As waves of refugees continue to flee war-torn countries for Europe, Jacqueline Bhabha, a professor at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, discusses the crisis, which is testing the EU’s commitment to open borders and human rights. (3:47)

Prof. Donna Spiegelman and her team have found that the effects of air pollution on health are underestimated. Their mission: to refine and improve how air pollution’s effect on health is measured. (3:52)

June 17, 2015 — This brief animation shows how a new drug screening technology developed at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has identified a new potential anti-diabetes compound — and a powerful way to test whether other molecules can have a positive effect on a critical molecular pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum that is believed to be the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes. (1:10)

March 2015 — Using nanotechnology, a team led by Philip Demokritou, associate professor of aerosol physics and director of the Laboratory for Environmental Health NanoSciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has figured out a way to make super-tiny “nanobombs” made of water that are able to destroy food pathogens—a potential game-changer in the fight against toxic microorganisms such as E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. (1:11)

Many Americans may confront illnesses so serious that they are life threatening. These diagnoses may come with treatment attempts and hospital stays. What they may not include are honest and open conversations about the final stages of life. How might the patient want to live during these stages? What choices are most likely to bring a sense of peace and empowerment? How might family members be included in these discussions? A growing palliative care movement is encompassing these questions,...

Health is more than the sum of its parts. Sometimes in surprising ways, factors such as childhood experiences, housing conditions, poor diets, and healthcare access drive who ends up sick — and who does not. This Forum event, held in connection with a new poll by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NPR, investigated these factors from the perspective of experts and the U.S. public, as well as examined public perceptions of what impacts health...

One of the smartest investments a society can make is to foster the health and education of its mothers. Healthy mothers raise healthier children, which boosts the productivity and stability of communities and economies. Yet, maternal mortality remains a terrible and disproportionate reality, particularly in developing countries, where 99 percent of all maternal deaths occur. These deaths put the lives of infants and older children at risk. Traditional approaches address the needs of mothers...

Deadlier than all forms of cancer combined, heart disease is the leading cause of death of U.S. women. Sometimes this killer comes with symptoms signaling a potentially deadly problem. Sometimes not. Even when symptoms manifest, the signs in women can be so different from those in men that the symptoms are misdiagnosed or overlooked. This Forum event provided a concise overview of the causes and forms of heart disease in women — and then explored today’s leading-edge prevention and treatment...

The focus on racial injustice in the US – particularly the effect of race on criminal justice – has been in the public spotlight following the tragic deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner on Staten Island, and Tamir Rice in Cleveland during encounters with law enforcement. While these inequities play out in numerous areas, health and well-being is one sector in which minority groups are dramatically and disproportionally affected. This Forum event examined how disparities within...

Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Agriculture and former Minister of Health for Guyana, spoke at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health as part of the Voices in Leadership series on January 22, 2015. Watch the entire leadership series at www.hsph.me/voices. In this session, Ramsammy emphasizes the need for having vision to accompany strategy in achieving outcomes. He explains that he considers himself a dreamer–but how that’s not a bad thing. The Voices in Leadership webcast discussion...

January 2015 — James Mitchell, associate professor of genetics and complex diseases and research fellow Christopher Hine describe how they identified a key molecular mechanism behind the health benefits of dietary restriction, or reduced food intake without malnutrition.

As of January 2015 we are now officially the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This video celebrates the extraordinary $350 million gift from The Morningside Foundation, established by the family of the late Mr. T.H. Chan. Read more about this historic endowment gift, the largest single donation in Harvard’s 378-year history: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/09/largest-gift-to-harvard/

December 2014 — Stefanos Kales, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health, and Vasileia Varvarigou, visiting scientist at HSPH, found that police officers in the U.S. face roughly 30 to 70 times higher risk of sudden cardiac death when they’re involved in stressful situations—suspect restraints, altercations, or chases—than when they’re involved in routine or non-emergency activities.

December 2014 — Brittany Charlton, ScD ’14, Harvard School of Public Health, led a new study that showed no difference in overall mortality between women who took oral contraceptives and those who didn’t.

Sir Michael Barber, Chief Education Advisor for Pearson, spoke at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health as part of the Voices in Leadership series on December 4, 2014. Watch the entire leadership series at www.hsph.me/voices. The Voices in Leadership webcast discussion series at Harvard T. H Chan School of Public Health invites leaders to speak about their experiences making decisions that affect global health. Highly interactive and candid, the series is produced in The Leadership...

With no cure or vaccine in sight, HIV/AIDS remains a devastating epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where nearly 70% of new HIV infections occur. To curb HIV/AIDS, researchers have proposed a strategy to use drug treatment to decrease new transmissions so much that the epidemic eventually dies out. The concept requires changes in standards of when anti-retroviral therapy begins and who receives it. Could “treatment as prevention” prove to be the strategy to finally end the AIDS...

The current Ebola crisis has taken the lives of more than 5,000 people so far in six countries, including the U.S., and has sickened thousands more. Global response and containment efforts have produced mixed results. This Forum event, presented in Collaboration with Reuters November 25, 2014, explored the latest news on outbreaks, vaccine testing, treatment trials, hospital preparedness, funding efforts and lessons learned. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public...

The 2014 midterm U.S. elections will impact next steps in implementing the Affordable Care Act. This HSPH Forum event, featuring political analysis and healthcare experts, was presented in collaboration with Reuters on November 7, 2014. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health at www.ForumHSPH.org.

With a growing number of states considering the legalization of medical marijuana and, more broadly, the decriminalization of recreational marijuana, this Forum event examined the public health pros and cons. What does science tell us about the benefits and risks of using marijuana? What are the economics at play? And what impact might decriminalization make on social justice? Presented in collaboration with Reuters. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health...

The current Ebola outbreak is the largest outbreak of the hemorrhagic disease in history, according to the CDC. Experimental treatments and vaccine testing offer hope of relief. However, the crisis has dramatically strained healthcare systems and humanitarian efforts, while sparking deep concern in the public. How did we get here and what’s to be done to help the affected countries and to prevent further spread? Presented October 2, 2014 in Collaboration with NPR. Watch the entire series...

Dr. Raul Ruiz, U.S. Congressman for California, spoke at the Harvard School of Public Health as part of the Voices in Leadership series on September 12, 2014. Watch the entire leadership series at www.hsph.me/voices. The Voices in Leadership webcast discussion series at Harvard School of Public Health invites leaders to speak about their experiences making decisions that affect global health. Highly interactive and candid, the series is produced in The Leadership Studio for a student...

While the majority of Americans vaccinate their children, there are many parents who selectively choose the vaccines to be given or who decline vaccinations altogether. This Forum event, held a few days after the September 10 airing of the NOVA film Vaccines: Calling the Shots, examined the drivers of public perceptions of vaccinations, the threats that vaccine-preventable illnesses pose, and the steps to be taken to restore trust in one of public health’s greatest weapons against infectious...

Dr. Frank Nyonator, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana, spoke at the Harvard School of Public Health as part of the Decision-making: Voices from the Field series on February 25, 2014. Watch the entire "Voices from the Field" leadership series at http://hsph.me/voices. The Decision-making: Voices from the Field webcast leadership discussion series at Harvard School of Public Health invites leaders to speak about their experiences making...

In a new report, the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC has confirmed that the average age at which American women deliver their first babies has increased in the last 40 years. The Center reports that there were more than nine times as many first births to women 35 years old or older in 2012 than there were four decades earlier. Juxtaposed to this trend is a decrease in the last decade in first birth rates for women younger than 30 years old. This Forum examined the societal...

This Forum event explored the intersection of pesticides, food, health and policy. What does recent science tell us? And what factors might consumers keep in mind when trying to set a healthy, affordable meal on the table? Part of The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies, this event was presented May 22, 2014 in collaboration with The Huffington Post. Watch the entire series from The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health at www.ForumHSPH.org.