History
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health grew out of public health activism at the beginning of the 20th century, a time of energetic social reform.
The first public health school in America
We trace our roots to the 1913 founding of the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers — the first professional public health training program in America. In 1922, the School split off from MIT, and in 1946, it became an independent, degree-granting institution at Harvard University.
In 2014, the School was renamed in recognition of an extraordinary gift from alumnus Gerald L. Chan, SM ’75, SD ’79 , his family, and The Morningside Foundation in memory of his father, Mr. T.H. Chan. The $350 million unrestricted gift to the School’s endowment has supported research, education, financial aid, and other priorities.
A student uses a DOP generator to produce an aerosol to test high-efficiency air filters in 1977. Source: Countway Library.
The Harvard Chan School Shield
Our shield is based on the family arms of Dr. Henry P. Walcott (1838-1932), a Cambridge physician and acting president of Harvard University.
Walcott was a public health luminary who served as chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Health and president of the American Public Health Association. His contributions to bacteriology, sanitary science, and medicine made Massachusetts a world leader in these fields.
Land Acknowledgment
Harvard University and Harvard Chan School are located on the traditional and ancestral land of the Massachusett, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. We pay respect to the people of the Massachusett Tribe, past and present, and honor the land itself, which remains sacred to the Massachusett people.
We understand this acknowledgment is insufficient to fully address the harm inflicted upon this community, and we have committed to pursuing anti-racist and anti-oppressive work.