Excessive heat can impact young children’s development and health both in the moment and across the lifespan. Implementing strategies to reduce exposure to extreme heat benefits children, caregivers, and communities.

Join us for a live conversation, Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children, on July 17 at 1 pm ET, as we explore how communities are working to reduce the effects of extreme heat on early childhood development.  

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), which authored the 2024 working paper, Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health. Our panelists, Michelle Kang, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and Jennifer Vanos, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Sustainability and the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University, will share innovative strategies to protect young children from extreme heat, support caregivers, and ensure healthy development of all children in our communities. 

Presented jointly with the Master in Health Care Management program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  

Drawing on research and real-world applications, this panel of physicians and health care executives will explore the transformative impact of AI on health care delivery, research, and policy—and address critical questions around data privacy and protection. Panelists will share their experiences integrating AI into workflows such as diagnostics, patient monitoring, and clinical decision-making, shedding light on both the promise and challenges of AI in health care. 

Register for free to submit your questions.   

Join us as we kick off the Hot Topics Seminar Series with Dr. Brittany Charlton, a leading scholar of sexual and gender minority health inequities. In her talk, Dr. Charlton will dive into her research on reproductive health inequities faced by LGBTQ communities—an urgent and often overlooked public health issue.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A session, and light lunch will be served.

Dr. Charlton is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is the Founding Director of the LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence. Widely recognized for her work on health inequities, Dr. Carlton’s research centers on cancer and reproductive health among sexual and gender minority communities. She has published over 100 original research papers and leads several mentoring initiatives, particularly for underrepresented minorities.

Watch here

Join the Department of Global Health and Population on Tuesday, July 22, for a seminar featuring Christopher R. Sudfeld, Associate Professor of Global Health and Nutrition in the Department of Global Health and Population. Christopher Sudfeld will present, “Nutrition and Infection Interventions to Promote Survival, Growth, and Development”.

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

The Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program invites you to attend the OEMR Presentation Day, on June 27, 2025.  The presentations will take place at HSPH in Kresge 502 and remote attendance via ZOOM will be available.

The Session 1 runs from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, where the first year OEM Residents will present their Practicum (aka Capstone) projects. Click here for details about Session 1.

Session 2 begins at 12:30 and concludes at 2:30, where the second-year residents will give the final presentations of their Residency Research Projects, and awards will be announced around 1:55 pm.

CMEs will be available for US-licensed physicians.*

Click here to register to attend Session 2 via ZOOM.

Session 2: Second-year Resident Research Projects & Awards

Title: Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Function in Veterans Deployed to Afghanistan and Southwest Asia

Presenter: Chris Leopardi, MD, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among post-9/11 Veterans.
2. Evaluate the impact of deployment-related environmental exposures on respiratory health.
3. Compare pulmonary function outcomes between veterans with and without asthma.
4. Evaluate the potential role of oscillometry as a diagnostic tool for early detection of small airway disease.

Title: “F!reF!ghterF!t”: A randomized controlled trial of lifestyle coaching interventions for obese firefighters: Current data and intervention review. 

Presenter: Derek Stewart, DO, MHSA and Kangwook Huh, DO, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the current data collected through the onboarding process. 
2. Analyze the study design used to evaluate the effectiveness of the lifestyle medicine intervention.
3. Discuss the specific lifestyle interventions implemented in the study, including the six lifestyle medicine pillars.
4. Evaluate the potential implications of the study for clinical practice and future research in lifestyle medicine.

Awards Presentation & Closing Remarks

Presenter: Stefanos Kales, MD

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*CE/CME Information

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Chan Education and Research Center. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health designates this live and hybrid activity for 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Note: the morning session carries 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.  The afternoon session carries 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

The Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program invites you to attend the OEMR Presentation Day, on June 27, 2025.  The presentations will take place at HSPH in Kresge 502 and remote attendance via ZOOM will be available.

The Session 1 runs from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, where the first year OEM Residents will present their Practicum (aka Capstone) projects.

Session 2 begins at 12:30 and concludes at 2:30, where the second-year residents will give the final presentations of their Residency Research Projects, and awards will be announced around 1:55 pm. Click here for details about Session 2.

CMEs will be available for US-licensed physicians.*

Click here to register to attend Session 1 via ZOOM

The AM Session: First-year Resident Practicum Projects

Title: Burnout and Mental Wellbeing in Healthcare Workers After Hurricane Helene: Initial Findings from a 12-Month Longitudinal Study

Presenter: Tiffany Tam, MD, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to

1. Describe the validated screening tools used to assess burnout, resilience, and depression.
2. Interpret early data on the relationship between disaster exposure and mental health outcomes among health care workers following Hurricane Helene
3. Compare mental health outcomes between disaster-exposed and non-disaster exposed healthcare workers.
4. Discuss the implications of study findings for occupational health policy and disaster response planning.

Title: Evaluating the Clinical Training Experience in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM): Insights from the Harvard OEM Residency Alumni Survey

Presenter: Andrew T. Bagby, MD, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the methodology of the Harvard OEMR Alumni Survey
2. Summarize the demographic characteristics of OEMR alumni respondents
3. Interpret preliminary survey findings related to alumni perceptions such as clinical preparedness, rotation value, and OEM core competencies.
4. Identify key areas of strengthin OEMR training based on alumni feedback.
5. Identify key areas for  improvement in OEMR training based on alumni feedback.

Title:  From Insight to Action: Tackling Substance Use in Railroad Workers

Presenter: Jeremy Berger, DO, MPH, MS

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to

1. Describe survey-based insights into the role of frontline supervisors in supporting substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and recovery.
2. Discuss employee awareness levels of intervention programs such as P.I.E.R., EAP, and Co-Worker Intervention based on survey findings.
3. Discuss the implications of low Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC-4) scores for safety-sensitive railroad workers.
4. Describe recommended next steps for improving workplace mental health and substance use prevention in railroad workers.

Title: Understanding Mental Health in Residency – The Perspective of Program Leadership

Presenter: Aditya Nellore, MD, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to

1. Discuss the most recent data on physician suicide.
2. Describe potential barriers preventing physicians from seeking mental health care.
3. Discuss potential limitations of qualitative interview-based studies.

Title: Health Information Seeking Behaviors on Social Media and Digital Apps by Pregnant Women

Presenter: Shannel Pegram, DO, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to

1. Discuss the types of online resources pregnant individuals use for health information.
2. Evaluate the quality and helpfulness of these resources.
3. Assess open-source, job-specific available resources for pregnant individuals.
4. Describe how this research could be used as a framework for providers to offer their patients vetted resources tailored to their patients’ preferences.

Title: Association Between Diffusing Capacity and Small Airway Abnormalities in Deployed US Military Veterans

Presenter: Erika Anderson, MD, MPH

Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to

1. List occupational exposures of deployed veterans to Southwest Asia.
2. Recall the definition of Diffusing Capacity of the Lungs for Carbon Monoxide (DLCO).
3. Describe the mechanism behind the DLCO measurement.
4. Discuss whether some measurement values of DLCO have been shown to indicate small airway disease.

*CE/CME Information

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Chan Education and Research Center. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health designates this live and hybrid activity for 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Note: The morning session carries 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.  The afternoon session carries 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

Fueled by warming temperatures and wetter climates, tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and babesiosis are becoming more prevalent across the U.S. How can we protect ourselves? This panel discussion brings together researchers and clinicians to discuss strategies for prevention—including education, vaccine development, and surveillance—and interventions to safeguard communities in an evolving landscape. 

Register for free to submit your questions.   

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

Join us for a webinar on the Health Care Leadership Essentials for Nurses program offered by Harvard Chan School Executive and Continuing Education.

Hosted by Program Director Stephanie Ferguson, this event shows how the program helps mid-level nurse managers transform into leaders with foundational concepts to excel in their roles, improve health outcomes, and implement change in their departments to fix issues they experience first-hand. 

If you’re looking to elevate your leadership skills, we invite you to attend this webinar to see how this online self-paced program can support your professional goals.

Join us for a webinar on the Mental Health Leadership: Transformation Through Innovation program offered by Harvard Chan School Executive and Continuing Education.

Hosted by Program Directors Vikram Patel, Giuseppe Raviola, and Shekhar Saxena, will share how this program equips participants to scale effective mental health innovations in the U.S. and globally. They’ll discuss core topics, including the social determinants of mental health, digital technologies, and rights-based approaches.

If you’re seeking practical skills and strategies to address the mental health care gap, we invite you to attend this webinar to see how this program can align with your goals.

Title: Developmental exposure to metals and nonmetals can reprogram gene expression and render the adult and aging brain susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases and disorders as revealed by: genomic, epigenomic, proteomic, biomarker and behavioral studies

Date: Monday, December 16, 2024, 3:00pm
Speaker: Nasser Zawia, Ph.D., Professor and Former Dean
Ryan Research Professor of Neuroscience, University of Rhode Island, College of Pharmacy

Watch recording now.

Abstract: Our research culminated in the groundbreaking discovery that early life exposure to the heavy metal lead (Pb) produces Alzheimer’s like pathology later in life. This was the first experimental evidence that exposure to environmental toxins in early life can have delayed and disastrous consequences for the mature nervous system, an observation that has since informed our understanding of many CNS diseases and the unique enabling aspects of the brain. Our laboratory has shown that the environment is able to make specific changes to the epigenome – that are sustained for the life of the animal and manifest themselves in the aging brain rendering it susceptible to disease and cognitive decline. More recent studies by our group have extended these findings to no-metals (PFOS) thereby showing similarities and differences between the actions of metals and non-metals.

(Full title: Developmental exposure to metals (Pb) and nonmetals (PFAS) can reprogram gene expression and render the adult and aging brain susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s) and disorders such ASD and ADHD as revealed by: genomic, epigenomic, proteomic, biomarker and behavioral studies)