Faculty news: Winter 2026
Leadership changes
Yonatan Grad, Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, is the new director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics (CCDD). Joining him is Jeff Imai-Eaton, associate professor of epidemiology, as associate director. Grad, trained as an infectious disease physician, works on preparing for and responding to infectious disease threats, including antimicrobial resistance, sexually transmitted infections, and COVID-19. Imai-Eaton is an expert in HIV epidemiology, surveillance, and mathematical modeling and works closely with international public health organizations and ministries of health. Learn more about CCDD in this introductory video.
Meredith Rosenthal, C. Boyden Gray Professor of Health Economics and Policy, became chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management in the fall after serving as interim chair. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Rosenthal focuses her research on how changes to payment incentives and benefit design affect the affordability and value of health care in the U.S. She has also studied the impact of provider and pharmaceutical competition on health care prices. Rosenthal has testified in both state and congressional hearings and has advised state and federal policymakers on designing health care benefits and provider payment systems.
Harvard Chan School researchers among world’s most highly cited
Twenty-six faculty members or researchers affiliated with Harvard Chan School were named to Clarivate Analytic’s 2025 list of Highly Cited Researchers. The annual list includes researchers from around the world whose papers have been cited most often by their peers—in the top 1% of citations for a chosen field or fields. Read the list
Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system
In November, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded its $100 million “100&Change” grant to the Sentinel project, an infectious disease surveillance system designed to help communities identify outbreaks and prevent potential pandemics. Based in West Africa, Sentinel is a collaboration between the Broad Institute and the Institute of Genomics and Global Health in Nigeria and works in close partnership with national public health agencies there and in Sierra Leone. Its co-founders and directors are also faculty at Harvard Chan School: Pardis Sabeti, professor of immunology and infectious diseases, and Christian Happi, adjunct professor of immunology and infectious diseases. Read a Q&A with Sabeti and Happi
Awards and honors
Cathy Barber, research associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management, won an Impact Award from the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms. She was recognized for her research, which she presented at the society’s national conference held in Arizona in November.
Andrew Dreyfus, adjunct lecturer on health policy and management, was named president and CEO of the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation in October. A health care thought leader and expert in health system change, he is a former president and CEO for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Wendy Garrett, Irene Heinz Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in October. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Garrett, also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has advanced the understanding of microbiome-host interactions and how microbial metabolites shape immune system function in health and disease. Read more
Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, received the Blake Cady Award for Leadership in Tobacco Control from Tobacco Free Mass in December. Koh worked with Cady on the successful 1992 campaign to pass a dedicated tobacco tax through a ballot initiative in Massachusetts and is a former chair of Tobacco Free Mass. He has also led tobacco control efforts while serving in state and federal government.
John McDonough, professor of the practice of public health, received the Patricia A. Lynch Excellence in Public Service Award at the Boston Senior Home Care Legacy of Leading Gala in November. He was recognized for his lifelong commitment to improving health care access for vulnerable populations.
Ole Norheim, Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Ethics and Population Health, was selected as one of the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Nordic Champions for 2026. He was recognized at a ceremony in Stockholm in January for his contributions to advancing global health equity and leadership in shaping evidence-based approaches to priority settings in health systems. As a Nordic Champion, he is part of a small, curated group that will work with the foundation to bring conversations around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to new audiences, according to the foundation.
James Robins, Mitchell L. and Robin LaFoley Dong Professor of Epidemiology, received the 2025 Distinguished Achievement Award and Lectureship from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies. He was recognized for his role in creating the modern field of causal inference and developing groundbreaking methods for causal inference.
Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention and medicine, emeritus, received the 2025 Jack Oram Award from the American Heart Association’s HDL Workshop. The award recognizes a scientist or clinician who has substantially contributed to the HDL (high-density lipoprotein) field.
Qi Sun, associate professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, was invited to join the Guideline Development Group for Ultra-processed Foods organized by the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO. The group is charged with reviewing current evidence and providing evidence-based global guidance on the consumption of ultra-processed foods.
Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, received the 2025 Dr. Ancel Keys Award from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in December. He was honored for his groundbreaking contributions to advancing understanding of the relationship between food and chronic disease.
José Zubizarreta, professor in the Department of Biostatistics, received a 2025 Mid-Career Award from the American Statistical Association’s Health Policy Statistics Section. The award recognizes leaders in health care policy and health services research who have made outstanding contributions through methodological or applied work, and who show a promise of continued excellence at the frontier of statistical practice.
Appointments and promotions
Endowed professorships
Petros Koutrakis, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation
Brendan Manning, Barry R. and Irene T. Bloom Professor of Public Health
Ellen Meara, Richard L. Menschel Professor of Health Economics and Policy
Promotions
Rui Duan, associate professor of biostatistics
Adam Haber, associate professor of computational biology and environmental health
Rita Hamad, professor of social epidemiology and public policy
Jonathan Larson, dependent lecturer on biostatistics
