This event is part of the Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forum series.
This conversation pulls back the curtain on what really happens when Democrats and Republicans hammer out health legislation in Washington. Former HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation Melanie Egorin and former staff director for the House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee Brian Sutter will unpack how trust, timing, and technical work shape major laws. They will trace how ideas move from “policy on the shelf” to statute, even in hyper‑partisan moments. This discussion will paint a clear picture of the roles staff, agencies, and advocates play—and offer practical advice for building a career in bipartisan problem‑solving.
Register for free to submit your questions.
An on-demand video will be posted after the event.
Speakers
Melanie Egorin
Brian Sutter
Moderator
About The Studio
Energy insecurity: Health impacts and solutions with Dr. Diana Hernández
Join us for a Book Talk with by Dr. Diana Hernández, Radcliffe Fellow and Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health! Dr. Hernández will discuss Energy insecurity: Health impacts and solutions.
**Following the seminar, Dr. Hernández will be available from 2-3 pm for meetings with students and trainees.**
Note: Free copies of Dr. Hernández’s book, Powerless: The People’s Struggle for Energy, will be available to Harvard Chan students on a first come, first served basis!
About the speaker: Diana Hernández, PhD, is a tenured Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Hernández has operationalized and conducted foundational research on the concept of ‘energy insecurity,’ which reflects the inability to adequately meet household energy needs. Her work is broadly dedicated to exploring the links between housing and health and reimagining how housing can support public health as a site of intervention and health promotion. Much of her community-oriented research has been done in collaboration with community groups and government agencies around the country. Learn more
This event is in person only and will be held in HSPH Bldg. 1, 1302.
Speaker Information
Organizers
A free film screening of the documentary, The President and the Dragon, and Q&A with former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and The Carter Center’s Sarah Yerian
At just 10 human cases, reports of Guinea worm, a debilitating parasitic disease with no vaccine or drug treatment, are at an all-time low, according to The Carter Center.* What drove this success?
This event includes a free screening of The President and the Dragon, a documentary about former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s efforts to eradicate Guinea worm. Followed by a Q&A about Guinea worm, global health, and storytelling. Light refreshments to follow.
*Figures are provisional until officially confirmed.
Speakers
Rochelle Walensky
Sarah Yerian
Moderator
Emily Staub
About The Organizers
Harmonizing for Happiness: Finding Calm, Connection, and Joy Through Song
Harmonizing for Happiness: Finding Calm, Connection, and Joy Through Song is an interactive well-being workshop that invites all members of the Harvard community to explore how group singing can reduce stress, lift mood, and build a sense of connection—no musical experience required. Led by Center Student Engagement Committee member Priyam Bhushan Aturi, MPH ’26, this 50-minute session will combine a brief, accessible overview of the science behind singing and well-being with guided warm-ups, simple humming exercises, and inclusive group singing activities in a low-pressure, non-judgmental environment. Participants will have the chance to notice the emotional and physical effects of singing together, reflect as a group, and leave with practical tools—like humming or simple vocal exercises—that they can use in daily life to support their mental health and resilience. Lunch will be provided.
Speaker Information
Priyam Bhushan Aturi
Organizers
Redesigning Calm: Designing Nature-Inspired Spaces
Redesigning Calm invites members of the Harvard community to explore how our surroundings shape mental and physical well-being. Drawing inspiration from organic and landscape architecture that harmonize natural light, greenery, and spatial flow, alongside modern biophilic design, this hands-on workshop encourages participants to reimagine familiar built environment, such as campus study or personal spaces, through a restorative lens. Using sensory observation, art materials, and natural elements, participants will creatively redesign spaces to help ease stress and anxiety, promote calm, and restore focus.
This well-being workshop will be led by Center Student Engagement Committee member Olivia Song, MPH ’27. Pizza (and plants!) will be provided.
Speaker Information
Olivia Song
Organizers
Presented jointly with the Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention
In this timely panel, experts will take a look at healthy hydration. How can fluids such as clean drinking water, coffee, and tea boost health, while beverages such as alcohol, soda, and other sugary drinks raise health risks. And how do these choices potentially influence cancer risk? Tune in to this event – part of the Zhu Center’s month-long commemoration of World Cancer Day — to hear clear, evidence-based information.
Speaker Information
Moderator
About The Organizers
Psychotropic Medication Safety in Pregnancy: Moving Beyond Malformation Risk
Join us on Wednesday, May 6th for the Department of Epidemiology seminar series featuring Dr. Krista Huybrechts discussing Psychotropic Medication Safety in Pregnancy: Moving Beyond Malformation Risk.
Abstract: Psychotropic medication use during pregnancy has increased substantially, heightening the need for robust evidence to guide prescribing and to inform patients about the risks and benefits of treatment continuation. Historically, research has focused on congenital malformations—paradigmatic harms in the shadow of the thalidomide catastrophe—but other unintended drug effects are equally important and pose distinct methodological challenges. This seminar will examine what we have learned about studying outcomes such as nonlive births and longterm neurodevelopment in children, highlighting study design challenges, potential biases, and data issues that shape inferences about psychotropic medication safety in pregnancy.
Bio: Krista Huybrechts is Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She co-founded and co-directs the Harvard Program on Perinatal and Pediatric Pharmacoepidemiology (H4P). Her work, which is funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health, focuses on the use of advanced epidemiological and statistical methods applied mainly to large databases derived from health data collected in the context of routine medical care to help address the unique questions regarding benefit-risk trade-off for prescription medication use faced by women of reproductive age and pregnant women.
Speaker Information
Organizers
Related Events
Brown Bag Seminar: Parental mental health and childhood vaccination in India: Evidence from the SEHAT-CPHS Longitudinal Study
Henry Cust, PhD, is an economist working as a research scientist at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. His research operates at the intersection of health and development economics with a focus on critical global health issues including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), HIV, mental health, and risky health behaviors. Utilizing both experimental and quasi-experimental methods, Henry’s work aims to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations.
Speaker Information
Organizers
Malaria, Climate, and COP: Takeaways from COP30
The Climate Change & Planetary Health Concentration invites you to their next Brown Bag Lunch Seminar:
Title: Malaria, Climate, and COP: Takeaways from COP30
Speaker: Marcia C. de Castro, Andelot Professor of Demography & Chair, Department of Global Health and Population; Faculty Associate, Salata Institute for Climate & Sustainability
Everyone is welcome, whether or not you are a part of the concentration. This seminar is in-person only.
Location: FXB G-12
Speaker Information
Organizers
Monday Nutrition Seminar | Integrating Multi-Omics and Blood-Based ATX(N) Biomarkers to Identify Precision Dietary Paths for Alzheimer’s Prevention in Harvard Cohorts
Please join the Department of Nutrition for the Monday Nutrition Seminar featuring Daniel Wang, MD, ScD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at HMS and Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH. Dr. Wang’s talk—”Integrating Multi-Omics and Blood-Based ATX(N) Biomarkers to Identify Precision Dietary Paths for Alzheimer’s Prevention in Harvard Cohorts”—will take place on February 9 at 1:00pm 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 fill out the registration form by 3:00pm 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.
