Mission

The overarching mission of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is to advance the public’s health through learning, discovery, and communication.

To pursue this mission, the School produces knowledge through research, reproduces knowledge through higher education, and translates knowledge into evidence that can be communicated to the public, policymakers, and practitioners to advance the health of populations.

Core values, concepts, and principles of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

• Health is a fundamental right of every human being.
• Public health has the responsibility to improve and protect the health of all populations, especially the most vulnerable of these—children, the elderly, the poor, and the underserved.
• Public health must emphasize prevention and embrace collective, multifaceted action by health practitioners and researchers to respond to emerging challenges; it must investigate disease determinants and risks, improve health care quality and delivery, and influence policy.
• Institutions of public health should provide information that promotes health in populations and empowers individuals to make sound health decisions.
• The educational and research agenda of a public health institution must transcend local and national boundaries—health is a global concern.
• A public health institution should support the ideal of service in all its aspects—research, teaching, community involvement, and communication.
• All members of a public health institution should respect the highest principles of scientific and academic conduct, foster open inquiry, and honor individual rights.