Better Health for All Summit
This October, our Center partnered with the SALA Series to support a multi-sectoral summit: Better Health for All – Connecting Science, Business, and Communities for Change. The Summit built new collaborations and fostered connection among thought leaders across diverse sectors around the key issue of health equity.
From our Center, Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah spoke on the Innovations in Women’s Health panel, Dr. Gary Adamkiewicz hosted a panel on Housing and Health Equity that included Dr. Howard Koh, and Dr. Mary Rice spoke on the Climate and Health Equity panel. The final panel also featured Dr. David Cash, Regional Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency, who encouraged universities to “change the incentives” for researchers to facilitate true partnerships with communities and other sectors for environmental justice. Over 125 participants attended the half-day event at More Than Words, a non-profit bookstore empowering system-involved youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
The evening before the Summit, we also hosted a dinner and fireside chat, “It’s Personal: A Journey Toward Health Equity,” at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Center Deputy Director Dr. Tamarra James-Todd, who was a key organizer of the Summit, spoke at length with New York Times Magazine journalist Linda Villarosa about their experiences with and exposure to personal care products that contain chemicals linked to adverse health outcomes, and the need for more transparency around the ingredients in consumer products. Director of the Salata Institute Climate Action Accelerator Lindi von Mutius and Center Director Dr. Marc Weisskopf gave opening remarks at the dinner to encourage partnership across sectors to advance health equity and action on pressing climate challenges.
The summit was a collaboration between the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the SALA Series, a purpose-driven community and global platform of events that brings together highly accomplished leaders and inspires new partnerships. The Harvard Chan NIEHS Center, the Department of Environmental Health, and the Salata Institute were institutional sponsors of the event. In addition, Sanofi and The Jed Foundation were co-sponsors. This unique connection between academia, business, government, non-profits, and local communities will serve as a model for future Center engagements. Learn more>>
