History of Public Health at Harvard

Timeline of Departmental Names and Chairs

The following research was conducted by Hanna Clutterbuck-Cook and Heather Mumford between 2020 and 2022, using historic course catalogs and other reference material available at the Center for the History of Medicine. Please email us with corrections, clarifications, or questions. 

1913-1921: Formal departments did not exist in the early school. Rather, courses were grouped together in the catalog, and these specific “groups” were given titles. Students took public health courses at HMS, HU in Cambridge, and MIT. Early groups connected to IID are: 

• Special Pathology
• Tropical Medicine

To see an isolated list of the first "departments" of the school, see The Early School (1913-1921).

1922 - Bacteriology and Parasitology established. 

1927 - Parasitology becomes Comparative Pathology

1944 - Name changes to Bacteriology and Immunology; merges with Applied Immunology – Serums and Vaccines

1946 - Becomes Public Health Bacteriology 

1950 - Becomes Microbiology 

1983 - Becomes Cancer Biology

1992 - Molecular and Cellular Toxicology founded. 

1998 - Reorganized with Molecular and Cellular Toxicology and Tropical Public Health into Cancer Cell Biology [CCB] and Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Tropical Medicine merges. 

2004 - Cancer Cell Biology closes

Timeline 

• Founded 1922 [no chair] 

• Becomes Bacteriology and Immunology 1944 

• Merges with Applied Immunology – Serums and Vaccines 1944 

• Becomes Public Health Bacteriology 1946 

• Becomes Microbiology 1950 

• Becomes Cancer Biology 1983 

• Reorganized with Molecular and Cellular Toxicology and Tropical Public Health into Cancer Cell Biology [CCB] and Immunology and Infectious Diseases [IID] 1998 

• Cancer Cell Biology closes 2004 

Chairs 

1. Hans Zinsser (1923-1941) 

2. J Howard Mueller (1941-1947) 

3. John C Snyder (1947-1964) 

4. Herbert Ley (1964-1965) 

5. John C Snyder (1965-1968) 

6. Richard H Daggy (1968-1970) (acting chair only) 

7. Roger Nichols (1970-1977) 

8. Jan Cerny (1977-1978) 

9. Myron Essex (1978-2001) 

10. Bruce Demple (2001-2004) [CCB] 

11. Tun-Hou Lee (2001) [IID, acting chair only] 

12. Myron Essex (2002-2006) [IID] 

13. Dyann Wirth (2006-2018) [IID]

14. Eric Rubin (2018-2020) [IID, acting chair only] 

15. Sarah Fortune (2020- ) [IID]

Timeline 

• Bacteriology becomes Public Health Bacteriology 1946 

• Becomes Microbiology 1950 

• Becomes Cancer Biology 1983 

• Reorganized with Molecular and Cellular Toxicology and Tropical Public Health into Cancer Cell Biology [CCB] and Immunology and Infectious Diseases [IID] 1998 

• Cancer Cell Biology closes 2004 

Chairs 

1. J Howard Mueller (1941-1947) [chair of Bacteriology at time of name change] 
2. John C Snyder (1947-1964) 
3. Herbert Ley (1964-1965) 
4. John C Snyder (1965-1968) 
5. Richard H Daggy (1968-1970) (acting chair only) 
6. Roger Nichols (1970-1977) 
7. Jan Cerny (1977-1978) 
8. Myron Essex (1978-2001) 
9. Bruce Demple (2001-2004) [CCB] 
10. Tun-Hou Lee (2001) [IID, acting chair only] 
11. Myron Essex (2002-2006) [IID] 

12. Dyann Wirth (2006-2018) [IID]

13. Eric Rubin (2018-2020) [IID, acting chair only] 

14. Sarah Fortune (2020- ) [IID]

Timeline 

• Created from merger of Cancer Biology [CB], Molecular and Cellular Toxicology, and Tropical Public Health with Cancer Cell Biology [CCB] 1998 

• Cancer Cell Biology closes 2004 

Chairs 

1. Myron Essex (1978-2001) [chair of CB time of merger] [IID] 

2. Bruce Demple (2001- 2004) [CCB] 

3. Tun-Hou Lee (2001) [IID, acting chair only] 

4. Myron Essex (2002-2006) [IID] 

5. Dyann Wirth (2006-2018) [IID]

6. Eric Rubin (2018-2020) [IID, acting chair only] 

7. Sarah Fortune (2020- ) [IID]

Timeline 

• Founded 1992 

• Reorganized with Cancer Biology [CB] and Tropical Public Health into Cancer Cell Biology [CCB] and Immunology and Infectious Diseases [IID] 1998 

• Cancer Cell Biology closes 2004 

Chairs 

1. Armen Tashjian (1992-1998) 

2. Myron Essex (1978-2001) [IID] 

3. Bruce Demple (2001-2004) [CCB] 

4. Tun-Hou Lee (2001) [IID, acting only] 

5. Myron Essex (2002-2006) [IID] 

6. Dyann Wirth (2006-2018) [IID]

7. Eric Rubin (2018-2020) [IID, acting chair only] 

8. Sarah Fortune (2020- ) [IID]

Timeline 

• Founded 1922 

• Becomes Comparative Pathology 1927 

• Merges with Tropical Medicine 1938 

• Becomes Parasitology and Tropical Medicine 1944 

• Merges with Epidemiology 1946 

Chairs 

1. Ernest Tyzzer (1922-1942) 

2. Rene J Dubos (1942-1946) 

3. John E Gordon (1946-1958) [pre-existing chair of Epidemiology at time of merger] 

1913 - Courses in Tropical Medicine. Referred to as "The Harvard School of Tropical Medicine" headed by Richard Strong

1915 - Becomes Courses in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

• Richard Strong (1913-1938)

1922 - The School of Tropical Medicine merges officially with HSPH and becomes a department (Department of Tropical Medicine)

1938 - Becomes Comparative Pathology and Tropical Medicine

• Ernest E Tyzzer (1938-1942)
• Rene J Dubos (1942-1944)

1944 - Comparative Pathology and Tropical Medicine becomes Parasitology and Tropical Medicine

• Donald L Augustine (1944 -1946)

1946 - Parasitology and Tropical Medicine merges with Epidemiology (as does Communicable Diseases)

• John Gordon (1946-

1949 - Department splits; Tropical Public Health becomes its own department

• James Simmons (1949-1955)
• Thomas Weller (1955-1981)
• John David (1981-1998)

1998 - Merges with Immunology and Infectious Diseases

• Myron Essex

Timeline

1922 - Parasitology founded

• Ernest E Tyzzer (1922-1942)

1927 - Parasitology becomes Comparative Pathology

• Ernest E Tyzzer (1922-1942)

1938 - Comparative Pathology becomes Comparative Pathology and Tropical Medicine

• Ernest E Tyzzer (1938-1942)
• Rene J Dubos (1942-1944)

1944 - Comparative Pathology and Tropical Medicine becomes Parasitology and Tropical Medicine

• Donald L Augustine (1944 -1946)

1946 - Parasitology and Tropical Medicine merges with Epidemiology (as does Communicable Diseases)

• John Gordon (1946-

1949 - Department splits; Tropical Public Health becomes its own department

• James Simmons (1949-1955)
• Thomas Weller (1955-1981)
• John David (1981-1998)

1998 - Merges with Immunology and Infectious Diseases

• Myron Essex