Center Member Research Presentation: Heike Gibson, PhD
Join us for a Center Member Research Presentation by Dr. Heike Gibson on Traffic-related air pollution, lipoproteins, and cardiovascular disease risk in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL). Following a brief presentation, there will be time for all participants to engage in a cross-disciplinary discussion with Dr. Gibson and each other.
Abstract: This talk will highlight findings from the analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of traffic related air pollution (TRAP) with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and with a panel of lipid biomarkers in the nationwide, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acid supplements (VITAL) among 25,871 men and women. Satellite-based exposure models were used to estimate residence-specific ambient concentrations of NO2, PM2.5, and 11 PM2.5 components, and source apportionment methods were applied to identify and quantify contributions from tailpipe, non‑tailpipe, and road dust PM2.5. Lipid biomarkers were assessed by standard lipid tests and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
About the speaker: Heike Gibson, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her work focuses on the health effects of environmental exposures on respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes, and her research has examined acute and chronic exposure to air pollution and temperature in relation to cardiopulmonary and inflammatory endpoints in children and adults, factors that modify responses to air pollution, and mechanisms linking inhalation of ambient particles to acute cardiovascular and systemic effects.
During her 25+ years at HSPH, Dr. Gibson has participated in numerous air pollution studies, including the 5 Cities Study, 24 Cities Study, Teen Lung Study, Air Pollution and ICD-Detected Cardiac Arrhythmias, and the environmental arms of the Children’s Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup (CREW) and the Viva birth cohort, in various roles as project manager, data manager, and data analyst. She has led several geospatial projects to link air pollution, weather, and neighborhood-level census data to participants’ addresses to generate temporally and spatially resolved environmental exposures metrics for outcomes such as spirometry, biomarkers, and cardiovascular endpoints. In addition, she co-led the Lung VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL ancillary study (PI: Dr. Diane Gold) of associations between vitamin D and/or fish oil and acute respiratory episodes, asthma control, and lung function.
Dr. Gibson spends part of her time at the Department of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she collaborates with Dr. Samia Mora (Director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics) in the analyses of lipid and metabolic biomarkers in relation to cardiovascular risk factors and clinical events.
This event will be held in person in HSPH Bldg. 1, 1302 and via Zoom. Register here
Speaker Information
Organizers
Pathways to Impact through Environmental Sustainability
The Climate Change & Planetary Health Concentration invites you to their next Brown Bag Lunch Seminar:
Title: Pathways to Impact through Environmental Sustainability
Speaker: Tom Polton
Location: FXB G-12
Everyone is welcome, whether or not you are a part of the concentration. This seminar is in-person only.
About the Speaker:
Tom joined Pfizer immediately after finishing his master’s degree from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in 1983. He began his tenure at Pfizer by leading their global occupational hygiene and process safety programs. From 2009 on, he oversaw the environmental sustainability and product stewardship programs. Since leaving Pfizer, Tom has been involved with the Climate Reality Project, former Vice President Al Gore’s grassroots climate organization serving on the NY State Leadership Team. He also has been active with the 3000+ member Harvard Alumni for Climate and Environment (HACE) co-chairing a Climate and Health series for the alumni members. At the 2024 HSPH Alumni weekend he moderated a panel on Extreme Heat with Professors Gaurab Basu and Barrak Alahmad. Tom is a member of the Harvard Salata Institute’s Alumni Working Group, and an adjunct professor teaching “Enterprise Sustainability” to Clarkson University graduate students pursuing a MS in Engineering Management and has been lecturing at Harvard Chan for the past 20 years. And lastly, he advises organizations on sustainability strategy at NV Sustainability LLC, a consulting firm he founded with the motto “become green with NV.”
Speaker Information
Tom Polton
Organizers
Negotiations Webinar Series: “On the Use of AI in Frontline Negotiation: Current Trends and Outlook for the Future”
Join us on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 (10–11 a.m. ET) for the first session of our two-part Negotiations Webinar Series, hosted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
🎙 Webinar 1: “On the Use of AI in Frontline Negotiation: Current Trends and Outlook for the Future”
Featuring Claude Bruderlein, Esq., LL.M., Adjunct Lecturer and Senior Researcher, and Founder of Frontline Associates.
This session explores how emerging technologies are reshaping decision-making, risk management, and accountability at the negotiation table. Our faculty will discuss AI-enabled negotiation support and practical considerations for integrating AI responsibly into organizational practices.
🔗 Free and open to the public
📍 Join via Zoom: hsph.me/negotiations-webinar-feb-25
📲 Or scan the QR code in the event image
📅 Save the date for Webinar #2: “The Making of Negotiating Organizations” on March 25, 2026. Stay tuned for more details.
Please share with your networks and anyone who may be interested.
Questions? hhi@harvard.edu.
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Organizers
CCDD ID Epi Seminar Series – Curing More Than TB: Treating Bias in MDR/RR-TB Cohort Analyses
Presented by Molly Franke, Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Professor Franke is a global health researcher whose work brings the rigor of epidemiology to intractable infections, including tuberculosis, cholera, HIV. A primary objective of her work is to reduce suffering from infectious diseases by applying rigorous epidemiologic methods to address critical knowledge gaps related to interventions and treatment. Examples include the design of studies to assess the effectiveness of cholera interventions, including vaccination, and the use of causal inference-based approaches to study treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis.
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Organizers
Book Launch and Fireside Chat: The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism. (Un)uttered Sentences By Dr. Margareta Matache
Join us for a hybrid (in-person and Zoom) fireside chat to celebrate the launch of Dr. Margareta Matache’s new monograph, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences.
The event will explore the histories, structures, and daily practices that uphold anti-Roma racism across Europe and beyond. It will also examine the place and role of Romani Studies within broader global theories on racialization, racism, and systems of slavery. In conversation with Dr. Mary Bassett, Dr. Abadir Ibrahim, and Dr. Bram Wispelwey, Matache will reflect on howunuttered Roma sentences – erased histories, unhealed violence, and ignored internal knowledge – shape public health, policy, scholarship, and Roma lives.
Audience & Registration
This event is free and open to the public.
Due to space limitations and security requirements, please register at least one day in advance by emailing Claire Street at cstreet@hsph.harvard.edu.
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Harvard Pop Center Social Demography Seminar: “The effect of a Universal Cash Transfer on fertility and newborn health”
Sarah Cowan, PhD, associate professor of sociology and director of undergraduate studies, New York University, will present (REMOTELY) “The effect of a Universal Cash Transfer on fertility and newborn health.”
The Social Demography Seminar (SDS) series at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies provides a lively forum for scholars from across the university to discuss in-progress social scientific and population research. Social demography includes work that uses demographic methods to describe and explain the distribution of social goods across populations. The hybrid series offers presentations on a wide variety of topics such as family, gender, race/ethnicity, population health—including mortality, morbidity, and functional health—inequality, immigration, fertility, and the institutional arrangements that shape and respond to population processes.
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Organizers
Examining Immigration Enforcement from Minnesota to Boston: A teach-in on impacts and community resources
Come join us for an engaging seminar on immigration enforcement and its impact. Participants will learn about the extent of immigration enforcement, consider its far-reaching effects on public health and mental health, and learn about concrete resources and support available at Harvard, in surrounding communities, and beyond. We will be joined by HSPH faculty, students, and other leaders in this field.
This seminar offers a welcoming space to learn, reflect, and connect.
This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Office for Community Belonging.
Speaker Information
David Williams
Maggie Sullivan
Evie Odden
Liz Gipson
TJ Moon
Organizers
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
