In State of the School address, Dean Andrea Baccarelli shares vision for strategic change
“We are here today because we believe in our mission, improving health and advancing equity so that everyone can thrive. We will never back away from that mission,” Dean Andrea Baccarelli told the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health community during his first State of the School Forum on Feb. 11. His remarks came at a time of uncertainty in public health and higher education.
“Policies at the federal level are changing quickly, and that will have an impact on our School,” Baccarelli told the audience in Kresge G-1 and on Zoom. He said that School leadership is working closely with the University and supporting researchers whose work has been impacted by policy changes.
While there are very real challenges facing the School right now, Baccarelli said that they are being faced head on. The School is taking decisive actions, building momentum in philanthropy, and laying the groundwork for new initiatives that will allow for its work to have even greater impact, he said. “Together, we will expand upon our School’s remarkable legacy.”
An ‘AAA’ vision for change
Baccarelli said that ever since he first arrived at the School as a visiting scientist 20 years ago, he has thought of the institution as a Ferrari—a place where ideas that make a difference move quickly. But the School’s organizational structure slows it down, he said. “It’s like we’re trying to drive the Ferrari on a bumpy country road.”
To help the School speed up and better navigate the current terrain, he outlined a new vision for strategic change called AAA—which stands for Agile, Accessible, and Accountable. Under these guiding principles, he said, the School will work to become more entrepreneurial and collaborative; more focused on expanding access to its educational offerings and translating research findings to the public; and more transparent and responsive to its community while remaining dedicated to the highest standards of excellence.
To begin mapping the way forward, Baccarelli last year convened working groups focused on finance, research, and education. While the groups’ efforts are still ongoing, he shared some of their high-level recommendations:
- Decentralize decision-making. Encourage more entrepreneurship, innovation, and shared stewardship by empowering academic departments to make decisions in areas such as funding new projects and recruiting new faculty.
- Expand research collaborations. A national search has been launched for the new position of Dean for Research, who will serve as both a strategist and ambassador for the School. In addition, a new research collaboration has been formed with other schools at Harvard to work on shifting incentives from disease care to prevention.
- Innovate in education. Continue to innovate in degree programs and expand non-degree education to share public health knowledge with thousands of new people each year.
After outlining his plans, Baccarelli affirmed that the community of people who work and study at the School are its biggest asset. “Each of you, every day, make a difference. You are our superpower,” he said.
Breaking new ground in science
As an example of how the School can expand its impact, he shared the story of how a pioneering study on the health effects of the Los Angeles wildfires recently came about. Kari Nadeau, John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies and chair of the Department of Environmental Health, was quoted in a New York Times story on the topic. Within days, the School heard from two individuals who had never donated but were excited by its researchers’ expertise and eagerness to create solutions. Faculty members and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations collaborated quickly to pull the gift together and launch the study in collaboration with several other universities.
In closing, Baccarelli asked audience members to keep pursuing their ideas and making the case whenever they can about the value of public health, the School, and sponsored research. “Stay focused on the work,” he said. “Because it matters.”
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