Dear Members of the HMS Quad Community:

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and give thanks — an occasion to look back on the past year.

We have faced many difficulties as a community in 2025. Despite these challenges, I am feeling grateful this Thanksgiving for the many Harvard Medical School faculty, students, trainees, and staff who have persevered in the face of disrupted federal funding, ongoing strife in the world, and so much uncertainty.

Indeed, individuals across our campus are choosing every day to earnestly lean into our mission of advancing scientific discovery, educating future scientists and clinicians, and serving our patients. These outstanding members of the HMS community include people like Joan Brugge, who along with other Harvard faculty was interviewed by 60 Minutes about cuts to her federally funded research. People like our 2025 Daniel D. Federman Medical Education Award recipients, as well as the eight HMS faculty who were recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine. And people like Vijay Sankaran, who was named a 2025 U.S. News Best Leader alongside 24 other exceptional individuals in public service, business, health care, and education.

I am particularly thankful for our dedicated and resourceful staff, including members of the HMS Office of Communications and External Relations (OCER). OCER was recently recognized at the fifth annual international Anthem Awards, winning a silver award in the community engagement category for their work on Research Under Threat, a collection of stories and videos aimed at advocating for federal support for science and training at HMS conducted in service to humanity.

Another group worth feting this holiday season is the amazing MEDscience team, which shepherded the unveiling of a new simulation room at the Museum of Science in Boston to help educate and inspire the next generation of health care professionals.

I am extraordinarily thankful to these individuals and teams for their perseverance and to ALL of you for your abiding commitment to scientific and biomedical progress.

As we look ahead to winter recess, in recognition of our gratitude for your unwavering efforts, Wednesday, Dec. 24 will be a full day off for HMS employees, meaning the School will be closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1. Friday, Jan. 2, will be a regular workday, though managers should be flexible in approving time off and remote work requests as appropriate.

May this Thanksgiving be a restful intermission to the hustle and bustle of the semester, and may it reignite your resolve to persevere. In the meantime, I send my heartfelt well wishes for a wonderful holiday.

Sincerely,

George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University