We research how nutrition affects human health at molecular and population levels to shape public policy and help people make better diet and lifestyle choices.
Our faculty have made significant contributions toward understanding the biological mechanisms underlying the effects of nutrition on human metabolism and health. These include the roles of diet and lifestyle—and their interactions with genetic factors—in the cause and prevention of major health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive disorders.
Our scientists are actively engaged in a wide range of cross-disciplinary research in six key areas: nutritional biochemistry, nutritional epidemiology, public health nutrition, global nutrition, planetary health, and clinical nutrition.
Our students, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates possess a strong foundational knowledge in nutritional science, epidemiology, and public health, and learn to translate scientific discoveries into interventions that benefit communities and especially vulnerable populations.
We have strong connections with the Harvard medical community and other leading international institutions and programs, which allow us to engage in a range of collaborative initiatives and research projects to improve human health worldwide.
Our research programs employ a life-course approach which lets students examine the effects of nutrition on health over the entire human lifecycle, from pre-gestation to aging.
Student Story: Carisha Pranyoto, MPH ’27, has used her work experience and interest in global health issues such as child malnutrition to guide her studies.
Eating for a Healthy Body and a Healthy Planet event at the Harvard Chan Studio in March 2023.
Dr. Josiemer Mattei meeting with with Cristina Gago, PhD ’22, and Abrania Marrero, PhD ’22.
Aviva Musicus, ScD ’20 (center-right) shares nutrition tips for healthy meetings, developed in partnership with Harvard Chan food service staff and Dr. Walter Willett (center-left).
Staff members Stef Dean, Debbie Flynn, and Jessie Powell gather at an event.
Dr. Lilian Cheung leads a mindful walk in the Kresge courtyard.
Our Research
Explore our department’s current research activities.
The Postdoctoral Training Grant in Academic Nutrition is an integrated fellowship program designed for doctoral graduates and physicians, led by scientists at the cutting edge of their fields.
A cohort-based, multidisciplinary degree that provides students with the research and analytical tools needed to tackle a wide range of complex, large-scale public health issues.
Concentrations
Explore a range of interdisciplinary concentrations, designed to deepen students’ experience in academic or professional areas aligned with their career goals.
The Nutrition Source is a leading authority on food and nutrition, providing science-based guidance for healthy living.
Diversity and Inclusion
Harvard Chan School is committed to building an inclusive community that welcomes and supports individuals with a broad range of lived experiences, cultures, identities, backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives. That’s a crucial foundation for academic excellence. And it’s the only way to make progress on the many public health challenges facing the world.
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee promotes diversity, inclusion, and belonging across the department. Focus areas include raising awareness of nutrition scholars from under-represented minority backgrounds; developing plans for increased engagement in the community surrounding Harvard Chan School; strategizing ways to increase recruitment and retention of students, postdocs, staff, and faculty from under-represented backgrounds; and using surveys and interviews to better understand different people’s experiences in the Department of Nutrition.
