2026 HILT Conference, “The Weight of the Degree: Rigor, Responsibility, and the Modern Campus”
This year’s conference marks a significant milestone: for the first time, our program is drawn directly from a university-wide Call for Proposals. The exceptional response from across Harvard reflects the profound dedication of our faculty, academic leaders, and instructional staff. As higher education navigates an era of rapid technological advancement and shifting paradigms, this event highlights the rigorous, resourceful work actively shaping our evolving classrooms.
We will showcase these community-sourced innovations through dynamic plenary sessions, interactive workshops, and focused lightning rounds. Participants will explore practical applications of generative AI, the design of authentic assessments, and evidence-based strategies for fostering collaborative student teams.
We invite you to join colleagues from across the university to exchange experimental practices and gather actionable insights to elevate teaching and learning during this transformative time.
Please bring your Harvard ID to access the venue. For more information, please visit the HILT website’s conference page: https://hilt.harvard.edu/event/2026-hilt-conference
Organizers
Art@Countway Opening Reception: Do You See Me?
Please join us to celebrate the opening of our newest art exhibition:
Do You See Me?
Paintings of Postpartum Trauma and Healing
by S. Abbas Shobeiri
The opening reception will feature remarks by the artist, a guided tour of the exhibition, and light refreshments. All are welcome! Please RSVP in advance.
About the Exhibition
Presented through Countway’s Art@Countway initiative in partnership with GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard, this exhibition offers a deeply personal and moving journey through the emotional realities of postpartum trauma and recovery. Drawing upon nearly three decades of caring for women after childbirth, Dr. Shobeiri communicates his patients’ experiences through large-scale paintings that illuminate the often-overlooked physical and psychological effects of birth trauma, including postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Do You See Me? traces seven stages of postpartum trauma and recovery—from shock to renewal—bringing visibility to maternal experiences that too often remain unseen. Learn more about the exhibition and the artist at countway.info/see.
On view on the first floor of Countway Library from September 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027.
About the Artist
Dr. Shobeiri is an internationally recognized physician, researcher, educator, inventor, and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Education, and Biomedical Engineering. His pioneering exhibition first debuted in Washington, D.C., where it received national media attention, before traveling to additional institutions dedicated to medicine and the humanities.
Dr. Shobeiri was an artist before becoming a healer. He emphasizes the connection between mind and heart, soul and body. His paintings promote emotional literacy and break social taboos surrounding childbirth, depression, and PTSD-C. Drawing on decades of first-hand experience caring for mothers, he brings an empathetic lens to the maternal experience.
Speaker Information
S. Abbas Shobeiri, MD
Organizers
Informational Session for Harvard HealthLab Accelerator
Information session will be held on Sept. 16 at Hawk’s Nest in Smith Campus Center from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Burritos will be offered.
Join in this year’s Harvard HealthLab Accelerators cohort! Application is open now through September 20. If you have an idea for a social impact venture, we’re the accelerator for you! You will have access to mentorship, a network of innovative entrepreneurs, and seed funding. Application link found at https://lpce.college.harvard.edu/h2a and any questions should go to Leslie Coles at lcoles@g.harvard.edu. Apply today!
Organizers
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Virtual Open House
Join us for a virtual gathering to meet the HHI team and learn more about our global work.
Members of the general public, as well as all members of the Harvard community are welcome to join us and kick off the new semester, build connections, and foster collaboration.
Organizers
Specific Aims Review Session
For Center members, their collaborators, affiliates, and trainees
Are you preparing for an upcoming environmental health-related submission? Have your Specific Aims page reviewed by our senior NIEHS Center faculty! In a friendly, constructive, small-group open session, a panel of Center members will offer critique and suggestions to improve your Specific Aims or goals.
Proposals are welcomed that relate to the gamut of Environmental Health research (exposure assessment, community engagement and education, epidemiology, genetics and genomics, molecular biology, etc.). All funding opportunities are welcome – from NIH to foundations to private industry! For non-USG grants, please share as much information as possible about the funding opportunity and grant requirements. Email the link to the funding opportunity to niehsctr@hsph.harvard.edu.
Please submit your draft Aims by the Friday deadline so that we can ensure reviewers include faculty with relevant areas of expertise. Open to investigators at all levels.
If you would like your document reviewed, please send an email to niehsctr@hsph.harvard.edu by 5pm on the Friday before the session (February 19) with the following information:
- Name (first and last)
- Affiliation
- Sponsor/mentor
- Funder and type of grant/award you are applying for (with link to the funding opportunity)
- New submission or resubmission
- Anticipated submission date
- Title of your project
- Attach your Specific Aims or goals document and, if a resubmission, your introduction page (MS Word is preferred)
Speaker Information
Organizers
Specific Aims Review Session
For Center members, their collaborators, affiliates, and trainees
Are you preparing for an upcoming environmental health-related submission? Have your Specific Aims page reviewed by our senior NIEHS Center faculty! In a friendly, constructive, small-group open session, a panel of Center members will offer critique and suggestions to improve your Specific Aims or goals.
Proposals are welcomed that relate to the gamut of Environmental Health research (exposure assessment, community engagement and education, epidemiology, genetics and genomics, molecular biology, etc.). All funding opportunities are welcome – from NIH to foundations to private industry! For non-USG grants, please share as much information as possible about the funding opportunity and grant requirements. Email the link to the funding opportunity to niehsctr@hsph.harvard.edu.
Please submit your draft Aims by the Friday deadline so that we can ensure reviewers include faculty with relevant areas of expertise. Open to investigators at all levels.
If you would like your document reviewed, please send an email to niehsctr@hsph.harvard.edu by 5pm on the Friday before the session (December 4) with the following information:
- Name (first and last)
- Affiliation
- Sponsor/mentor
- Funder and type of grant/award you are applying for (with link to the funding opportunity)
- New submission or resubmission
- Anticipated submission date
- Title of your project
- Attach your Specific Aims or goals document and, if a resubmission, your introduction page (MS Word is preferred)
Speaker Information
Organizers
Specific Aims Review Session
For Center members, their collaborators, affiliates, and trainees
Are you preparing for an upcoming environmental health-related submission? Have your Specific Aims page reviewed by our senior NIEHS Center faculty! In a friendly, constructive, small-group open session, a panel of Center members will offer critique and suggestions to improve your Specific Aims or goals.
Proposals are welcomed that relate to the gamut of Environmental Health research (exposure assessment, community engagement and education, epidemiology, genetics and genomics, molecular biology, etc.). All funding opportunities are welcome – from NIH to foundations to private industry! For non-USG grants, please share as much information as possible about the funding opportunity and grant requirements. Email the link to the funding opportunity to niehsctr@hsph.harvard.edu.
Please submit your draft Aims by the Friday deadline so that we can ensure reviewers include faculty with relevant areas of expertise. Open to investigators at all levels.
If you would like your document reviewed, please send an email to niehsctr@hsph.harvard.edu by 5pm on the Friday before the session (October 16) with the following information:
- Name (first and last)
- Affiliation
- Sponsor/mentor
- Funder and type of grant/award you are applying for (with link to the funding opportunity)
- New submission or resubmission
- Anticipated submission date
- Title of your project
- Attach your Specific Aims or goals document and, if a resubmission, your introduction page (MS Word is preferred)
Speaker Information
Organizers
FXB Open House
Join the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights for an in-person open house! Program directors will be available to share information about the Center’s scholarship and opportunities to get involved. Light refreshments will be provided. All members of the Harvard community are welcome. No RSVP required.
Organizers
Scientific Writing and Publishing Workshop Series
We are currently finalizing the schedule. The dates shown are provisional and will be confirmed shortly. Please check back for updates.
Publishing scientific research involves more than writing a manuscript, it also requires choosing the right journal, navigating peer review, and responding effectively to feedback. This two-part interactive workshop series for graduate students at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will provide practical guidance on each stage of the publication process, from manuscript preparation and journal submission to revising manuscripts and responding to reviewers. Through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, participants will gain practical skills to navigate the publishing process with confidence.
WORKSHOP 1
The before: manuscript preparation and journal submission
- How to distill a narrative
- Balanced writing (brevity, specificity, hourglass structure)
- Hands-on abstract exercise (depending on number of people):
- What to look for in abstracts
- Exercise (few people): People bring in a version of their abstract and we can discuss/improve them maybe in small groups?
- Alt Exercise (more people): Use an existing manuscript (sans abstract) and write up an abstract in real time as a group
- Coffee/snack break
- Deciding on target journals for impact and desired audience
- Cover letter writing considerations and journal submission
WORKSHOP 2
The after: practical peer review and revision
- General principle and structures of peer review
- Providing my bioRxiv paper, read peer reviewer reports and my revision rebuttal to discuss:
- How to read reviewer reports and understand the main critiques
- Deciding when to undertake new experiments and analyses (and what are tradeoffs)
- Responding to reviewers: tone, clarifications and arguments
- Optional: Serving as peer reviewers and writing reports
Speaker Information
Michael Chao
Midweek Mindfulness Reset
Reduce your stress, calm your nervous system, and reset.
Sit with a rotating group of some of the most influential instructors in the mindfulness space, including monastics from the Plum Village tradition. Each session offers a variety of mindfulness practices and insights to support your well-being. It’s the perfect reset to mark the middle of your week!
We will meet virtually via Zoom every Wednesday from 11:00 am–11:30 am ET (and you’re welcome to stay for an optional 15 additional minutes for sharing and community building). Open to all; no experience needed.
Please note that these sessions are for relaxation and general wellness only and are not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or psychiatric treatment. By participating, you agree to take responsibility for your own physical and emotional well‑being, and to consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical or mental health concerns.