SBS Department Newsletter
Spring 2, 2022
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The Fierce Urgency Of Now |
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A recent conversation with one of my daughters reminded me of the pressing societal need to address racial inequity. I had shared with her that I was going to receive two honors: the Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecture award from the NIH and the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. My daughter responded with a question: “Are you the first Black person to receive those awards?” I did not know the answer. So I checked and discovered that I was the first Black person to receive both of these awards. I also checked on two earlier awards that I had received from the American Sociological Association. In 2011, I was the 35th sociologist to receive the Leo G. Reeder Award for Distinguished Contributions to Medical Sociology and in 2017, I was the 19th scholar to receive the Leonard I. Pearlin Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Sociological Study of Mental Health. I was also the first black person to receive those awards.
Whenever I have skimmed the list of prior awardees for an award that I have received, I am humbled and deeply honored by my inclusion on a list with so many luminaries. But the reality unearthed by my daughter’s question did not fill me with a sense of pride. Instead, I had a feeling of profound sadness. It was not the first time that I have felt that sadness. I remember having similar feelings while sitting in an SBS Department faculty meeting several years ago and realized that 100% of the tenured Black faculty in the entire Chan School at that time were sitting in the room (just two of us – Felton “Tony” Earls and myself). The Chan School has made some progress since then but we still have a long way to go.
Why isn't my experience of success in academia more normative for minoritized individuals? How can we accelerate progress to overcome the deeply embedded narrative of the intellectual inferiority of stigmatized racial populations and the underinvestment in their educational future. Newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated that her high school guidance counselor had told her that she should set her sights a bit lower when she indicated her desire to apply to Harvard. Former Surgeon General David Satcher tells the story that as a medical student in the 1960s, his first patient encounter was with a man from Mississippi who checked himself out of the hospital a few hours later because “the idea of having a black doctor didn't sit well with him.”
We live in a society that has established social policies and institutions that ensure reduced access to opportunities for individuals simply based on their skin color. For those of us committed to a healthier future for all, the time has come for a renewed commitment and greater mobilization to dismantle the systems of oppression that produce large racial inequities in access to socioeconomic opportunity, which in turn sustain racial/ethnic inequities in health. As Martin Luther King stated: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now…there "is" such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
David R. Williams
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The SBS Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Sub-Committee has been working towards increasing our department’s diversity, inclusion and belonging practices. Based on the valuable input from the surveys that the SBS community filled out in the Fall, we recently asked you to rank suggested actions for developing a more inclusive and welcoming climate. The results are below. Our next step is to ask working groups within the department to discuss ways to operationalize these ideas. As always, we welcome your questions, comments and concerns!
Staff Members: Stephanie McCulloch, Whitney Waddell, Elizabeth Solomon, & Lauren Chapman
Student Members: Julia Healey & Jesse Osmar
Faculty Members: David Williams & Bryn Austin
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Jen Cruz, PhD ’25 (she/her) is a second-year doctoral student in SBS interested in the intersection of community engagement, social epidemiology, and policy. She is interested in how we can best integrate epidemiological methods into community-centered work and evidence-based policy development to address health inequities. Jen is a predoctoral fellow at the Harvard-DFCI Educational Program in Cancer Prevention, an NIH T32 grant, and a member of the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights PhD & DrPH cohort.
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What are the goals of Allston Brighton Health Collaborative (ABHC) and how did you get involved as a volunteer?
ABHC is the only cross-sector network of its kind in Boston with its foci on the social determinants of health and on health-related social needs. Their current areas of concentration are transportation, food access, mental wellness, and resource connection and clinical/community linkages through a racial justice lens. I initially connected with ABHC when they were looking for volunteers for a vaccine clinic in Allston. After spending my first eight months in Boston focusing solely on my (remote) coursework, I was actively looking for ways to connect with the community where I lived to bring together my experiences in community service and public health.
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Remembering Henry Wechsler |
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Dr. Henry Wechsler, who was an important and valued member of SBS and faculty of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for 40 years, passed away in November 2021. A social psychologist, his research interests included alcohol and drug abuse among young adults and ways to reduce their high-risk behaviors. He retired from Harvard Chan in 2006.
He was the principal investigator of the College Alcohol Study, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that focused on the key issues of college alcohol abuses, notably binge drinking From 1993 to 2001, The Study conducted four national surveys involving over 50,000 students across 40 states.
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Nigel Harriman (he/him) has joined the SBS department as a research assistant. He has worked at the Harvard School of Public Health for over five years, evaluating programs that aim to prevent violence against oppressed groups. His current work seeks to understand the social determinants of health; with a specific interest in how health disparities are patterned throughout the epidemiological transition of disease. Nigel earned his BS from Cornell University and is currently pursuing his MPH in the Health and Social Behavior field of study. Nigel is passionate about leveraging biostatistics and epidemiological research methods to repair inequities and drive social change. |
Madison Rivard joined SBS in March 2022 as the Research Project Coordinator working with Dr. Shoba Ramanadhan. Her focus is on research and community outreach related to health equity. Her previous roles have entailed COVID operations and research on behavioral health and emergency medical services. Madison received her MPH from Ohio State University with a focus in Health Behavior and Health Promotion, and a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Simmons University. Outside of work, she enjoys reading as well as running and hiking with her dog. |
Maggie Woodlock joined SBS in February 2022 as a Research Assistant at the Center for Work, Health, and Well-being. After completing a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, she spent extensive time traveling and living abroad before committing to academia. She is currently working towards completing a master’s degree in Anthropology from the Harvard Extension School. Her interests are in coping strategies and well-being in the context of ritual studies and socio-cultural dimensions of labor. |
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Congratulations to the SBS staff, faculty, and academic appointees who have reached a key milestone at Harvard in calendar year 2021:
5 Years
Christy Denckla
Karen Emmons
Susan Peters
15 Years
Monika Szperka
David Williams
20 Years
Jarvis Chen
Angie Cradock
Erin Driver-Linn
25 Years
Robin Flaig
45 Years
Steven Gortmaker
Nancy Krieger was appointed to be a member of the new Steering Committee for the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.
Koichiro Shiba will be joining the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health as an Assistant Professor, starting August 2022.
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India Policy Insights, a collaborative initiative of the Geographic Insights Lab at the Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies and the Centre for Geographic Analysis at Harvard led by S V Subramanian, has been designated as a Key Initiative of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) (PDF), the official policy design and innovation think tank for the Government for India. |
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Bekalu MA, Quintero JM, McCloud RF, Viswanath K
Associations of social media use with loneliness and well-being: the double-edged sword effects of social media
72nd Annual International Communication Association Conference
Paper Session | Boston, MA (Online) | May 26-30, 2022
Krieger N
International Women’s Day: Gender, Work, and Health Justice
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Women, Gender, and Health Interdisciplinary Concentration
Event (Presenter & Moderator) | Boston, MA (Hybrid)| Mar 8, 2022
Williams M, Payne A, Peterson D, Krieger N, Lee T, Lawrence J
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Studio
Panel Discussion | Online | Mar 21, 2022
Krieger N, Pabon MA, Murray LR, Mujahid M, Rodrigues-Lonebear D, Pollock A
King's College London, School of Global Affairs
Book Launch | London, UK (Hybrid) | Mar 22, 2022
Liu J, Kephart L, Davine J, Lee R, Geller A, Rees V
Quit Intentions and Use of Cessation Resources among Residents of Low-Income Housing who Smoke
Society of Behavioral Medicine's 43rd Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions
Research Spotlight | Baltimore, MD | Apr 6-9, 2022
Shiba K
Causal Inference in Studying the Long-Term Health Effects of Disasters: Challenges and Potential Solutions
World Trade Center Health Registry Research Round Table
Oral Presentation | Online | Mar 23, 2022
Viswanath K
Kentucky Conference on Health Communication
Keynote Address | Lexington, KY | Apr 8, 2022
Williams DR
Vanderbilt University, David Satcher Lecture
Presentation | Online | Feb 8, 2022
Williams DR
The Hasting Center, Righting the Wrongs: Tackling Health Inequities, The Health Equity Summit
Keynote Presentation | Online | Jan 19, 2022
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Nethery R, Chen JT, Krieger N, Waterman PD, et al.
Am Stat | Jan 4, 2022, online ahead of print
Bitta M, Thungana Y, Kim HH, Denckla CA,..., Koenen KC, et al.
J Affect Disord | Vol. 304, 85-92 | Feb 18, 2022, online ahead of print
Ongeri L, Ouma L, Denckla CA, et al.
J Psychoactive Drugs | Mar 20, 2022, online ahead of print
Mefford MT, Rana JS, Reynolds K,..., Geller AC, Sloan RP, Mostofsky E, Williams DR, Sidney S
JAMA Netw Open | Vol. 5(4), e2208031 | Apr, 20 2022
Tabaac AR, Godwin EG, Jonestrask C, Charlton BM, Katz-Wise SL
Sex Reprod Healthc | Vol. 32, 100702 | Jun 2022
Savoia E, Harriman NW, Piltch-Loeb R, Bonetti M, Toffolutti V, Testa MA
Vaccines | Vol. 10(5), 671 | Apr 23, 2022
Krieger N
Breaking through and backlash: advancing awareness about racism, sexism, social class, and the people’s health
Am J Prev Med | In press
Woulfe JM, Mereish EH, Katz-Wise SL
J Trauma Dissociation | Vol. 23(1), 124-139 | Jan-Feb 2022
Guss CE, Dahlberg S, Said JT, Addison J, Katz-Wise SL
Clin Pediatr (Phila) | Mar 31, 2022, online ahead of print
Lawrence JA, Kawachi I, White K, Bassett MT, Williams DR
Soc Sci Med | Vol. 298, 114866 | Apr 2022
Wang S, Quan L, Ding M, Kang JH, Koenen KC, Kubzansky LD, Roberts AL
Depression, Worry, and Loneliness are Associated with Subsequent Risk of Hospitalization for COVID-19: A Prospective Study
Psychol Med | In press
Chen R, Del Rosario K, Lockman A,..., Kubzansky LD
Effect of Induced Optimism on Subjective States, Physical activity, and Stress Reactivity
J Posit Psychol | In press
Lee RM, Handunge VL, Augenbraun SL, Nguyen H, Torres CH, Ruiz A, Emmons KM
Front Public Health | Mar 24, 2024, online ahead of print
Liu J, Reynolds M, Hartman L, et al.
J Sch Health | Mar 18, 2022, online ahead of print
Liu J, Hartman L, Tan A, Winickoff J
Tob Control | Mar 17, 2022, online ahead of print
Okuzono SS, Shiba K, Lee HH, Shirai K, Koga HK,..., Kubzansky LD, Trudel-Fitzgerald C
J Happiness Stud | Mar 11, 2022, online ahead of print
Shiba K, Cowden RG, Gonzalez N, et al.
Psychol Med | Feb 22, 2022, online ahead of print
Shiba K, Cowden RG, Gonzalez N, et al.
Curr Psychol | Mar 15, 2022, online ahead of print
Lee EW, McCloud R, Viswanath K
J Med Internet Res | Vol. 24(1), e25419 | Jan 7, 2022
Wright E, Waterman PD, Testa C, Chen JT, Krieger N
JNCI Cancer Spectr | Vol. 6(2), pkac016 | Apr 2022
Misra S, Etkins OS, Yang LH, Williams DR
Am J Public Health | Vol. 112(4), 624-632 | Apr 1, 2022
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Apr 27 | 1–2 pm | Center for Health and Happiness
Apr 27 | 1–1:50 pm | Women, Gender, and Health
Apr 28 | 12–1:15 pm | Center for Population and Development Studies
Mar 9 | 1–1:50 pm | SBS
May 11 | 1–1:50 pm | Women, Gender, and Health
Jun 9 | 1–1:50 pm | Women, Gender, and Health
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Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
677 Huntington Avenue | Kresge Building
Boston, MA 02115
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Phone: 617.432.1135 | Fax: 617.432.3123
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