Toenail clippings from over 100,000 people are among the 3.5 million samples of blood, plasma, urine, hair, and other specimens donated by participants in the nearly 40-year-old Nurses’ Health Study and several other large cohort studies that continue to provide new clues about diseases to scientists today. The toenails are housed in the BWH/Harvard Cohorts…

People who drink about three to five cups of coffee a day may be less likely to die prematurely from some illnesses than those who don’t drink or drink less coffee, according to a new study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers and colleagues. Drinkers of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee saw…

The Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School has named humanitarians Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman as this year’s recipients of the Gleitsman International Activist Award for their leadership of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center (EPHRC) and Sister Somalia – organizations focused on tackling gender-based violence and the rehabilitation of child soldiers…

Identification establishes a person’s name, nationality, and legal rights. With thousands of refugees fleeing Syria and other countries each week, the need for accurate identity management and verification is urgent. The problem is exacerbated by already pervasive under-documentation in the developing world. Globally, 48 million children are unregistered at birth, with the highest numbers in sub-Saharan…

In the hours following the detonation of two bombs during the 2013 Boston Marathon, scores of people mobilized to tend to the injured and bring the perpetrators to justice. The response required agencies over multiple jurisdictions at the local, state, and national levels — who all had different lines of authority — to work together…

The risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women have been debated by the medical community for some time. For years menopausal women often took hormones to ward off symptoms like hot flashes and to try to reduce the risk of bone fractures and heart disease. However, since 2002 when a Women’s Health…

The rate of obesity in U.S. adults continues to rise while the rate for youth has leveled off, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on November 11, 2015. The new findings show that since 2003, adult obesity has risen from 30% to 38%. Over the same time…

“We spend a lot of time in denial that we are going to die. With all the choices that we make, how many would we revise and do differently if we were aware that we are mortal?” That question was posed earlier this fall at the Waking Up to Dying Project’s traveling exhibition, held in Somerville,…

A new poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and STAT finds that most Americans (65%) believe that electronic cigarettes are harmful to people who use them. That’s less than those who believe that tobacco cigarettes are harmful (96%) but more than those who believe that marijuana is harmful (58%). The poll also…

Eating homemade meals instead of eating out could significantly lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. That’s because restaurant food is often high in processed ingredients and unhealthy fats, and is linked with being overweight or obese—important triggers for type 2 diabetes. Analyzing…

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. This year is the 10th annual meeting, and it’s being held in João Pessoa, Brazil, Nov. 10-13. The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is thrilled to be an active participant in key discussions about some of the…

加油! Jiāyoú! The Chinese colloquialism — which literally translates to “step on the gas!” and is used to express words of encouragement like “go for it!” or “good luck!” — epitomized the spirit of this year’s Chinese Poetry Recitation Contest. The event, held for the 3rd time last Thursday, Oct. 29, is organized every other…

The effectiveness of low-fat diet on weight-loss has been debated for decades, and hundreds of randomized clinical trials aimed at evaluating this issue have been conducted with mixed results. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) conducted a comprehensive review of the data generated from…

Creating a more welcoming climate for all. Recruiting and retaining a more diverse group of students, staff, research appointees, and faculty. Fostering stronger connections with the surrounding Mission Hill community. These were some of the issues addressed at a Town Hall on diversity and inclusion at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on October…

Two new studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shed light on critical dietary issues facing Americans. One study showed that while recent improvements in the U.S. diet have helped reduce disease and premature death, the overall American diet is still poor. Another, which analyzed interventions to reduce childhood obesity, found three that…

More people than ever are taking prescription medications, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Researchers found that, in 2011-12, 59% of U.S. adults used at least one prescription drug over the past 30 days, up from 50% a decade earlier. They also found that the share of people…

For more than 100 years, Harvard Theological Review has been a leading source for compelling original research from established scholars in the fields of religion and theology. Now, the Review has a new managing editor, and the journal’s editors are aiming to build upon its legacy of embracing the history and philosophy of religious thought…

“Finding Your Roots,” an innovative new curriculum utilizing personalized genealogy and genetics to teach science and health to disadvantaged and minority students, based on Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s PBS documentary series of the same name, has received two major external grants: a $355,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for “Genetics and Genealogy Summer Camps…

Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society announced changes to its pioneering Chilling Effects project, including an expanded mission and a new set of international research partnerships. To better reflect this evolution in scope as well as the changes in the landscape over the 14 years since it was launched, the project has changed…

Cutting-edge work on molecular mechanisms involved in the cellular response to stress was the focus at the 18th annual John B. Little Symposium, held Oct. 23-24 at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The symposium is hosted each year by the John B. Little (JBL) Center for Radiation Sciences. Both the symposium and the center are…

Dyann Wirth was honored by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) with the Joseph Augustin LePrince Medal for “outstanding work in the field of malariology.” Wirth, who is Richard Pearson Strong Professor of Infectious Diseases and chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public…

Unless there is a major shift in the way the world fights tuberculosis — from a reliance on biomedical solutions to an approach that combines biomedical interventions with social actions — the epidemic and drug resistance will worsen, say researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In a new study, they call for…

How does a library capture a global debate about freedom of the press? The attacks on the Paris headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in January 2015 by Islamic extremists provoked a worldwide conversation through all forms of media. Harvard librarians are collecting and organizing a diverse array of visual and…

People who work in well-ventilated offices with below-average levels of indoor pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) have significantly higher cognitive functioning scores—in crucial areas such as responding to a crisis or developing strategy — than those who work in offices with typical levels, according to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of…

The Gray Wave. The Silver Tsunami. The Agequake. Aging societies have been on the horizon for decades, not just in the United States but also around the world. The driving forces are well-established: falling fertility rates (by far, the most important factor), longer life expectancy, and the maturing of large cohorts such as the baby…

Last month, the public health community marked one of the most significant biomedical milestones in the fight against malaria in nearly half a century: European regulators authorized the world’s most advanced malaria vaccine candidate — more than three decades in the making — and paved the way for subsequent review by the World Health Organization.…

Two faculty members from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — Xihong Lin and Brendan Manning — will receive prestigious National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Awards (OIA). These multimillion dollar seven-year awards, providing extended funding stability, are aimed at giving promising and productive investigators enough time and money to continue or embark on projects…

The President’s Challenge headlines a slate of opportunities offered by the i-lab this year, including two Deans’ Challenges focused on areas within Cultural Entrepreneurship and Health & Life Sciences. Attend a kickoff celebration on Thu., October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the i-lab to learn more about the challenges, meet previous winners, and network with like-minded individuals. Keynote speaker…

Richard Levins, John Rock Professor of Population Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has been known throughout his lengthy career for his ability to make connections between seemingly disparate topics such as biology and political theory. An ex-tropical farmer turned ecologist, biomathematician, and philosopher of science, Levins describes the subject matter he…

The recent renovation of the home to the one of the largest and most comprehensive anthropology collections in the world — the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Tozzer Anthropology Building — has achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 26,000 square foot renovation sought to unite the Department of Anthropology and…