Occupational and Environmental Medicine Special Seminar
Department of Environmental Health and the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program invite you to join this special seminar on workers’ compensation in Australia this Friday in Building 1, Room 1302.
Topic: Workers’ Compensation in Australia: What Works and What Doesn’t
Speaker/Presenter: Dominic Yong, MBBS, FAFOEM (RACP), MastersOccEnvHealth, FRACGP, GAICD
Specialist Occupational Physician, Coolaroo Clinic; Immediate Past President, Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM); Presiding Member and Mentor, Victorian Medical Panels; Adjunct Lecturer, Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (MonCOEH), Monash University
Location: Building 1, Room 1302 and Zoom
Zoom Info: Please click here to access zoom information (HarvardKey required), or email ttam@hsph.harvard.edu.
Speaker Information
Dominic Yong
Organizers
Yerby Research Symposium & Reception
Join us for a vibrant showcase of pioneering research conducted by our Yerby Postdoctoral Fellows. This symposium is a unique opportunity to explore cutting-edge studies and engage with the next generation of public health leaders who are addressing critical public health challenges. Come connect with fellow researchers, faculty, and students to exchange ideas and explore potential collaborations that can shape the future of public health.
Organizers
From Discovery to Translation in Molecular Epidemiology: Unlocking the Potential of Large-Scale Biomarker Data for Cancer Prevention
Join us on Wednesday, April 29th for a joint seminar between the Department of Epidemiology and the Harvard Cancer Consortium featuring Dr. Ruth Travis discussing From Discovery to Translation in Molecular Epidemiology: Unlocking the Potential of Large-Scale Biomarker Data for Cancer Prevention.
Abstract: Advances in molecular epidemiology have transformed our ability to measure circulating biomarkers at scale, particularly through the application of high-throughput proteomic platforms in large prospective cohort studies. These developments have enabled the systematic identification of associations between molecular traits and cancer risk across populations. However, translating these discoveries into meaningful insights for prevention, risk stratification, and early detection remains a major challenge. This seminar will explore the opportunities and limitations of large-scale biomarker discovery, focusing on the integration of proteomic, genetic, and epidemiological data to strengthen causal inference and prioritise targets for intervention. It will also consider the methodological and structural barriers that currently limit translation, including issues of measurement, generalisability, and study design, and will discuss how interdisciplinary approaches and coordinated research infrastructure can help bridge the gap between association and action.
Bio: Ruth Travis is Professor of Epidemiology and Deputy Director of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit within the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford. She is internationally recognised for her research on the molecular and lifestyle determinants of chronic disease, with a particular focus on cancer. She leads a multidisciplinary research programme on the aetiology of prostate cancer funded by Cancer Research UK, alongside a pan-cancer programme integrating proteomic, genetic and epidemiological data across large-scale cohort studies such as EPIC and UK Biobank. She plays a leading role in major international consortia, including the PRACTICAL collaboration. Her work combines epidemiological and ‘omics approaches to advance understanding of cancer causation and inform cancer prevention, with a particular focus on translating large-scale molecular discovery into actionable insights for prevention. She is a member of the international ATLAS team, funded by Cancer Research UK through the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, which brings together global expertise to uncover mechanisms of cancer avoidance and accelerate their translation into new approaches for prevention.
Speaker Information
Ruth Travis, BA, MSc, DPhil
Organizers
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
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
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.
Speaker Information
Organizers
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Grand Rounds
The Department of Environmental Health and the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency (OEMR) Program invite you to the next Occupational and Environmental Medicine Grand Rounds:
Title: Aeromedical Decision-Making After Injury: A Case of Post-Trauma Flight
Learning Objectives:
- Recognize aeromedical risks associated with traumatic injury, including pneumothorax
- Interpret and apply FAA regulation (14 CFR § 61.53) to clinical scenarios
- Analyze the impact of aviation physiology on patient safety
- Evaluate pilot fitness for duty in the setting of trauma
Presenter: Erika Anderson, MD, MPH, OEMR Chief Resident
Discussant: Joseph Ray, MD, FAA Deputy Regional Flight Surgeon AWP
Location: Building 1, Room 1302
RSVP: Please click here to register.
CMEs for US licensed physicians
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 activity for 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Speaker Information
Joseph Ray
Organizers
At the front lines of global health messaging: A conversation with WHO’s retired communications director
A virus never before seen in humans is killing people around the world. What do you say to a global audience desperate to learn more? Gabriella Stern faced this question head-on. For more than six years, she served as director of communications at the World Health Organization, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In this fireside chat, Stern will share stories from the front lines of global health communication—what it takes to craft and deliver clear, trusted messaging on issues ranging from infectious disease outbreaks to humanitarian crises to massive public health funding cuts—all while navigating a rapidly evolving communications landscape.
Speaker
Gabriella Stern
Moderator
Clarisza Runtung
About The Studio
Brown Bag Seminar: The Lancet Commission on a Citizen-Centered Health System for India: Reform pathways towards UHC for a fifth of the world’s population
Anuska Kalita, DrPH, is director of the India Health Systems Program in the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard TH. Chan School of Public Health. She is a health systems specialist with over 20 years of experience across academia, management consulting, multilateral agencies, and philanthropy. Her work spans 18 countries across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, with a particular focus on India. She has led large-scale health systems and policy research and built cross-sector partnerships that align government, private sector, academic, and civil society actors around actionable reform agendas. She co-led The Lancet Commission on a Citizen-Centered Health System for India (2026) and has contributed to the design of landmark policies including India’s National Health Policy (2017), the Ayushman Bharat program (2018), and the national ASHA Program (2005). She has led and designed several capacity-strengthening/executive training programs for senior health professionals and policy makers, notably the WHO Academy’s PHC Leadership Course for senior policy actors across 180 countries. Kalita holds a doctorate in public health from Harvard University.
Vikram Patel, MBBS, PhD, is Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He holds honorary professorships at Harvard Chan School, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Public Health Foundation of India. Patel co-leads the Mental Health for All lab and GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard initiative, and his research focuses on the global burden of mental health problems, their links to social disadvantages, and community-based solutions. He cofounded Sangath, an Indian NGO recognized with international awards, and several global mental health networks. A Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and member of the US National Academy of Medicine, Patel has served on India’s first National Mental Health Policy Committee, co-led two Lancet Commissions on mental health, and received major honors, including the Rhodes Scholarship, Sarnat Prize, Pardes Humanitarian Prize, an Honorary OBE, and the Canada Gairdner Award. He holds multiple honorary doctorates and was named to TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2015.