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. An early group connected to HPM is: 

• Public Health Administration

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

1922 - Public Health Administration becomes an official department

1927 - Hospital Administration founded. Only listed for one year

• Joseph Howland (1927-1928)

1940 - Public Health Administration becomes Public Health Practice (note: last listed in 1965 course catalog [courses may have been transferred to Health Services Administration])

1966 - Department of Health Services Administration 

1975 - Department of Health Services

1979 - Department of Health Services and Department of Health Services Administration merge to become Department of Health Policy and Management

1. William J Curran (1979-1981) 

2. C Frederick Mosteller (1981-1987) 

3. Robert J Blendon (1987-1997) 

4. Arnold Epstein (1997- 

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Timeline 

• Founded 1975 

• Merges with Behavioral Sciences and Maternal and Child Health 1975 

• Loses Behavioral Sciences 1978 

• Loses Maternal and Child Health 1979 

• Merges with Health Policy and Management and Health Services Administration to become Health Policy and Management 1979 

Chairs 

1. Robert Haggerty (1975-1978) 

2. Isabelle Valadian (1978-1979) [acting] 

3. Marc J Roberts or William J Curran (1979-1981) 

4. C Frederick Mosteller (1981-1987) 

5. Robert J Blendon (1987-1997) 

6. Arnold Epstein (1997- 

Timeline 

• Founded 1966 

• Becomes a Division 1975 

• Included in Health Policy and Management with Health Services 1979 

Chairs 

1. Alonzo Yerby (1966-1979) 

2. Marc J Roberts or William J Curran (1979-1981) 

3. C Frederick Mosteller (1981-1987) 

4. Robert J Blendon (1987-1997) 

5. Arnold Epstein (1997- 

• Founded 1923 

• Becomes Public Health Practice 1940 

• Last listed in 1965 course catalog [courses may have been transferred to Health Services Administration] 

Chairs 

1. Eugene Kelley (1923-1926) 

2. George Bigelow (1926-1929) 

3. Wilson Smillie (1929-1937) 

4. Edward Huber (1937-1945?) [no chair 1946] 

5. Hugh R Leavell (1947-1963) 

6. Robert H Hamlin (1063-1965) 

7. Richard H Daggy (1965-1966)