Charles Branas Seminar
Join us on Wednesday, November 18th for the Department of Epidemiology seminar series featuring Dr. Charles Branas.
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Charles Branas, PhD
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Works In Progress Seminar: Wenxin Zhang & Salome Kuchukhidze
Join us on Wednesday, November 11th for the Department of Epidemiology works-in-progress seminar series featuring Wenxin Zhang (advisor: Yuan Ma) and Salome Kuchukhidze (advisor: Jeff Imani-Eaton).
Wenxin Zhang
Title: Cardiovascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: The Flip Side
Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is a major contributor to cognitive impairment and dementia. Yet dementia develops over a long prodromal period, during which subtle vascular cognitive changes may emerge years before clinical onset of cardiovascular disease, long before dementia is diagnosed. Could detecting the early subclinical cognitive impairment signal cardiovascular vulnerability and open a window for earlier prevention of both cardiovascular and cognitive outcomes? In this talk, Dr. Zhang will present recent work examining the extent to which global and domain-specific cognitive function, assessed in mid-to-late adulthood, predicts incident cardiovascular disease beyond traditional risk factors across high-risk clinical cohorts and community-based general populations. The findings suggest that a brief processing-speed test may capture vascular vulnerability not reflected in conventional risk assessment and could help refine cardiovascular risk stratification in older adults.
Bio: Wenxin Zhang, MBBS, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Zhang’s research lies at the intersection of cardiovascular and aging epidemiology, with the goal of advancing the prevention of cardiovascular disease and dementia and promoting healthy aging. With expertise in preventive medicine and population health, Dr. Zhang’s work focuses on identifying potentially modifiable factors and early markers that contribute to or predict the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cognitive decline, and dementia. His long-term goal is to inform clinical vascular risk management and develop scalable, population-based strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, thereby extending healthspan and promoting healthy aging.
Salome Kuchukhidze
Title: Oral PrEP in South Africa: Evaluating the Impact on HIV Incidence During Pregnancy Using Routine Health Service Delivery Data
Abstract: Pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa have an elevated risk of acquiring HIV and transmitting it vertically to their infants. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill for HIV prevention, was introduced in public antenatal care clinics in 2023. However, suboptimal retention and adherence to PrEP raise questions about its real-world, population-level impact. In this talk we use routinely collected, aggregate program data from public antenatal clinics in South Africa to measure PrEP’s population-level impact on new HIV infections averted during pregnancy.
Bio: Salome Kuchukhidze is an epidemiologist whose work examines how interpersonal and structural marginalization shape HIV risk and health outcomes globally. Her research focuses on gender-based drivers of HIV vulnerability among women and children, and evaluates interventions designed to address these inequities. Currently, Dr. Kuchukhidze is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where her work leverages quasi-experimental methods to evaluate the impact of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis on HIV acquisition risk among pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Africa. Dr. Kuchukhidze holds a PhD in epidemiology from McGill University and an MPH from Boston University.
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Wenxin Zhang
Salome Kuchukhidze
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Yin Cao Seminar
Join us on Wednesday, October 21st for the Department of Epidemiology seminar series featuring Dr. Yin Cao.
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Yin Cao, ScD, MPH
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George Davey Smith Seminar
Join us on Wednesday, October 14th for the Department of Epidemiology seminar series featuring Dr. George Davey Smith.
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George Davey Smith, FRS, MD, DSc, MSc, FMedSci, FRCP, FFPH
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Presented jointly with the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE)
Extreme heat is among the deadliest weather threats in the U.S. Rising temperatures take lives, strain health systems, and drive increasing costs. In this discussion, speakers will explore who is most at risk and unpack the economic stakes. They also will examine a range of possible solutions, from providing affordable access to air conditioners, to increasing green spaces, to helping neighbors look out for each other. The experts will share research, frontline experience, and practical guidance so viewers come away with clear steps to help themselves and their communities stay cooler and safer when temperatures soar.
Speakers
Moderator
Sabrina Shankman
About The Studio
Presented jointly with Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
As the number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda climb, health infrastructure and resources are stretched thin. The outbreak response is complicated by conflict, remote terrain, and population movement. With no vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, surveillance, cross-border coordination, and community engagement is key. Join leaders from WHO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for a conversation that examines the challenges of the current response and what the fight against Ebola reveals about humanitarian aid and global health security.
Watch the premiere on June 30 at 10 a.m. ET on the Harvard Chan YouTube page.
An on-demand recording will be available following the premiere.
Speakers
Marie Roseline Belizaire
Petra Khoury
Moderator
About The Studio
For many people, consistent exercise feels daunting — an all-or-nothing proposition in which setbacks signal failure and advice overwhelms. This discussion reframes physical activity as something accessible and sustainable by challenging common myths about exercise and the amounts needed for health and well-being. Speakers will explore how different “doses” of activity, from light movement to more intense training, influence health — and how adapting routines can help people avoid burnout and keep exercising over a lifetime. A panel of specialists in epidemiology, sports cardiology, athletics, and health journalism will weigh in, drawing on both research and real-world experience.
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Moderator
Gretchen Reynolds
About The Studio
40 Years of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study
Overview
This year, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) celebrates 40 years of public health discoveries made possible by its participants. To mark this occasion, we invite you to join the HPFS 40th Anniversary Celebration livestream featuring:
- Scientific presentations on key findings from the study
- Brief testimonials from participants
- An opportunity to look back on four decades of this remarkable research community
Livestream Details
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 1:00 – 5:00 PM ET
A portion of the event will be dedicated to answering questions from participants and other viewers. Please submit your questions in advance. We’d love to hear from you!
Program
- 1:00-1:15 pm: Welcome and opening remarks about the 40th anniversary of the HPFS cohort – Walter Willett and Lorelei Mucci
- 1:15-1:35 pm Panel Discussion – What is the human influence in designing and running a scientific study: memories across 40 years of the HPFS – Eric Rimm (moderator), Betsy Frost-Hawes, Siobhan St. Surin, Ed Giovannucci, Clifford Scott
- 1:35-1:45 pm: Discoveries in neuroepidemiology from HPFS (prerecorded) – Alberto Ascherio
- 1:45-1:55 pm: The HPFS participant experience – Clifford Scott
- 1:55-2:00 pm: Testimonials of HPFS participants, Part I
- 2:00-2:25 pm: Panel Discussion – Meet the Experts in Cancer Research in HPFS – Ed Giovannucci, Mingyang Song, Stephanie Smith-Warner, Brenda Birmann, Konrad Stopsack, Lorelei Mucci (moderator)
- 2:25-2:35 pm: Optimizing kidney health – Gary Curhan
- 2:35-2:40 pm: Testimonials of HPFS participants, Part II
- 2:40-2:55 pm: BREAK
- 2:50-3:15 pm: Panel Discussion – Living well to age 90 and beyond –Yuan Ma, Heather Eliassen, Clifford Scott
- 3:15-3:25 pm: Discoveries in Cardiovascular Disease EPI in the HPFS – Eric Rimm
- 3:25-3:50 pm: Panel Discussion – What is an optimal healthy diet, and how has HPFS shaped this? – Meir Stampfer, Walter Willett, Frank Hu, Deedee Tobias
- 3:50-4:00 pm: Physical activity and health – Ed Giovannucci
- 4:00-4:10 pm: A look to the future and closing remarks – Walter Willett, Lorelei Mucci, Clifford Scott
HPFS Co-PIs
Please see above program for a full list of speakers and presenters.
FAQ
Yes, the livestream recording will be posted on the Department of Nutrition’s YouTube channel. Please allow for at least one week following the event while we caption and upload the recording.
Visit the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study website for an archive of past newsletters and publications that feature study results.
Please email hpfs40@hsph.harvard.edu with any inquiries about the event.
A world without lead exposure: Pursuing the path forward with Mary Jean Brown, ScD
Please join the Harvard Chan NIEHS Center for Environmental Health and the Department of Environmental Health for a talk by Mary Jean Brown, ScD, Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Brown will discuss “A world without lead exposure: Pursuing the path forward.”
This event will be held in person (HSPH Bldg. 1, 1302) and via Zoom. Register here
Trainee meeting for students and postdocs immediately following the seminar, 2-2:30 pm, in 1306A! Come in-person to discuss research interests, career plans, and funding opportunities. RSVP here!
Abstract
A recent World Bank Report ‘A World Without Lead: Paving the Path to a Healthy Productive Future’ describes the global lead poisoning crisis, and its impacts on health, the environment, and human capital. The report offers a roadmap for eliminating exposure, comprising strategic investments, policy reforms and foundational public health practices like monitoring and surveillance that every country can use to address this crisis.
Removal of lead from gasoline reduced average blood lead levels globally but was not the only source of lead. Global lead consumption exceeded 12 million tons in 2022. Toxic emissions are routinely released from formal and informal lead mining, smelting and recycling and contaminate adjacent communities. Lead is found in a multitude of foodstuffs, remedies, low fire glazed pottery, jewelry, leaded residential paint and water pipes. One study estimated that 800 million children worldwide, most living in low-middle income countries, have blood lead levels known to affect learning, behavior and later adult health.
But good news: fugitive emissions from lead mining and smelting can be controlled, contaminated sites can be cleaned up, and old lead mines can be permanently closed. Lead contamination of foodstuffs and leaded paint have been successfully regulated. Population-level blood lead surveillance, together with studies of blood and environmental lead levels in areas with known lead contamination, help countries and communities identify risks and monitor progress to eliminate the danger. And, the costs of these interventions are far less than the costs of letting the exposure continue.
In this seminar, Dr. Brown will describe the current status of lead exposure with a focus on low and middle income countries, the expected costs/benefits of eliminating exposure globally, and the work that remains to be done.
About the speaker
Mary Jean Brown was on the faculty of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2003-2026, where she taught courses in public health practice. She retired as Chief of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch at CDC in 2006. Dr. Brown co-authored A World Without Lead: Paving the Path to a Healthy, Productive Future and works regularly with domestic and international public health agencies and non-governmental organizations such as the World Health Organization UNICEF, and Human Rights Watch on issues related to health and housing, including developing policies to eliminate childhood lead poisoning. She has published more than 150 peer reviewed scientific articles, commentaries, and policy documents and conducted epidemiological studies of housing interventions for lead, asthma, and injuries in the United States and internationally.
Dr. Brown received a Doctor of Science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2000. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Boston College in 1982.
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Organizers
The original event has been rescheduled and will now premiere on the HSPH YouTube Channel on Tuesday, June 9 at 1pm ET.
Pressure Points is a webinar series co-hosted by The Studio and the Advanced Learning Academy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health bringing you inside the business of health care.
AI has already changed how health care organizations collect and analyze data. Now, it’s changing how they build. From large language models to AI agents and low-code development tools, it’s possible to create workflows, build applications, and generate prototypes, raising questions about what health care leaders should build, buy, and scale. This Pressure Points virtual event will analyze the recent acceleration of AI capabilities beyond vibe coding and explore the emerging best practices and organizational challenges that come with implementing agentic AI tools.
Register for free to submit your questions.
An on-demand video will be posted after the event.
