Harvard Chan Alumni and Friends

Growing up in a low-income, racially segregated area, Nicole Cooper, DrPH ’17, has a deep understanding of how community conditions and access to healthcare impact families. Today, Cooper works as the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at United Way, an organization that brings communities together to find strength and share hope, which is very important this time of year. “The work I do for people everywhere I do on behalf of my family and my community,” she says. Read more about Cooper and her impactful work: https://lnkd.in/eVMDDr3s.

In this winter's issue of Harvard Chan Magazine, Tina D Purnat, DrPH ’27, pens a personal article sharing her 'lessons in vulnerability.' “The responsibility to serve and protect the most vulnerable remains at the forefront of everything I do,” she says. This mindset stems from being displaced during war as a teen in Slovenia. “Every time I meet someone who has been displaced, I think back to that 14-year-old girl in Villach [Austria], standing alone in a foreign country, and I know that I am doing what I am meant to be doing—helping to build a world where no one has to face that kind of uncertainty alone.” Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/eYC2jbGB.

One of our Public Health Champions, Karen DeSalvo, SM ’02, was named to Modern Healthcare's 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare list for the fifth year in a row! Mary Ellen Podmolik, editor in chief of Modern Healthcare, describes individuals who make the list as coming from "all corners of the industry." "Their leadership has been felt from the doctor's office to Capitol Hill," she says. Congratulations to Karen, and all the honorees, and thank you for your dedication to bettering patient care for all!

Take a look at the new Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health website—a comprehensive space for highlighting our community members who are making breakthrough discoveries linking optimism to longevity, pioneering meaningful and innovative approaches to mental health, leading initiatives rooted in health equity and justice, and more!

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni work toward building a better, safer, and healthier world, both in their personal and professional lives. Recently, with the help of the School's Alumni Association, Jaya Sarin Pradhan, MPH ’10, doctor and public health educator, professional, and advocate, led a care-kit making activity at the School of the Blessed Sacrament and Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City. "By putting together care kits for the youth at Covenant House (Covenant House New York), we’re not just providing essentials, we’re showing that small acts of kindness can make a big impact on public health. Every item we pack is a reminder that caring for others is a step toward a healthier, more compassionate world," she said.

Following his graduation from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Amitava Banerjee, MPH ’05, took on a cardiovascular-focused internship at the World Health Organization in Geneva and earned a DPhil in cardiovascular epidemiology at the University of Oxford. Today, Banerjee puts his extensive knowledge on heart health and more to use as national specialty lead for cardiovascular medicine at the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) and vice president for digital, marketing, and communications at the British Cardiovascular Society. He is also a professor at UCL, and has been been leading the World Heart Federation's Emerging Leaders Programme since 2018, inspiring the next generation of public health pioneers. Learn more about Banerjee, the many roles he plays, and the impact he's had on public health around the world: https://lnkd.in/gMGMfgbd.

Thich Nhat Hanh said "Each human is a multiplicity of miracles." At Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, we believe each person is deserving of health, dignity, and justice. Thank you to each of our alumni and friends, from the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, for being an integral part of our journey and sharing our commitment to a healthier and brighter future for all.

Katie Cueva, ScD ’17, grew up predominantly in Alaska, raised by parents who provided health services to indigenous populations. She says “I was exposed to the realities and inequities impacting indigenous communities. I learned from my parents about service, and to ask: ‘How can you do good in the world?’” Inspired by her parents and the diversity of Alaska, she created her public health career path that helps advance health equity for indigenous communities. With #NationalNativeAmericanHeritageDay around the corner, we encourage you to read this Public Health Champion's story: https://lnkd.in/eGuk2cDC.

After graduating from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Sophia Siu-Chee Chan, MPH ’07, returned to Hong Kong to lead The University of Hong Kong (HKU) as a professor and head of the nursing school. Today, Chan is back at the university, leading HKU Primary Health Care Academy—which generates evidence and disseminates knowledge of primary health care—as well as inspiring the next generation of health care professionals. In this role, Chan is working together toward universal health coverage and the sustainable development of a healthy society in Hong Kong: https://lnkd.in/gMGMfgbd.

Tomás Aragón, MPH '88, has served in public health leadership roles for more than 20 years. Today, Aragon is the state public health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health, fostering collaborative partnerships to mobilize communities and institutions to transform policies and systems toward a “culture of equity, antiracism, healing, and health for all people and our planet.” Learn more about the impact Aragon has had on California and beyond: https://lnkd.in/e7rRpk4s.