The Forum at the Harvard Chan School

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EVENT DESCRIPTION: GENE EDITING: Promises and Challenges In labs and in clinical trials, scientists are seeking ways to rewrite DNA, a building block of life. Tools such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) and, more...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

GENE EDITING: Promises and Challenges

In labs and in clinical trials, scientists are seeking ways to rewrite DNA, a building block of life. Tools such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) and, more recently, CRISPR/Cas9 have the power to seek out and replace faulty DNA. The possibilities seem almost limitless: with the ability to edit DNA at will, researchers theoretically could wipe out malaria-causing mosquitos, make disease- and pest-proof crops without the need for pesticides, and cure genetic diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. Cancer is another target, with human clinical trials using CRISPR already underway, while, in separate efforts, HIV has been reportedly eliminated in mice thanks to the tool.

But scientists and ethicists alike are worried about the speed at which the gene editing field is moving — and the implications of the results. In this panel, we will discuss the promises and challenges presented by gene editing for individual and public health. What scientific and ethical hurdles must be overcome before tools like CRISPR and others can move safely and more widely out of the lab and into fields, farms, and hospitals? 

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu

Tweet us @ForumHSPH #GeneEditing

We will be conducting a live chat on this page during the event: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/gene-editing/

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:

https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/gene-editing/

on Friday, May 19, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

We also will stream live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Forumhsph/

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

George Church - Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, and Co-Founder, Editas and eGenesis

George Annas - Distinguished Professor at Boston University and Director of the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights at Boston University School of Public Health

Flaminia Catteruccia - Associate Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Howard Kaufman, Professor of Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Surgical Oncologist, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; and member of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee at the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Moderated by David Freeman - Editorial Director, NBC News MACH

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Presented jointly with NBC News Digital

Part of: The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies.

Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/ supparsorn

gene editing crispr
EVENT DESCRIPTION: SUPPLEMENTS AND HEALTH: Sorting the Facts “Lose belly fat”. “Build muscle.” “Lower your cholesterol.” “Improve your sex drive.” Browse the shelves of any supermarket or pharmacy, and you will find dietary supplements that promise...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

SUPPLEMENTS AND HEALTH: Sorting the Facts

“Lose belly fat”. “Build muscle.” “Lower your cholesterol.” “Improve your sex drive.” Browse the shelves of any supermarket or pharmacy, and you will find dietary supplements that promise to do all this, and more. Supplements are a multi-billion-dollar business, and today more than half of American adults take them, many at the advice of their doctors. But dietary supplements can have real risks. They are not required by federal law to be proven safe “to the FDA’s satisfaction” before hitting the market, raising concern among critics about a perceived lack of safety oversight and consumer education.

Using the latest science as the basis for discussion, Forum experts will examine the risks and benefits of supplements. How effective are they? What about dosages — or interactions with prescription medications? Should supplements be subject to more stringent rules and tests? What role should doctors, pharmacists, and drugstores have in helping consumers make safe, educated choices about supplements? This panel will attempt to help sort the facts about supplements and health.————————————————————————————-
ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu

Tweet us @ForumHSPH #Supplements

We will be conducting a live chat on this page during the event: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/supplements-and-health/

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:

https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/supplements-and-health/

on Thursday, May 11, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

We also will stream live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Forumhsph/

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

S. Bryn Austin - Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; and Director, STRIPED (Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders)

JoAnn Manson - Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Charles Bell - Programs Director for Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization arm of Consumer Reports

Pieter Cohen - General Internist, Cambridge Health Alliance; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Moderated by Carol Hills, Senior Producer and Reporter, PRI’s The World

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Presented jointly with PRI’s The World & WGBH News

Part of: The Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forums.

Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/monticelllo

foodsupplement supplements food supplements dietarysupplements
EVENT DESCRIPTION: THE OPIOID CRISIS: A Governors Roundtable Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this Forum event, four former governors will offer candid...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

THE OPIOID CRISIS: A Governors Roundtable

Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this Forum event, four former governors will offer candid insights into how government policy can help, exploring what works and what doesn’t. They will speak about experiences within their own states, as well the broader national epidemic. Topics will include prescription drug monitoring programs; treatment vouchers; naloxone use; and crackdowns on illegal supply streams. The governors also will discuss the goals of the 21st Century CURES Act to fight the epidemic and the role of the Trump Administration’s opioid task force.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu

Tweet us @ForumHSPH #OpioidCrisis

We will be conducting a live chat on this page during the event: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-opioid-crisis/

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:

https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-opioid-crisis/

on Friday, May 5th, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

We also will stream live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Forumhsph/

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Steven L. Beshear
Governor of Kentucky (2007-2015) and Menschel Senior Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Linda Lingle
Governor of Hawaii (2002-2010)

Ted Strickland
Governor of Ohio (2007-2011)

Jay Nixon
Governor of Missouri (2009-2017)

Moderated by Craig LeMoult, Reporter at WGBH News

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Presented jointly with PRI’s The World & WGBH News

Part of: Policy Controversies.

Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/BackyardProduction

opioids opioid crisis war on drugs opioid epidemic
EVENT DESCRIPTION: LEAD CONTAMINATION BEYOND FLINT: Drinking Water and Children’s Health On the whole, American drinking water is safe. However, more than a year after toxic lead levels forced a federal state of emergency in Flint, MI, 63 percent of...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

LEAD CONTAMINATION BEYOND FLINT: Drinking Water and Children’s Health

On the whole, American drinking water is safe. However, more than a year after toxic lead levels forced a federal state of emergency in Flint, MI, 63 percent of Americans report that they worry a great deal about polluted drinking water. This statistic comes from a new Gallup poll indicating that water pollution ranks the highest of six environmental concerns among respondents. While pipes in Flint are expected to be replaced with the help of a $97 million settlement, there are other cities with histories of unsafe lead levels — or other toxins — in drinking water. These contaminants can threaten health, particularly among children. This Forum will grapple with safekeeping American drinking water supplies. Does the drinking water infrastructure need replacement? How would such an effort look? Do public alert systems help? What about other potential lead exposure sources? What is the role of regulation in a time of proposed deep cuts to EPA funding? What does the public need to know? Join us for this timely discussion in advance of Earth Day. 

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu

Tweet us @ForumHSPH #LeadContamination

We will be conducting a live chat on this page during the event: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/lead-contamination-beyond-flint/

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:

https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/lead-contamination-beyond-flint/

on Thursday, April 20th, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

We also will stream live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Forumhsph/

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Jeffrey Griffiths
Professor of Public Health, and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Former Chair, US EPA Drinking Water Committee, Science Advisory Board

Maitreyi Mazumdar
Pediatric Neurologist, Boston Children’s Hospital; Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Eric Feigl-Ding
Research Scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Founder of Toxin Alert, the first geo-social network and public alert system for drinking water toxic contamination

Stephen Estes-Smargiassi
Director of Planning and Sustainability, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Moderated by Erin Schumaker, Senior Healthy Living Editor, The Huffington Post

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Presented jointly with The Huffington Post

Part of: Policy Controversies.

Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/caristo

lead contamination lead poisoning water contamination
EVENT DESCRIPTION: MARIJUANA: The Latest Scientific Findings and Legalization Legal marijuana is here: In November, California, Massachusetts, and Nevada became the latest states to legalize recreational marijuana, bringing to 28 the number of states...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

MARIJUANA: The Latest Scientific Findings and Legalization

Legal marijuana is here: In November, California, Massachusetts, and Nevada became the latest states to legalize recreational marijuana, bringing to 28 the number of states that have okayed the drug for medicinal use, recreational use, or both. Even more states have rules that allow certain kinds of cannabis extracts to be used for medical purposes. At the same time that state legalization is increasing, the Trump administration is signaling that it may ramp up enforcement of federal drug laws, even when they come into conflict with state laws allowing recreational marijuana use. State and local governments may find themselves on uncertain legal ground. Meanwhile, policymakers navigating this new landscape are also working largely without the benefit of a solid foundation of scientific evidence on the drug’s risks and benefits. In fact, a new National Academies report describes notable gaps in scientific data on the short- and long-term health effects of marijuana, including proper therapeutic dosing and possible special hazards to vulnerable populations, like pregnant women and children. What do we know about the health impacts of marijuana, and what do we still need to learn? This Forum brings together researchers studying marijuana’s health impacts with policymakers who are working to implement new laws in ways that will benefit and protect public health.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu
Tweet us @ForumHSPH #MarijuanaScience

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:
https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/marijuana/
on Friday, March 24th, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

We’ll be conducting a live chat on this page during the event: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/marijuana/

We also will stream live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Forumhsph/

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Andrew Freedman
Co-Founder and Partner, Freedman & Koski; former Director of Marijuana Coordination for the State of Colorado

Staci Gruber
Director, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core; Director, Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery, McLean Hospital

Marie McCormick
Professor of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Chair, Committee that published Health Effects of Marijuana: An Evidence Review and Research Agenda

Vaughan Rees
Lecturer on Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Moderated by Ryan Grim, Washington Bureau Chief, The Huffington Post, and an MSNBC contributor

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

Part of: The Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forums.

Presented jointly with The Huffington Post

Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/gaspr13

marijuana marijuanalegalization marijuanascience
EVENT DESCRIPTION: RACE AND POLICING: State and Local PerspectivesBuilding on two previous Forums about race, criminal justice and health (Race, Criminal Justice and Health, Revisiting Race, Criminal Justice and Health), this event will examine...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

RACE AND POLICING: State and Local Perspectives

Building on two previous Forums about race, criminal justice and health (Race, Criminal Justice and Health, Revisiting Race, Criminal Justice and Health), this event will examine specific approaches and models to address the complexities of race and policing. Experts in law enforcement, public health, community relations and the law will speak. Subjects will include safeguarding law enforcement and communities, promoting more effective communication and de-escalation techniques, and narrowing the social, economic and health gaps that persist between underserved and middle-class America. The emphasis will be on local and state approaches.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu
Tweet us @ForumHSPH #Disparities

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:
https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/race-and-policing/
on Monday, March 27th, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Brian Corr, President, National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement

Tracey Meares, Professor of Law, Yale Law School, and Senior Research Advisor, National Network for Safe Communities, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

John Shanks, Director, Police Training Institute

David Williams, Professor of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Moderated by Phillip Martin, Senior Investigative Reporter, WGBH News

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

We’ll also be conducting a live chat on The Forum’s Race and Policing web page. 

Part of: Policy Controversies.

Presented jointly with PRI’s The World & WGBH

Image Credit: iStockphoto| Alex_Schmidt

policing race racial discrimination racial justice racial profiling police violence
EVENT DESCRIPTION: THE 21st CENTURY CURES ACT: Implications for Research and Drug Development The passage of the 21st Century Cures Act has drawn both applause and criticism. A sweeping bipartisan effort with multiple components, the law dramatically...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

THE 21st CENTURY CURES ACT: Implications for Research and Drug Development 

The passage of the 21st Century Cures Act has drawn both applause and criticism. A sweeping bipartisan effort with multiple components, the law dramatically boosts funding for medical research, particularly in areas such as cancer and brain disease. The law also relaxes regulatory processes for pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In doing so, the law’s supporters point to the potential for faster treatments benefiting from a streamlined approval process. Critics raise concerns that safety and efficacy might be compromised, with potentially devastating consequences. And the law also has been questioned for failing to explicitly address high drug prices, a growing public issue. These debates are unfolding as the Trump administration is expected to imminently announce its choice for a new FDA commissioner, who will head an agency directly impacted by the Cures act. In this Forum, experts will explore the implications of the law for biomedicine, regulation, pharmaceuticals and patient advocacy.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu
Tweet us @ForumHSPH #CuresAct

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE:
https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-21st-century-cures-act/
on Monday, February 27th, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer, American Cancer Society

Pamela Tenaerts, Executive Director of the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative

Jeffrey Drazen, Editor-in-Chief, The New England Journal of Medicine

Aaron Kesselheim, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Director of the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law

Moderated by Ed Silverman, Senior Writer and Pharmalot Columnist for STAT 

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Part of: Policy Controversies

Presented jointly with STAT.

Image Credit: iStock.com/4X-image

curesact r&d medicaltreatment medicalresearch fda
EVENT DESCRIPTION: HORMONE-ALTERING CHEMICALS: Fertility and Health Implications Many of the products we use every day— drinking bottles, cosmetics, furniture, toys— can contain endocrine disruptors, chemicals that affect human health by altering the...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

HORMONE-ALTERING CHEMICALS: Fertility and Health Implications

Many of the products we use every day— drinking bottles, cosmetics, furniture, toys— can contain endocrine disruptors, chemicals that affect human health by altering the body’s natural hormones. Pregnancy and fetal development represent an especially sensitive life stage that may be uniquely vulnerable to the effects of endocrine disruptors, and now, with the passage of a major overhaul of the Toxic Controlled Substances Act—the first such update in 40 years—the EPA has new power to review chemical safety and protect biologically vulnerable groups like women and children. What do we know about endocrine disruptors and their impact on reproduction, fertility and pregnancy? How do racial and ethnic differences influence our exposure to these chemicals and their impacts, and how can policymakers work to minimize their proliferation? In this Forum, scientists come together with policy experts to discuss the latest research on endocrine disruptors, risk management and recommendations for regulation.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu
Tweet us @ForumHSPH #Toxins

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE: 
https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/hormone-altering-chemicals/
on Tuesday, January 31st, 2017, 12:30-1:30pm ET

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Russ Hauser
Frederick Lee Hisaw Professor of Reproductive Physiology Acting Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Tamarra James-Todd
Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of Environmental Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Nneka Leiba
Deputy Director of Research, Environmental Working Group

Pete Myers
Founder, CEO and Chief Scientist, Environmental Health Sciences

Moderated by Erin Schumaker, Senior Healthy Living Editor, The Huffington Post

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Part of:

The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies

Presented jointly with The Huffington Post.

Image Credit: iStock.com/FootToo

EVENT DESCRIPTION: THE FUTURE OF FOOD: Feeding the Planet During Climate Change By 2050, a projected 9.7 billion people will inhabit the planet. How will we produce enough nutritious food to support this burgeoning population and ensure access to...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

THE FUTURE OF FOOD: Feeding the Planet During Climate Change

By 2050, a projected 9.7 billion people will inhabit the planet. How will we produce enough nutritious food to support this burgeoning population and ensure access to food resources, particularly as climate change stresses the environment? This Forum will explore innovative methods and systems for producing food, as well as new types of products and underutilized sources. The panelists will talk about emerging technologies, including advances in genomics and aeroponics, to grow food. They also will discuss ways to sustain at-risk food resources made vulnerable from climate change, and the impacts for populations in developing countries.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu
Tweet us @ForumHSPH #FutureOfFood

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-future-of-food/
on Tuesday, December 13th, 2016, 12:30-1:30pm ET

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Gary Adamkiewicz
Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Caleb Harper
Principal Investigator/Director, Open Agriculture Initiative, MIT Media Lab

Calestous Juma
Professor of the Practice of International Development, Harvard Kennedy School

Margaret Walsh
Senior Ecologist, Climate Change Program Office, USDA

Moderated by Peter Thomson, Environment Editor at PRI’s The World

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Part of: The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies.

Presented jointly with PRI’s The World and WGBH

Image Credit: iStock.com/TomasSereda

EVENT DESCRIPTION: THE CHRONIC PAIN EPIDEMIC: What’s to Be Done? More than 100 million Americans struggle with chronic pain, according to one Institute of Medicine estimate, at an annual cost of as much as $635 billion in treatment and lost...

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

THE CHRONIC PAIN EPIDEMIC: What’s to Be Done?

More than 100 million Americans struggle with chronic pain, according to one Institute of Medicine estimate, at an annual cost of as much as $635 billion in treatment and lost productivity. Further, the misuse of potent opioid painkillers, while increasing risk of addiction and abuse, can confuse the conversation around appropriate chronic pain management. This Forum brings together a panel of experts to discuss the causes, treatment and impact of chronic pain, exploring the neuroscience behind the pain experience. The panelists will examine how clinicians can best serve their patients, highlighting the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recent National Pain Strategy. The Forum will also look at myriad pain management options, including marijuana and mindfulness meditation. And panelists will examine relevant pain care policies, including prescription monitoring program regulations, drug development and funding for research.

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ENGAGE WITH US:

Send our panelists questions in advance to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu
Tweet us @ForumHSPH #chronicpain

WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST ON OUR WEBSITE: https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/the-chronic-pain-epidemic/
on Thursday, November 10th, 2016, 12:30-1:30pm ET

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EXPERT PARTICIPANTS:

Anne Louise Oaklander
Associate Professor of Neurology, Director Nerve Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Vaughan Rees
Lecturer on Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Interim Director, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Cindy Steinberg
National Director of Policy and Advocacy, U.S. Pain Foundation, and Member, Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, NIH

Linda Porter
Director of the Office of Pain Policy, National Institutes of Health, and Co-chair of the National Pain Strategy

Moderated by David Freeman, Managing Editor, Impact & Innovation, The Huffington Post

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Part of: Policy Controversies, The Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forums.

Presented jointly with The Huffington Post

Image Credit: iStock.com/ironstealth

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