Alumni and Reunion Weekend 2025 celebrates leadership, connection, and public health impact
September 29, 2025—More than 200 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni, students, faculty, and guests gathered Sept. 25–27 for Alumni and Reunion Weekend 2025, Power of Why: Uniting for a Healthier Future. The three-day event offered opportunities to reconnect, reflect, and explore the role of leadership, trust, and action in advancing public health.
The weekend commenced on Sept. 25, with a virtual session that examined war as a global health crisis and explored strategies for prevention and intervention. The program was guided by Mary Bassett, director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and FXB professor of the practice of health and human rights, and Yara Asi, visiting scholar at the FXB Center and assistant professor at the University of Central Florida.
On Sept. 26, attendees gathered for a dinner featuring reflections from Dean Andrea Baccarelli and Alumni Weekend Committee Chair Priti Lakhani, SM ’13. Lakhani invited the group to pause and honor the countless lives they have collectively improved and saved through their work in public health. The evening also featured a conversation between Anthony Fauci, distinguished university professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and the McCourt School of Public Policy and former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Mandy Cohen, MPH ’04, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From favorite sandwiches to research and insights on public trust in health institutions, Fauci and Cohen discussed how their personal and professional lives have been impacted by public health.
The dinner programming concluded with videos that highlighted the careers of the 2025 recipients of the Alumni Award of Merit, the highest honor presented to alumni of Harvard Chan School. Recipients included:
- Michael Fiore, MPH ’85, a pioneer in smoking cessation whose work has helped millions of Americans live tobacco-free lives
- Matthew Mimiaga, SD ’07, founding director of UCLA’s Center for LGBTQ+ Advocacy, Research & Health, who was recognized for his leadership in advancing inclusive health for sexual and gender minorities and marginalized communities worldwide
Additional awards were presented during a lunch session the following day:
- Morissa Henn, DrPH ’19, received the Emerging Public Health Professional Award, for her nationally recognized, data-driven suicide prevention work and reforms in psychiatric care and juvenile justice in New Hampshire
- Anthony L-T Chen, MPH ’06, received the Leadership Award in Public Health Practice, for advancing Washington State’s vaccine, tobacco, and health equity strategies and policies
- Eugenio Fernandez, MPH ’16, received the Public Health Innovator Award, for using his community-focused pharmacy to help individuals make informed decisions and increase health accessibility in Rhode Island
The Sept. 27 symposium underscored the breadth of public health with:
- A session led by Al Halliday, director of gift planning at Harvard University, and Joe Cappelleri, MPH ’93, about creating a legacy through philanthropy at Harvard Chan School
- A case study led by Vish Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, and Rick Siegrist, senior lecturer on health care management, that examined the intersection of happiness and health in organizational leadership, using the management philosophy of the Lee Kum Kee Group
- A panel about the role of AI in public health, led by Austin Crumpton, MPH ’16, of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and José Acosta, MPH ’23, of Ponce Health Sciences University
- A panel featuring four DrPH alumni, Bryan O. Buckley, DrPH ’20; Stephanie Kang, DrPH ’20; Eirliani “Lin” Abdul Rahman, DrPH ’24, Isha Nirola, DrPH ’21—and how they see leadership roles evolving as the public health landscape shifts
- A hands-on workshop focused on storytelling as a powerful tool in health communication, led by Amanda Yarnell and Elissa Scherer of the Center for Health Communication.
The weekend concluded with the School’s first reunion celebrations in recent years, including gatherings for milestone reunion classes ending in 0 and 5, DrPH alumni, MPH in Epidemiology’s 10th anniversary, and a special dinner for the Class of 1975.
From exploring the shifting public health landscape to honoring the resilience and vision of alumni, Alumni and Reunion Weekend 2025 inspired trust, hope, and action—strengthening the community’s commitment to building a world where everyone can thrive.
View a photo gallery of the weekend’s events here.
