Orientation 2025: For new Harvard Chan students, a warm welcome
New students at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health were welcomed to the School at Fall Orientation, which began on August 26.
The three-day event began at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, where 449 new students from 66 countries and territories got a chance to mingle with each other and hear from Dean Andrea Baccarelli, who offered words of advice and encouragement.
Baccarelli urged students to invest in their strengths, noting that Harvard Chan School, with its depth in both research and education, “is the perfect place for you to explore how your skills and interests can best serve your goals and help you make the most impact in public health.” He advised students to lean on their new community, including their peers, a group he called “incredibly brilliant, brave, and diverse.”
He also spoke of the importance of engaging across differences. “The most important, life-changing experience for me was with someone I disagreed with strongly,” Baccarelli said. “The fact that you might disagree with your colleague is not a problem, it’s an opportunity.”
Students also heard from Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, who spoke about the characteristics of public health, including its focus on social justice, its political nature, its grounding in the sciences, and its emphasis on prevention. He stressed the importance of leadership in public health, and of persevering and being flexible in working to achieve public health goals.
Sue Goldie, Roger Irving Lee Professor of Public Health, spoke to students about the foundations of public health. (Read about her popular introductory course). A session on “Calling to Public Health” featured Fawn Phelps, director of leadership development in the Office of Educational Programs; Ra’Shaun Nalls, director of community engagement; Aisha Yousafzai, professor of child development and health; and Gaurab Basu, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health. Bryan Thomas, chief community and belonging officer, talked to students about the importance of cultivating belonging in the Harvard Chan community. And Jeremy Nobel, instructor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, ran a workshop called “Colors & Connections” that highlighted how the arts can be used to address the public health issue of loneliness.
Other Orientation events included campus tours, presentations on academic programs, information sessions about School resources, a reception, and a game night.
