Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health in the U.S. isn’t just the job of the health care sector—it’s the job of society as a whole, argues David R. Williams, Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health. In a viewpoint article published August 11, 2015 in JAMA (Journal of the American…

An unexpected new discovery—that, in people with asthma, the cells that line the airways in the lungs are unusually shaped and “scramble around like there’s a fire drill going on”—suggests intriguing new avenues both for basic biological research and for therapeutic interventions to fight the disease. The findings could also have important ramifications for research…

The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is pleased to announce the appointment of their fall 2015 fellows. “This fall’s fellows are exceptional for their experience and knowledge. Bob Schieffer is one of America’s most honored and respected journalists, while David Ensor, Marie Sanz, and Paul Wood are each…

On Tuesday, August 11, 2015, Harvard launches the first issue of Technology Science with a series of original research papers with revelations about weaknesses in Facebook’s privacy policies, price differences in travel sites based on country of booking, and an unusual rate spike among the largest health insurers under Obamacare. Technology Science is founded by…

Does size matter when it comes to health insurance rates? In the latest research published August 11 in the first issue of Technology Science from Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, two Harvard student researchers, Eugene Wang and Grace Gee, find that the largest insurers in each state have raised premiums far more under Obamacare than smaller…

A new case study released today in the inaugural edition of Technology Science published by Harvard University examines Facebook’s response to the discovery of a glaring privacy vulnerability in its popular messenger app. The case study comes from Harvard University senior Aran Khanna, who lost an internship with Facebook after discovering a vulnerability in the…

A proposed ban on the use of smokeless tobacco in Boston’s ballparks and athletic fields is aimed at protecting the health of the professional athletes who use it as well as impressionable young people who often want to emulate the behavior of their sports heroes. Mayor Martin Walsh announced on August 5, 2015 that he…

A couple’s exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, psychological stress, malnutrition, and other environmental stressors prior to conceiving a child may alter the child’s genetic structure and development, leading to increased risk of health issues later in life, according to a study led by Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of…

An experimental Ebola vaccine tested in a trial of more than 4,000 people in Guinea has shown a high level of effectiveness, according a new study in The Lancet. In the trial, experts used a “ring vaccination” strategy—the same strategy used to help eradicate smallpox—which involved inoculating clusters of adults who had come into contact…

Nearly two-thirds of transgender Massachusetts residents have experienced discrimination in places open to the public such as hotels, restaurants, stores, parks, public transportation, theaters, health care centers, and bathrooms, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. And these discriminatory experiences are linked with adverse health outcomes. The study was…

People who are a low weight at birth and have unhealthy habits as adults, such as eating nutritionally poor diets or smoking, may have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people born at an average weight who live similar lifestyles, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan…

More than 70% of pollen and honey samples collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts contain at least one neonicotinoid, a class of pesticide that has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which adult bees abandon their hives during winter, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The…

Harvard Business School has named Jodi Gernon (MBA ’91) as the new director of its Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Gernon assumes her leadership role at the center after more than 25 years of marketing and leadership experience and expertise in areas such as consumer healthcare, e-commerce, and mobile. She has been involved with a number…

People who are a low weight at birth and have unhealthy habits as adults, such as eating nutritionally poor diets or smoking, may have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people born at an average weight who live similar lifestyles, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan…

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is excited to announce a writing competition to identify innovative multistakeholder governance groups and help us understand the conditions under which they are most effective. We are seeking original papers (8 to 12 pages, single spaced) that help us better understand innovative, globally diverse governance groups. The deadline…

In recognition of a career distinguished by meticulously researched investigations, intrepid questioning, and reporting that has challenged both conventional wisdom and mainstream media, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard will present journalist Robert Parry with the 2015 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence during a ceremony on Oct. 22, 2015. Parry established the website…

Alumna’s instructional videos transform frontline health care globally In rural South Sudan, the population barely tops four people per square mile. Vehicles are a rarity. And when night falls, a limitless silence descends. Despite this isolation, Deborah Van Dyke, M.P.H. ’93, was rattled awake late one evening by a woman pounding urgently on her door.…

Training for the fall season of school programs at the Arnold Arboretum begins Aug. 27. We are looking for outgoing and mature adults who can commit to two years of volunteering. You do not need to know about plants, but experience working with children is preferred. If you are interested, please contact the manager of…

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ 2013 renovation of one of the Museum of Comparative Zoology’s research spaces recently received LEED platinum certification – the highest rating possible – from the U.S. Green Building Council. “These new sustainable and energy-efficient facilities will not only allow our faculty, students, and staff to conduct better research, but…

A study of former child soldiers and other youth impacted by the civil war in Sierra Leone shows that treating the youngsters’ depression and anxiety can have long-lasting payoffs. “We were surprised to see the large role that targeting symptoms of hopelessness and depression played across many years of observing war-affected youth,” said lead author…

Pregnant women who have epilepsy appear to be at greater risk of dying during childbirth than women without the condition, even though the risk is small, according to a Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study. “Specifically, there were 80 deaths per 100,000 women with epilepsy versus six deaths per 100,000 in women without…

Lots of heat waves and cold snaps can increase mortality rates, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Previous studies have shown that more people die when it gets very hot or very cold. But those studies looked only at short-term death rates, so don’t shed light on the…

Men exposed to high levels of formaldehyde on the job—mostly funeral directors—may have triple the death risk from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, as men with lower levels of exposure, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study was published in the July…

A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers has found that it would be cost-effective to treat 48-67% of all adults aged 40-75 in the U.S. with cholesterol-lowering statins. By expanding the current recommended treatment guidelines and boosting the percentage of adults taking statins, an additional 161,560 cardiovascular-related events could be…

A panel reviewing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa says WHO “must re-establish its pre-eminence as the guardian of global public health.” The epidemic began in December 2013, resulting in more than 11,000 deaths. Dean Julio Frenk is one of six members on the Ebola Interim Assessment Panel—a group…

Up to 2,100 Air Force reservists who may have been exposed to harmful levels of Agent Orange on contaminated cargo planes are now eligible for disability benefits from the Veterans Administration (VA). The VA announced its decision on June 18, 2015 after a VA-ordered report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), issued in January, concluded…

Internationally acclaimed Cuban musician, composer, saxophonist, percussionist, bandleader, and educator Yosvany Terry has been appointed director of Jazz Ensembles and visiting senior lecturer on music at Harvard University for the 2015-16 academic year. In this new joint position of the Department of Music and the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA), Terry will oversee…

As we celebrate our nation’s birth this July Fourth with parades, fireworks, and BBQs, we revisit the year 1776 to ask about the reasons for the American Revolution. What inspired thousands of ordinary Americans to risk their lives and fight against the British, the most powerful empire in the world? At least part of the…

Longer secondary schooling substantially reduces the risk of HIV infection—especially for girls—and could be a very cost-effective way to halt the spread of the virus, according to researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In a study in Botswana, researchers found that, for each additional year of secondary school, students lowered their risk…

Women who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Celexa, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft to treat menopausal symptoms are up to 76% more likely to break a bone, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. SSRIs, most often used to treat depression, are also frequently prescribed for hot…