Building a community for all

To the Harvard Chan community,

The Harvard Presidential Task Forces on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias and Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias released their final reports today.

They are painful to read.

Drawing on listening sessions and other outreach, both reports quote members of the Harvard community who felt excluded, bullied, and silenced because of their religious identities, national origins, or political views. The report on anti-Muslim bias does not link incidents to specific schools; the report on antisemitism does, and it includes specific examples from Harvard Chan School.

It is heartbreaking to hear from individuals who felt targeted because of who they are or what they believe.

Our mission as a school of public health is to build a world where everyone can thrive — and that task must start at home. Every member of our community deserves to feel respected and valued. We will not tolerate bigotry.

The reports reinforce my strong commitment to continue building a culture that embraces viewpoint diversity and nurtures pluralism.

In a pluralistic community, each member retains their unique identity, views, and interests. Yet we commit to engage across these differences with respect, empathy, and a spirit of open inquiry. To uphold the highest standards of integrity when we present—or challenge—ideas. And to remember, always, that we share a common mission, vision, and values.

We began this work last year with the launch of Harvard Chan LEADs (Learn & Engage Across Differences). We have made progress, but we still have much to do.

My leadership team and I will develop an action plan to build on the recommendations from both task forces and the work we have already undertaken at Harvard Chan School.

In the coming months, we will hold intensive workshops on combating bias for our senior leadership and department chairs, as well as for faculty, staff, trainees, and students.

In addition, I am launching a Working Group on Constructive Engagement, charged with developing practical recommendations for supporting viewpoint diversity, encouraging open inquiry, and building capacity for effective dialogue across differences. I will announce the membership soon and will share their recommendations next fall.

The past two years have been challenging at Harvard Chan School for many reasons. Our financial crisis has added new layers of strain. So has concern about our international students and scholars.

These stressors make it even more urgent that we spend time working thoughtfully to improve our culture, strengthen our community, and double down on our continued commitment to excellence in research and education. Harvard Chan School must be a place where people of all backgrounds contribute to the highest quality of scholarship and education, find support and empathy, and are treated with dignity and respect.

I am confident that we can get there. I welcome your suggestions.

Before I close, I want to express my gratitude to the Presidential Task Forces for the work they put into these reports. Special thanks to our own Wafaie Fawzi, Richard Saltonstall Professor of Population Sciences, who co-chaired the Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias.

Please join me in committing to build a community that we can all be proud of, as we work together to build a home and a world where everyone can thrive.

Best,

Andrea

Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD
Dean of the Faculty