean scientists and workers; the revelation…

Flame retardants found in furniture, cars, carpet padding, and baby products are supposed to make these products safer. But according to neuropsychologist and epidemiologist Brenda Eskenazi, they may do more harm than good — particularly in children, who are more vulnerable to environmental hazards than adults. Eskenazi, professor of maternal and child health and epidemiology…

In Bangladesh, workers wade into muddy, parasite-infested waters near the Sundarban mangrove forests to catch baby shrimp that will later be processed for export. Elsewhere in rural South Asia, they toil in locked buildings, weaving luxury carpets on filthy, ramshackle looms. These workers, many of them children, often work 14 or more hours a day.…

Harvard President Drew Faust presided at the annual 25-Year Recognition Celebration, held on November 27 at the Harvard Faculty Club. The ceremony honored 140 Harvard faculty and staff members—including 13 Library staff members—who reached the 25-year mark. The event celebrated the employees’ contributions to the University, toasting the honorees and several hundred friends, family members…

Microsoft Surface tables—imagine large tablet computers on table legs—were installed in Lamont, Cabot and Wolbach Libraries to explore their application to research, teaching and learning. Approximately 60 Harvard undergraduates were involved in testing them for ease of use and applicability of the software to research. “The general feedback from students has been positive,” said Christopher…

On Nov. 9 the Harvard Law & International Development Society, an HLS student group, held its annual symposium, this year highlighting the increasingly global nature of anti-corruption efforts. The day-long event, “Development amidst Corruption | Developments against Corruption,” began with vivid personal narratives from the trenches: speakers included undercover agent Robert Mazur, ombudsman of the…

A new report produced by Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and its Youth and Media Project in conjunction with Pew Research Center’s Internet and America Life Project explores issues surrounding parents, teens, and online privacy in an increasingly digital world. The report, “Parents, Teens and Online Privacy,” found that the majority of parents…