Our History

Our department traces its roots to the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, a joint department at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School that was initially chaired by Milton Rosenau, the author of the first comprehensive text of public health in the U.S. The department grew in scope under the leadership of John E. Gordon, who was chair in 1937-38 and then again between 1946 and 1958—once it was located solely within the School of Public Health—and who recognized that epidemiology techniques could be applied to non-communicable diseases such as car injuries and diabetes.  

After Brian MacMahon took over in 1958, the department underwent a rapid expansion thanks in part to generous federal research support. Different units were established to study the health impact of factors such as oral contraceptives, pharmaceuticals, nutrition, retroviruses, and radiation.  

The department was subsequently chaired by Dimitrios Trichopoulos, who was appointed chair in 1989 and promoted collaborative work, and Alexander M. Walker, who took over in 1996 and worked to ensure equity in faculty compensation. In 2000, Meir J. Stampfer was appointed chair and created a strong team atmosphere. In subsequent years the department has seen a number of chairs including Hans-Olov Adami (2007), Michelle Williams (2011) and since 2016, Albert Hofman.