Global humanitarian and disaster management one year after the dismantling of USAID
Presented jointly with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
How are the front lines of global disaster and humanitarian response faring one year after the dismantling of USAID? Altaf Musani, director of Humanitarian and Disaster Management at the World Health Organization, and Michael VanRooyen, director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, will examine the impacts and explore the paths forward to ensure that lives continue to be saved in this pre-recorded conversation moderated by Irini Albanti, executive director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
Speakers
Altaf Musani
Moderator
About The Studio
The Science and Practice of Human–Animal Interaction
Join us for a lively conversation where research and real-world practice come together to explore the power of human–animal relationships. We will be joined by researchers Dr. Kerri Rodriguez and Dr. Ichiro Kawachi, and by practitioners Steven Fumicello and Niki Vettel with their animal partners, Sasha and Hermie, whom you will also have a chance to meet. Together, they’ll explore what science and real‑world experience each reveal about the human–animal bond—and how these perspectives inform and inspire one another. Lunch will be provided!
This seminar is co-sponsored with the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness.
Speaker Information
Organizers
Public health and medicine have added years to life; our next urgent challenge is ensuring those extra years are healthy and equitable—especially now that advances in biology and data science let us measure biological age and test aging interventions far more rapidly.
The seminar is designed to bring together researchers from across the School’s disciplines and departments to share current aging research efforts and discuss opportunities for future collaborations and funding. The program will feature brief talks on major aging-related research themes, a panel discussion with Q&A, and informal conversations over coffee and dessert. Your participation will be invaluable in leveraging and expanding the School’s capacity for aging research.
This event is the first of an ongoing interdisciplinary seminar series focused on cross-cutting public health challenges. By showcasing the breadth and depth of our research in aging and healthy longevity, we can begin to position Harvard Chan as a visible leader in this area.
Please register online to indicate your availability; you will receive an Outlook invitation about a week before the event.
Speakers will share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard.
Organizers
2026 Harvard Global Health Student Research Showcase
We invite you to join us at the 2026 Harvard Global Health Student Research Showcase, a University-wide poster session highlighting global health research conducted by Harvard undergraduate and graduate students. We encourage members of the Harvard community to join us to view posters, learn about ongoing research across the University, and support student scholarship.
The Harvard Global Health Student Research Showcase celebrates student research and promotes interdisciplinary exchange, bringing together perspectives from research, practice, and policy across Harvard. The event provides an opportunity to engage with emerging work on pressing global health challenges and to foster dialogue and collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
Registration in advance is not required but is strongly encouraged. Harvard ID or visitor’s pass required for building entry.
Organizers
Spring Freecycle
Don’t miss our spring Freecycle! Back by popular demand and in celebration of Earth Month, this event helps build community as well as save items that might otherwise end up in the trash. Last fall, over 300 people attended and swapped hundreds of items including: clothes, socks, shoes, and accessories; books and magazines; notebooks, paper tablets, clipboards, post-its, pens, pencils, and markers; white boards and dry erase supplies; staplers, tape, and clips; labels and envelopes; vases, mugs, dishes, and utensils; monitor stands and computer peripherals; and more!
Do some spring cleaning and bring your surplus items to the swap. (Please note, it is not necessary to bring anything to be able to shop!) Harvard ID required for building entry.
If you’re not able to make it to the Freecycle but would like to drop off donations, please bring them to the Reuse Room on a Wednesday between 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. See info on the room below for directions.
Organizers
Monday Nutrition Seminar | To organic, or not to organic, that is the question
Please join the Department of Nutrition for the Monday Nutrition Seminar featuring Jorge E. Chavarro, MD, ScD, ScM, Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chavarro’s talk—”To organic, or not to organic, that is the question”—will take place on April 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET in FXB G-13 and via Zoom (registration is required).
Healthy snacks will be provided, thanks to the generous support of the Wellbeing Project Fund from the Office of the Associate Provost for Student Affairs.
The Monday Nutrition Seminar Series is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend this event and do not have an active HUID, please click the “Register Today” button to fill out the registration form by 3:00 p.m. ET on the Friday before the seminar to request a visitor pass to access the building.
Seminar speakers share their perspectives, they do not speak for Harvard.
Speaker Information
Organizers
The Women’s Health Student Summit at Harvard Chan
Women around the world experience systemic barriers to respectful, quality care. Countries like the UK and Australia, in response, developed national women’s health strategies to evolve from fragmented programs toward integrated, life-course approaches. However, there is no academic forum that convenes global leaders, policymakers, academic experts, and advocates to advance the discussion and create a shared agenda for holistic women’s health strategies. The women’s health student summit at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the forum where changemakers gather to develop strategies that unify siloed programs and bridge research, policy, and implementation to advance women’s health agendas globally.
This event is in-person and virtual.
Agenda
8:00 AM — Registration
9:00 AM — Opening remarks · Betza Bravo & Aracely Guzman Guajardo
9:20 AM — Keynote: The Imperative of Developing National Women’s Health Strategies · Dame Lesley Regan
10:00 AM — Panel: Transforming Maternal Health: From Evidence to Systems Change · Katherina Semrau · Rose Molina · Christin Price
10:55 AM — Panel: Womenomics 2.0: The ROI of Investing in Women’s Health Strategies · Rhonda Pacheco · Esther Duflo
11:50 AM — Lunch (breakout sessions):
- “Small Shifts, Meaningful Directions” — MomPath
- “The Menopause Leadership Gap: From Screening to Empowering Leaders in and Beyond Transition” — Promoting Good
12:20 PM — Lunch (fireside chat):
- The Power of Prevention
1:05 PM — Panel: Sexual and Reproductive Health in a Polarized World: Evidence, Rights, and Policy · Alicia Yamin · Sapna Kathri
2:00 PM — Panel: Invisible No More: Addressing Neglected Areas in Women’s Health Across the Life Course · Jorge Chavarro · Olga Garcia · Louise King
2:55 PM — Panel: Blueprint for Change: Moving Toward Integrated, Life-Course Health Strategies · Lia Tadesse · Hector Valle · Dr. Winnie Yip
3:50 PM — Panel: The Last Mile of Health Policy: If Science Doesn’t Influence People’s Behavior, What Does? Communicating Health Policy in the Age of Social Media · Amanda Yarnell
4:20 PM — Closing keynote
4:50 PM — Closing remarks · Betza Bravo & Aracely Guzman Guajardo
We greatly thank our sponsors for their contribution to making this event possible.
Changemakers: FUNSALUD, Promoting good
Blueprint partner: Provost’s Fund for Student Collaboration, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
Womenomics champion: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (department of Social and Behavioral Health, Department of Global Health), Harvard Chan Student Government Association
Speaker Information
Dame Lesley Regan
Lia Tadesse
Hector Valle
Alicia Yamin, JD, MPH, PhD
Rhonda Pacheco
Winnie Yip, PhD
Organizers
Strength in Community: Navigating Careers with Harvard Alumni
This event is designed to bring students and alumni together in conversation about career paths, job searching, and the value of professional community—particularly in today’s evolving job market. We hope to create a space where students can hear candid reflections from alumni about how they have navigated their careers, learn practical strategies for approaching the job search, and gain perspective on how the Harvard network can serve as a source of support and opportunity.
Organizers
2026 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge Awards Ceremony
Join the Harvard Innovation Labs for our annual celebration of innovation, community, and entrepreneurship at Harvard. We’ll hear live pitches from 25 finalists and reveal which ventures will receive a share of $500,000+ in funding, courtesy of the Bertarelli Foundation.
Tickets are now available to the Harvard community. Registration will open to the public on or before April 22.
The theme of this year’s competition is “What Moves You” — and our founders represent the diverse paths to entrepreneurship and how early ideas can lead to real impact.
Get excited for this year’s event by watching highlights from last year.
How to join:
In-person: Join us in person for the awards ceremony in Klarman Hall in Allston, Massachusetts. An after party will follow at Schwartz Pavilion (directly outside of Klarman Hall) with food, drinks, and a chance to meet and mingle with the finalists and our broader innovation community.
Online: Can’t make it to campus? Join us online from anywhere in the world for an immersive digital experience. We’ll share the livestream link as the date gets closer.
Please note: By registering, you agree to receive emails about this event and future communications from the Harvard Innovation Labs.
Organizers
ID Epi Seminar Series: Why elimination should be the default response for future severe pandemic
Why elimination should be the default response for future severe pandemic
Presented by Michael Baker, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington New Zealand.
Professor Michael Baker is a public health physician, epidemiologist, and active researcher in the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, NZ. He is visiting the United States as a Fulbright Scholar from April to September 2026. In NZ, he leads the Health Protection Aotearoa Research Centre which investigates ways of improving prevention and control of infectious diseases and environmental health hazards. Michael took a leading role in shaping NZ’s Covid-19 pandemic response, particularly the elimination strategy. He has a strong interest in science communication and directs the national Public Health Communications Centre.
This event open to the public. To access the event, you will need to secure a visitor’s pass – you can do this by registering in advance.
