Linking CHDS and Harvard Undergraduates

CHDS faculty Eve Wittenberg teaches first-year Harvard undergraduates to effectively craft arguments in a health-focused class in the Harvard College Expository Writing program. Among her recent students was Ariel Kim, staff writer for The Harvard Crimson, Harvard College’s newspaper. Kim and colleague Anjeli Macaranas recently interviewed medical professionals at MGH and BIDMC on the mental health toll of practicing during COVID. “‘Crying out for help’: Harvard affiliates on pandemic front line describe mental health toll” showcased expert interviewing and journalistic compilation to paint a vivid and compelling picture of the experiences of health care providers in the Harvard hospitals. Kim and Macaranas reported on an MGH intensive care nurse who feared she might “kill” her parents via her work, and an internal medicine resident who experienced burn-out for the first time.

Teaching in an undergraduate program creates a bridge between CHDS and the next generation of health professionals and scholars. CHDS Director Sue Goldie also engages with undergraduates, teaching a general education course in global health. Other CHDS faculty have included Harvard undergraduates in research through summer internships and academic-year projects. The College offers a secondary concentration in global health and health policy, another avenue to foster interest in our field and encourage student involvement in health policy.

Undergraduates are an valued asset to CHDS’s work and an important component of our mission to educate scholars at all levels.

Read the Crimson piece: ‘Crying Out for Help’: Harvard Affiliates on Pandemic Front Line Describe Mental Health Toll