Harvard University: Arts & Sciences: Biological Sciences in Public Health
Category Art and Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Harvard University, USA, UndergraduateTags Arts, Biological, Harvard University, Health, Public, Sciences
The Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) Program, leading to the PhD degree, is located at Harvard School of Public Health and is offered through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University.
Programs and Disciplines
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES IN PUBLIC HEALTH (BPH) PROGRAM
Molecular & Integrative Physiological Sciences, including pulmonary inflammation, pneumonia and asthma toxicity and pathophysiology of air pollution bioengineering, biophysics
Molecular Mechanisms of Adaptive Responses to Stress
Radiobiology
Nutritional Biochemistry
Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Chronic Diseases Such as Obesity, Diabetes, and Cancer
IMMUNOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Immunology
Immunology & Molecular Biology of Parasitic and Other Infections
Virology
Nutritional Biochemistry
Cardiovascular Biology
The Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) was established at Harvard University in 1993. The program trains a cadre of leaders who, while possessing expertise in the individual fields of biological research, also possess a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics. The program trains research scientists in the following areas of cellular and molecular biology: nutritional biochemistry; cardiovascular biology; gene regulation; cell/environment interactions; toxicology; cancer; pulmonary inflammation; immunology; infectious diseases: protozoa, helminths, viruses and bacteria; genetic approaches to disease mechanisms.
Students apply cutting-edge technology to the solution of world-wide problems with a focus toward better treatment and prevention of human diseases. It has become increasingly evident that progress in disease prevention is optimally promoted by a close interaction between epidemiologists and laboratory scientists, where laboratory discoveries and epidemiological observations interact in an iterative manner to advance research in both fields.
This program includes faculty from the school’s Departments of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Environmental Health, Immunology and Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, in addition to faculty at Harvard Medical School and other Harvard associated institutions. This interdisciplinary program fosters a stimulating and supportive environment for research training in the biomedical sciences.
The BPH program is rooted in the rich and diverse environment of the Harvard School of Public Health, which is dedicated to advancing the public’s health through learning, discovery, and communication. The School’s research and training programs emphasize the following objectives:
• to provide the highest level of education to public health scientists, practitioners, and leaders;
• to foster new discoveries leading to improved health for the people of this country and all nations;
• to strengthen health capacities and services for communities; and
• to inform policy debate, disseminate health information, and increase awareness of public health as a public good and fundamental right.
The field of public health is inherently multi-disciplinary and so, too, are the interests and expertise of the School’s faculty and students, which extend across the biological, quantitative, and social sciences. With our roots in biology, we are able to confront the most pressing diseases of our time—AIDS, cancer, and heart disease—by adding to our knowledge of their underlying structure and function. Core quantitative disciplines like epidemiology and biostatistics are fundamental to analyzing the broad impact of health problems, allowing us to look beyond individuals to entire populations. And, because preventing disease is at the heart of public health, we also pursue the social sciences to better understand health-related behaviors and their societal influences—critical elements in educating and empowering people to make healthier lifestyle choices.
From advancing scientific discovery to training national and international leaders, the Harvard School of Public Health has been at the forefront of efforts to benefit the health of populations worldwide. Shaping new ideas in our field and communicating them effectively will continue to be priorities in the years ahead as we serve society’s changing health needs.
Founded in 1922, the Harvard School of Public Health was the nation’s first graduate training program in public health. Early pioneers at the school included Alice Hamilton, who elucidated the health effects of lead and other industrial toxins; Philip Drinker, whose iron lung sustained the lives of many stricken with paralytic polio; Thomas Weller, whose Nobel Prize-winning research paved the way for the development of polio vaccines; and Bernard Lown, co-founder of the Nobel Prize-winning organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
Research Facilities
Located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, the program brings together faculty in the biological sciences throughout Harvard University. The Medical Area, which includes the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and a cluster of hospitals, comprises one of the most concentrated areas of scientific research facilities in the United States. The interaction of faculty working at associated institutions, through joint teaching and research, enables the program to serve as a meeting place for the biological, medical, physical, and chemical scientists. This provides students and faculty alike with a wider range of experience and techniques than may be found in any single discipline or department.
At the Harvard School of Public Health alone, modern research laboratories are housed on 14 floors of three buildings. Students have access to the Countway Library, one of the most complete biomedical research collections in the nation.
The main Harvard University campus in Cambridge encompasses a wide variety of strong academic departments and facilities in the humanities and sciences. The program specifically interacts with the biological sciences programs in molecular and cellular biology, organismic and evolutionary biology, and biophysics.
Program of Study
The program offers opportunities in a wide range of laboratory experiences and considerable interaction among the program components. Academic programs fulfill needs and goals through core and advanced courses, seminars, rotations in laboratories, and a qualifying examination. Courses may be chosen from the offerings of Harvard University as well as from those of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rotations are an integral part of each program; they allow students to investigate several types of research and laboratories before choosing a dissertation laboratory. Students choose a dissertation laboratory by the end of the first year.
Although individual programs vary, generally students take a qualifying examination during their second year. After successful completion of the qualifying examination, the dissertation advisor supervises the doctoral candidate’s research and study, with an advisory committee periodically reviewing progress. Typically, about four years of laboratory work are needed to complete the dissertation research, which is defended before three examiners. Generally, students complete the degree in five to six years.
You must be logged in to post a comment.