Treating violence against children as a disease
Violence against children is pervasive, but not inevitable. It is preventable. Like pervasive diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, we can diagnose and document violence against children, treat it and ultimately eradicate it. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion focusing on this topic to mark the publication of an important new book, Protecting the World’s Children: Public Health, Human Rights, Capabilities, co-edited by FXB Senior Fellow Susan Bissell and A.K. Shiva Kumar. The book includes the work of leading experts on the multi-faceted threats and violations facing today’s children. Panelists will engage with several key child protection issues and discuss solutions that demand urgent attention and action.
This event is co-sponsored by the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, and BYkids.
Speaker remarks are based on their own scholarship and experience. As such, they speak for themselves, not for Harvard University.
Speaker Information
Jacqueline Bhabha, JD, MSc
Nandana Dev Sen
Susan Bissell, BA, MA, PhD
Tymur Tsapliienko
Vasileia Digidiki, MSc, PhD
Fridoon Joinda
Satchit Balsari, MD, MPH
Jennifer Leaning, MD, SMH
Organizers
Understanding genocide through a public health lens: Perspectives from Gaza
As a growing number of human rights organizations and United Nations experts have argued that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, join the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights to hear from a panel of experts who will explore the critical role of public health in understanding, documenting, and preventing genocide. We will also explore the potential of public health practitioners to inform mechanisms for accountability in Palestine/Israel.
Please register in advance for this online event.
Speaker remarks are based on their own scholarship and experience. As such, they speak for themselves, not for Harvard University.
Speaker Information
Abdulwhhab Abu Alamrain, MD
Aseel Aburass, MA
Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, PhD
Organizers
Social Demography Seminar with Atheendar Venkataramani
Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD, associate professor, medical ethics and health policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, presents “Political power and mortality: Heterogeneous effects of the U.S. Voting Rights Act.” This seminar is co-sponsored by the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Social Demography Seminar (SDS) series at the Center for Population and Development Studies provides a lively forum for scholars from across the university to discuss in-progress social scientific and population research. Social demography includes work that uses demographic methods to describe and explain the distribution of social goods across populations. The hybrid series offers presentations on a wide variety of topics such as family, gender, race/ethnicity, population health—including mortality, morbidity, and functional health—inequality, immigration, fertility, and the institutional arrangements that shape and respond to population processes.
Speaker Information
Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD
Organizers
Art Exhibit Opening Reception: Call and Response
Please join us to celebrate the opening of our newest art exhibit: “Call and Response: A Narrative of Reverence to our Foremothers in Gynecology.”
Countway Library is thrilled to host this exhibit, on loan from the Resilient Sisterhood Project through mid-January. “Call and Response” sheds light on the exploitation of enslaved Black women in the origins of modern gynecology, centering the lives of Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy—three women subjected to repeated experimental surgeries by Dr. J. Marion Sims in the 1840s. Curated by the Resilient Sisterhood Project with artist Jules Arthur, the exhibition blends past and present, honoring these foremothers while highlighting generations of Black women who transformed medicine. This powerful narrative invites us to unearth history, confront the present, and imagine a more just future for reproductive health. Learn more about the exhibit at countway.info/call.
The opening reception will feature artist and curator statements, a panel discussion, the unveiling of the newest addition to the collection, live music by pianist Kimie Han, and light refreshments. All are welcome! Please register at countway.info/callreception.
Speaker Information
Jules Authur
Dr. Michele David
Dr. Yvonne Gomez-Carrion
Lilly Marcelin
Organizers
Get Job Ready: A Career Panel with SBS Alumni
Please join us for an SBS seminar session to help you navigate the current public health job market. Hear from a panel of accomplished SBS alumni, including Ana Warner, Sarah Belstock, Anna Hirshman, and Kaitlin Patton (Shroeder), who will share their unique journeys and offer insights on how to best leverage your own skills and experiences as you enter the job search. Alison McAlear from Career Services will also be there to connect you to helpful resources. After our panel discussion, you’ll have the chance to chat informally with alumni, ask your questions, and build connections.
Speakers will share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard.
Speaker Information
Kaitlin Patton (Schroeder), MPH'23
Ana Warner, MPH’25
Sarah Belstock, SM '05
Anna Hirshman, MPH ’25
Alison McAlear
Organizers
Global Health in a Fractured World, featuring Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
2025 Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Elisabeth B. Weintz Humanitarian Award Ceremony and Lecture
Presented jointly by The Studio at Harvard Chan School and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
This year’s recipient of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative 2025 Elisabeth B. Weintz Humanitarian Award is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, who is being recognized for his extraordinary contributions to humanitarian leadership on the global stage. Throughout his career, Dr. Tedros has championed public health by spearheading international initiatives against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and maternal and child mortality, and by directing robust responses to crises such as Ebola, COVID-19, and mpox. Join us in celebrating his enduring impact on global health and humanitarian action.
This event was previously recorded.
Introduction
Welcome Remarks
Michael VanRooyen
Speaker
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
About The Organizers
The Harvard Chan Studio is the hub for the School’s premier in-person and live-streamed events. We convene global leaders in health policy, advocacy, industry, and research for insightful conversations about public health’s most pressing challenges and most promising solutions.
The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative is a university-wide academic and research center in humanitarian crisis and leadership. Our mission is to create new knowledge and advance evidence-based leadership in disasters and humanitarian crisis. Our work focuses on two main areas: the Humanitarian Academy at Harvard and Research & Translation.
Learn more about Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
Beyond the Feed: Social Media, Content Creators, Mental Health, and Digital Well-being
Join us for a timely conversation at the intersection of social media and youth well-being. Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) trainees Katrine Bønneland Tølbøll, MSc, MA, and Yuning Liu, MBBS, MS, will explore how content creators shape online spaces, the implications for mental health, and strategies for fostering healthier digital environments. This seminar will highlight fresh perspectives from emerging scholars and spark dialogue on how to move beyond the feed toward meaningful change.
Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025
Time: 1:00pm – 1:50pm ET
Location: Hybrid; in person & online
In-person location: FXB G13 at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Registration link: Registration required, register here
Cosponsors: STRIPED, Center for Health Communication, and Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Speaker Information
Yuning Liu, MBBS, MS
Katrine Bønneland Tølbøll, MSc, MA
Art Exhibit Opening Reception: Call and Response
Please join us to celebrate the opening of our newest art exhibit: “Call and Response: A Narrative of Reverence to our Foremothers in Gynecology.”
Countway Library is thrilled to host this exhibit, on loan from the Resilient Sisterhood Project through mid-January. “Call and Response” sheds light on the exploitation of enslaved Black women in the origins of modern gynecology, centering the lives of Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy—three women subjected to repeated experimental surgeries by Dr. J. Marion Sims in the 1840s. Curated by the Resilient Sisterhood Project with artist Jules Arthur, the exhibition blends past and present, honoring these foremothers while highlighting generations of Black women who transformed medicine. This powerful narrative invites us to unearth history, confront the present, and imagine a more just future for reproductive health. Learn more about the exhibit at countway.info/call.
The opening reception will feature artist and curator statements, a panel discussion, the unveiling of the newest addition to the collection, live music by pianist Kimie Han, and light refreshments. All are welcome!
Please register at countway.info/callreception
Speaker Information
Organizers
Countway Cinema: Run from Rain
Join Countway Library and the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine for a film screening followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers of “Run from Rain!” This powerful short documentary captures one boy’s resilience amid displacement and instability.
Directed by journalists and filmmakers Jess DiPierro Obert and Jacki Huntington, Run from Rain offers an intimate portrait of survival, hope, and belonging in a country under siege. Follow 16-year-old Macul Nelson as he rebuilds his life after losing his parents to gang violence in Haiti.
Speaker Information
Jacki Huntington
Jess DiPierro Obert
Organizers
20th Kolokotrones Symposium – Acetaminophen During Pregnancy and Autism: What Does Causal Inference Take?
CAUSALab is thrilled to invite you to the 20th Kolokotrones Symposium at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health!
“Acetaminophen During Pregnancy and Autism: What Does Causal Inference Take?” features four expert talks and a panel discussion.
The symposium will provide an introduction to the epidemiology of autism, present what is currently known about the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, describe possible explanations for this association, and explore the challenges and opportunities to design better studies to estimate the causal effect. The symposium will conclude with an expert panel that will consider the question: where do we go from here?
NOTE: In-person attendance is limited to Harvard ID holders due to space restrictions. Online attendance is free and open to the public. Limited spots are available, so please register now to reserve your spot.