Name our new community-building initiative!

To the Harvard Chan community,

Earlier this month, I introduced you to the working groups that will guide our strategic planning process. Today, I’m delighted to introduce you to a new initiative designed to unleash the creativity of our community while building trust and connection.

This initiative will identify creative approaches to our work that are already flourishing in different areas of the School and can be shared more broadly. And it will pilot and promote new ideas that have the potential to improve how we work together and support one another. Ultimately, this work goes to the heart of our shared experience here as staff, students, faculty, trainees, research scientists, and other Harvard Chan community members.

Bryan Thomas, Jr., our chief community and belonging officer, and Bryn Austin, professor of social and behavioral sciences and interim co-chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will lead the initiative. They bring unique knowledge, deep experience, and a lot of heart to this effort.

Among other things, they’re planning a series of fun, voluntary community-building activities such as hackathons and Shark Tank-style competitions. They’re also working on new approaches to recognize and celebrate the talent within our community, including colleagues whose everyday work brings people together in small but creative and meaningful ways, as well as those driving quality and digital innovation across the broader School ecosystem.

Their first task is naming the initiative — and for that, they’re turning to all of you. Please fill out this form by clicking here to suggest a name by Nov. 25. To encourage collaboration and begin the work of strengthening community, Bryn and Bryan ask that at least two people work together on each submission whenever possible. We are also actively recruiting interested members of our community to help shape this initiative. You can express your interest using the same link above.

Bryan and Bryn will coordinate their work closely with the Strategic Steering Committee and the Dean’s Office to ensure that the projects they tackle are aligned with the broad strategic plan being developed by our working groups.

I am confident that this initiative will improve the ways we work, learn, and support one another. Together, we can build a stronger future for Harvard Chan School.

Best,

Andrea

Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD
Dean of the Faculty