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June 24

What’s in our air: A conversation with New York Times’ Carl Zimmer about airborne disease

Photo of Carl Zimmer, columnist for The New York Times. He is wearing a navy suit and holding his hand up.
Location
The Studio & Online

Time

1:00 pm 1:30 pm

Event Type

From Around the School, Lectures/Seminars/Forums

Join science writer Carl Zimmer, author of Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, for a fascinating look at our evolving understanding of airborne illnesses — and how the COVID-19 pandemic reignited an important examination of what lives in our air. 

Register for free to submit your questions.   

An on-demand video will be posted after the event. 

Speaker

Moderator

June 11

Epidemiological inference and policy choice for the world’s deadliest infectious disease

Location
Building 1 – Room 1208
665 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 United States

Time

1:00 pm 2:15 pm

Event Type

From Around the School, Lectures/Seminars/Forums

Watch here

Join the Department of Global Health and Population on Wednesday, June 11, for a seminar featuring Nicolas Menzies, Associate Professor of Global Health in the Department of Global Health and Population. Nicolas Menzies will present, “Epidemiological inference and policy choice for the world’s deadliest infectious disease”.

This hybrid seminar will be held in Building 1, Room 1208 and via Zoom.

Please note, a Harvard ID is required for building access.

Speakers will share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard

Speaker Information

June 5

How Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health

event flyer, mom with young son playing at a table

Time

2:00 pm 3:00 pm

Event Type

From Around the School, Lectures/Seminars/Forums

Join us for a live conversation, How Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health, on June 5 from 2 to 3 PM ET, centered on the recent working paper published by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. We’ll explore the impacts of air quality during pregnancy and early childhood, with a particular focus on indoor air, given that we typically spend more than 90% of our time inside. Panelists will share actionable solutions to improve air quality, ranging from better policies and pollutant-free products to healthier ventilation and building materials, and will offer resources for taking action in your community to ensure children and their caregivers have cleaner air to breathe.    

The discussion will be led by Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, the Center’s Chief Science Officer and Founding Director of the Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment (ECSCEE). It will feature Joe Allen, DSc, MPH, Associate Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and ECSCEE member Alison Lee, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine with tenure and Associate Division Chief in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.   

June 9

Decision science for priority setting in global public health today

Location
Building 1 – Room 1208
665 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 United States

Event Type

1:00 pm 2:15 pm

Watch here

Join the Department of Global Health and Population on Monday, June 9, for a seminar featuring Stéphane Verguet, Associate Professor of Global Health in the Department of Global Health and Population. Stéphane Verguet will present, “Decision science for priority setting in global public health today”.

This hybrid seminar will be held in Building 1, Room 1208 and via Zoom.

Please note, a Harvard ID is required for building access.

Speakers will share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard

Speaker Information

June 11

The seasonal factor in studies of temperature and pregnancy outcomes with Raanan Raz, PhD

Raanan Raz headshot and lecture title graphic, sponsored by the Harvard Chan NIEHS Center and the Department of Environmental Health.
Location
Building 1, Room 1302 and Zoom
665 Huntington Ave.
Boston, Massachusetts 02115 United States

Event Type

1:00 pm 2:00 pm

Please join the Harvard Chan NIEHS Center for Environmental Health and the Department of Environmental Health for a talk by Raanan Raz, PhD, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Raz will discuss “The seasonal factor in studies of temperature and pregnancy outcomes.”

This event will be held in person (HSPH Bldg. 1, 1302) and via Zoom. Register here

Abstract

Temperature and pregnancy outcomes studies typically adjust for seasonality to prevent confounding by factors that change seasonally. However, actual confounding is not always evaluated. Some studies define seasonality based on birth dates, while others use the last menstrual period (LMP). For specific outcomes, such as preterm birth, the birth date functions as a post-exposure collider, and its use may induce collider bias. Seasonal factors may also be included as time-varying covariates when associations are analyzed using a survival model. Finally, in some climates, seasonal changes account for most of the variability in the temperature exposure variable. This allows for using seasonal factors to illustrate the implications of different realistic exposure scenarios on risk.

This lecture will demonstrate the implications of possible methodological approaches to seasonality on confounding, collider bias, and risk quantification using a study of temperature and preterm birth in Israel.

About the speaker

Raanan Raz is an associate professor and environmental epidemiologist with the School of Public Health at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in computer science, his MSc in epidemiology and preventive medicine, and his PhD in neuroscience. In his post-doctoral research, he studied associations between air pollution and autism at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health under the supervision of Prof. Marc Weisskopf. His current research focuses primarily on climate health impacts on women’s health and child development and the climate footprint of various healthcare activities. In addition, he studies causal inference in epidemiology and methods to reduce bias in health studies.

Speaker Information

June 11

Reducing Tobacco-Related Harm: Innovative Strategies for Health Care Providers in a Changing Policy Landscape

Two crushed cigarettes atop a bright backdrop.
Location
Virtual

Event Type

12:00 pm 12:30 pm

Join Vaughan Rees, Director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control, for an insightful webinar exploring the evolving role of nicotine products in tobacco harm reduction strategies.

While smoking rates have declined in some global regions, they remain high among socioeconomically disadvantaged and marginalized groups, and continue to rise in developing countries. This webinar will outline the potential benefits and risks of reduced-exposure nicotine products while maintaining a focus on protecting the health of youth. By illustrating the latest science and policy insights, this webinar will provide healthcare professionals with an understanding of a range of effective strategies to support tobacco cessation and reduce the burden of tobacco-related disease in marginalized populations.

Speaker Information

May 15

CHDS Seminar: Citizen Willingness to Pay for a Health Risk Reduction

Headshot of Susan Chilton on white background with dark blue and gold elements

Time

1:00 pm 2:00 pm

Event Type

From Around the School, Lectures/Seminars/Forums

Join the Center for Health Decision Science (CHDS) for a virtual Seminar with Susan Chilton from Newcastle University. Chilton’s presentation reports on the results of experimentally testing the external validity of the veil of ignorance established in “Citizen Preferences and BCA: A Model of Willingness-to-Pay behind a Veil of Ignorance,” which established a theoretical model that integrates a veil of ignorance into valuation to account for both distributional concerns and public good values.

Speaker Information

May 12

CHDS Seminar: Setting Optimal Test Thresholds: Consumer Choice Model and Experimental Test

Headshot of Jytte Nielsen from Newcastle University on white background with blue and yellow elements

Time

1:00 pm 2:00 pm

Event Type

From Around the School, Lectures/Seminars/Forums

Join the Center for Health Decision Science (CHDS) for a virtual Seminar with Jytte Nielsen from Newcastle University exploring preferences regarding the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity in screening and diagnostic tests. For a given test, increasing sensitivity, detecting more true positives, comes at the expense of decreasing specificity, giving more false positives. Nielsen will present a consumer optimization model of how individuals’ make this trade-off and test their results using an incentivized experiment.

Speaker Information

June 4

Leadership and Management : The Importance for Public Health Professionals

Two scientists in lab coats collaborate in a modern laboratory. The woman holds a clipboard, focusing on notes or data, while the man beside her holds a tablet, gesturing as he explains or discusses something. Both are engaged and serious, suggesting a professional exchange of ideas. The lab environment is filled with equipment, shelves, and bright overhead lighting, creating a high-tech and organized workspace.
Location
Virtual

Event Type

1:30 pm 2:00 pm

Improving environmental health and safety performance requires more than technical expertise—it demands strong leadership and management skills. Join us for a webinar hosted by Louis J. DiBerardinis, Instructor of Industrial Hygiene, to explore the essential capabilities EHS professionals need to drive meaningful change.

Drawing from real-world experience, Mr. DiBerardinis will share key leadership principles, recommendations for communicating with senior management, strategies for building effective performance systems, time management tips, and more. He’ll also introduce his upcoming course, Management and Leadership Skills for EHS Professionals program, offered online in September and on-site in March.

If you’re looking to strengthen your leadership skills, influence organizational culture, and elevate EHS performance, we invite you to attend this webinar.

Speaker Information

June 17

Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century

A group of professionals sits around a conference table in a modern office setting. A woman in glasses and a gray blazer is speaking, gesturing with her hand as she addresses the group. Her colleagues, dressed in business attire, listen attentively, with one older man looking at her with interest. Microphones and water bottles are arranged on the table, indicating a formal meeting or discussion. The large windows in the background bring in natural light, creating an open and professional atmosphere.
Location
Virtual

Event Type

1:00 pm 1:30 pm

Join us for a webinar on the Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century program offered by Harvard Chan School Executive and Continuing Education.

Hosted by Program Director Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath, PhD, the session will highlight how the program equips professionals to communicate complex health risks clearly and effectively. Dr. Viswanath will share how the latest research in science and risk communication informs practical strategies for building trust, reducing public anxiety, and countering misinformation.

If you’re looking to sharpen your communication skills and support informed public health decision-making, we invite you to attend this webinar to see how this program can align with your goals.

Speaker Information