Remembering Bob Blendon

Dear Harvard Chan School community,

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Robert “Bob” Blendon, Richard L. Menschel Professor of Public Health and professor of health policy and political analysis, emeritus, passed away on June 17.

Bob was a cherished member of the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) for 35 years and served as department chair for a decade. Through his pioneering work in public opinion research, which included leading the renowned Harvard Opinion Research Program, Bob helped ensure that the public’s voice was part of the national conversation, bringing important insights to policymakers, journalists, and communities across the country. He built an extraordinary career dedicated to understanding what Americans think, feel, and experience when it comes to health care and public health.

Bob was an integral part of the founding of the Harvard interfaculty PhD program in Health Policy and the architect of its political analysis track. He also led Harvard Chan’s Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development and envisioned and established the Harvard Chan Studio, a first-of-its-kind studio at a public health school that has produced hundreds of broadcasts and reaches a worldwide audience. Bob also created the Menschel Senior Leadership Fellowship Program, which has attracted a steady stream of high-ranking government officials, including cabinet secretaries, ministers of health, governors, mayors, and global public health leaders to come to our School.

Bob contributed his encyclopedic health policy knowledge and wise insights to a host of other areas. He served as an advisor to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Governor’s Association, and the U.S. Congress Committee on Ways and Means. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and Council on Foreign Relations, and a former member of the advisory board to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And he received numerous honors, including the Baxter Award for lifetime achievement in the health services research field, the John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Everett I. Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Harvard Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student council.

Bob was a thoughtful leader, a generous mentor to students and junior colleagues, and an enthusiastic champion of his department and the School. Colleagues of Bob have many cherished memories. I’d like to share some of those:

Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, said at a tribute at Bob’s emeritus faculty award ceremony, “Bob’s joyous mentorship has made him a human magnet for public health. Everyone gravitates to him and everyone knows him. And Bob knows everyone. He has opened his door widely for hundreds of others, as he has done for me. Over decades, Bob has mentored a full-fledged army of faculty, students, and staff who are now on the ground everywhere fighting the good fight for public health. If you’re in a health policy meeting anywhere in the country, chances are that half the room has been trained by Bob Blendon—and the other half is still hoping for their chance.”

Gillian SteelFisher, director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program: “Bob’s secret sauce was a truly unmatched combination of immeasurable kindness and immense strategic insight. He has not only been a leader in the field but has created a force for good with so many of us who have been lucky enough to be caught up in his supportive wisdom and generosity of spirit. Our learnings from him and our memory of him will help us serve the public’s health and keep gathering others in.”

Meredith Rosenthal, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management: “Bob was an absolute giant in the field of health policy, standing alone as a trusted expert on public opinion and political strategy in the sector. At the School, he was deeply committed to recruiting and supporting students from less privileged backgrounds, quietly unlocking opportunities that might otherwise have remained out of reach. First as a student and then as a colleague, I sought and received the wisest of counsel from Bob, who could always be counted on to see the clearest and most strategic way through any challenging dilemma.”

I want to send my sincere condolences to Bob’s wife Marie Clare McCormick, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor, emerita, and their family, friends, and colleagues.

Bob leaves behind an enormous legacy in his department, the School, and the public health field. He will be greatly missed. We will share any information on upcoming plans to honor Bob’s life as it becomes available.

Sincerely,

Andrea

Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD
Dean of the Faculty