Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Community:
Many in our community are reeling from the video footage released Friday night showing the Memphis traffic stop that led to the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. Memphis police chief Cerelyn Davis condemned the police officers’ brutality as a “failing of basic humanity.” I couldn’t agree more.
Such dispatches from our turbulent world are difficult to process. The psyche is further burdened by demanding classes, research initiatives, grant deadlines, administrative duties, and the ravages of this winter’s COVID-flu-RSV trifecta.
One truth remains: Harvard Medical School’s ever-evolving mission to improve health and well-being for all brings us closer to a vision of society that is equitable, nurturing, and just. We lead busy lives, but our dedication to the HMS mission keeps us invigorated.
In that spirit, I am delighted to share with you the 2022 HMS Dean’s Report, which highlights some of our collective accomplishments from the past year. This report is an overview of the effort each of you makes every day to advance the School’s legacy of healing and progress. Thank you for the role you play in these endeavors.
Our work is far from the only source of joy worth cultivating. HMS Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Robert Waldinger is the fourth director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which explores human happiness and has now expanded to three generations, including more than 1,300 descendants of its original participants. Waldinger and Marc Schulz, an associate director of the study and a psychology professor at Bryn Mawr College, have written about the study’s insights in their new book, The Good Life.
I encourage you to read about their findings, which reveal that the quality of a person’s friendships and professional networks are reliable indicators of long-term physical and mental health. This simple premise — the idea that social connections are intimately tied to overall wellness — would not be surprising if it weren’t for our society’s tendency to underestimate the power of social connection.
As we churn the waters of our hyper-scheduled days and the world around us, please take stock of your relationships. Many of us were called to service because we feel a deep conviction that all people deserve the chance to seek joy and contentment over the course of a long, healthy life. May you, too, amplify your own influence by leaning in to the connections afforded by our remarkable community.
Sincerely,
George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University
Note: If you are suffering from the hardship of current events or daily life, I hope you will go to those you trust for support and solidarity. Harvard has many resources available to support mental health and wellness, including Counseling and Mental Health Services for students, the Employee Assistance Program and Work/Life Programs for employees, and the Ombuds Office for all staff, trainees, faculty, and students.