Office of the Dean
“Our mission here at Harvard Chan School is simple, but profound: We aim to build a world with health, dignity, and justice for all — a world where everyone can thrive.”
— Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, Dean of the Faculty
677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge Building, 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02115
Harvard Chan LEADs Initiative
Learn & Engage Across Differences
Resources to build your skills
All members of the Harvard Chan Community are encouraged to explore a new online Constructive Disagreement module developed by faculty at Harvard Kennedy School. Through videos, animations, and short exercises, it walks you through simple, evidence-based principles for engaging effectively with people who may hold radically different views. You can also practice debating hot-button issues with an AI chatbot trained to evaluate your strategies and give scientifically sound feedback.
We’ve collected relevant training modules, videos, and articles exploring the principles of constructive engagement in this Intranet site for Harvard Key holders. Explore here.
Watch a fireside chat with Katelyn Jetelina, founder of the popular newsletter “Your Local Epidemiologist.” She shares practical tips for cutting through misinformation and communicating effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints. View the YouTube recording here.
Upcoming events
- Evidence-based approaches to win allies for public health
January 30, 2025 | 1 p.m. | In the Harvard Chan Studio and online
Nir Menachemi, dean of the Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University, will share his evidence-based approach to winning allies for public health in this conversation with Harvard Chan School Dean Andrea Baccarelli. - Student workshop on constructive conversations
Spring 2025
Facilitators from the training group Essential Partners will help student leaders build their skills at effectively and empathetically communicating across differences. - The Big Read
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
In our first community book club, Dean Andrea Baccarelli has invited everyone to read Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped History, a title selected by popular vote. In early March 2025, we will host both in-person and online discussion circles as well as events with author Vidya Kirshnan.