Introductory Manual 2008-2009
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Table of Contents
HCGHAC Mission Statement and Overview
3
HCGHAC History
4
Current Initiatives
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2 Summer Initiative
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Boston Living Center Initiative
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Critical Issues in Global Health Speaker Series
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Health Sciences Initiative (Pilot)
10
Licensing Initiative
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Medical Information Equity Initiative (MIE) (Formerly
known as “Textbooks”)
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Missing Medicines Initiative
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Political Advocacy
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Promoting Access to West African Healthcare - Mali
Health Organizing Project (MHOP) Initiative
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World AIDS Day
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Guide to Navigating Global Health at Harvard
Part 1: Terms and People
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Part 2: Recommended Reading List
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Books (General)
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Books and Articles (Initiative Specific)
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Web Resources
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Videos
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Part 3: Course List
Appendix: HCGHAC Constitution
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Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition
MISSION
The Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition (HCGHAC) believes that health should be
a fundamental human right. Towards this end, HCGHAC strives to challenge and expand the role
of both the university and individual students in addressing global health and development needs.
Through collaboration with various parties, HCGHAC aims to:
 Engage students in a growing movement for global health through education and awareness
activities
 Effect policy change through advocacy and activism, both on and off campus
 Address local and global health needs through direct service and fundraising
Through its initiatives, HCGHAC strives to build momentum for a social movement that seeks
social justice, especially in pursuing health as a human right. HCGHAC hopes this movement will
instill a lasting commitment to global health among members of the Harvard community, and
empower these current and future leaders to carry out this commitment in their personal and
professional lives.
OVERVIEW
Founded in 2001, the Coalition was the founding chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign,
currently an 86-chapter nationwide advocacy group that has played an essential role in AIDS
advocacy movement in the United States. Over time, HCGHAC has broadened its mission to
combat all types of global health inequity by advocating to policy makers both locally and nationally,
and raising awareness on campus about the magnitude and contours of the current health crises
faced by the world's poor. HCGHAC has also facilitated direct service opportunities for its
members in health NGOs in the greater Boston area. We have strong ties with Partners in Health,
the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (DGHSM) at Harvard Medical School, and
the Harvard Initiative for Global Health (HIGH), and we work closely with many influential global
health faculty at Harvard including Professors Paul Farmer, Jim Kim, Bruce Walker, and Dyann
Wirth. We were recently offered an institutional home and office space in the DGHSM’s offices in
the Prudential building in Boston!
STRUCTURE
HCGHAC maintains a social justice ethos where every member is encouraged to pursue new ideas
and take ownership over programs. To encourage constructive dialog and allow new members to
step into leadership positions immediately, we keep a horizontal structure, with no official positions
except in the “Bureaucracy” which exists only to perform administrative duties and ensure year-toyear continuity and coordination. Thus, the core of the organization is its initiatives, which evolve
from year to year, and can be started by any member at any time. Initiatives range from
awareness/fundraising events like “Step it Up,” which attracted over 1000 students and raised over
$6000 for PIH, to advocacy initiatives like Missing Medicines, which pressures Harvard to increase its
commitment to global health, to direct service initiatives like the Boston Living Center Initiative. To
foster idea production and dedication to global health causes, we put great importance in giving new
members the chance to steer existing initiatives or create new ones that fit within our mission.
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Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition History
2001
The Harvard AIDS Coalition (HAC) is founded by a group of committed activists who see a gap
in the global HIV/AIDS advocacy movement in presenting a role for students. Within two years,
the organization evolves into the nationwide Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC), now
composed of over 85 university chapters around the country.
AIDS Awareness efforts are launched and the World AIDS Day Initiative begins to take place
each year on December 1st, with the goal of raising awareness on the Harvard campus and in the
greater Cambridge community.
The Political Advocacy Initiative is founded with an early focus on increasing global AIDS
funding. [To put this into context, global funding for HIV/AIDS was less than 1/6 of current levels
(as of 2008), and grassroots advocacy campaigns through organizations like HAC and SGAC played
a key role in moving this movement forward.]
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of a student and researcher campaign, Yale University renegotiates
its license for the live-saving HIV antiretroviral drug d4t with GlaxoSmithKline. The result of the
new licensing agreement, which allows for generic production in developing countries, is that d4t
drops in price by ~95% and becomes much more available in the developing world. This campaign
is spearheaded by Amy Kapsynski and Yochai Benkler, and lays the groundwork for the
organization Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, which is founded two years later.
2002
Political Advocacy efforts take up access to generic HIV drugs as a key platform, meeting with
policymakers and advocating at political events to increase recognition and commitments to the
potential of increasing access to HIV treatment in the developing world. Bird-dogging emerges a
key advocacy method.
HAC begins a long history of call-ins for various health topics including global AIDS funding,
generic production, and evidence based prevention policies.
Second Harvard World AIDS Day Effort.
2003
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) is founded in the wake of the success at
Yale with d4t. Within five years, UAEM expands to have chapters at more than 40 universities
across the US, Canada, and UK. UAEM coordinates students at research universities to push for
novel licensing solutions that will increase access to live-saving medicines in the developing world.
The Equitable Access License (EAL) is the first proposal supported by UAEM calling for the
segmentation of the market to bolster developing world generic production of medicines.
Political Advocacy targets HIV prevention research, especially encouraging increased funding for
evidence based prevention studies instead of speculative or value-loaded prevention ideology.
Third Harvard World AIDS Day Effort.
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2004
.
HAC is a significant presence at the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, advocating for
generic production of antiretroviral drugs.
2004 StopAIDS Political Advocacy campaign calls for increased commitment and funding, not
only for HIV/AIDS, but also for global TB and Malaria in upcoming presidential candidates. Signals
move toward broader global health advocacy.
UAEM chapter founded at Harvard and the Licensing Initiative is born. Early steps include
meeting with the Technology Transfer Office and identifying faculty champions across the
university.
Cambridge Cares about AIDS Initiative founded to increase opportunities for Harvard students
interested in direct service at AIDS service organizations.
Harvard hosts the North East region SGAC conference.
Fourth Annual Harvard World AIDS Day featuring an Art Exhibit in Mt. Auburn Gallery about
impressions of HIV/AIDS in society, and a movie series of films on AIDS, including Philadelphia.
2005
Professor Paul Farmer becomes a “member” of HAC, and attends three meetings in 2005,
speaking about HIV/AIDS in Haiti and the global health movement.
Professor Arachu Castro gives HAC presentation on her work on HIV in Cuba, and on her work
with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The Assistant Director of Cuban AIDS Program gives presentation at HAC on Cuban models of
HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
Textbooks Initiative is founded when Dr. Paul Farmer brings HAC-ers Matt Basilico ’08 and Luke
Messac ’08 to rural health clinics in Rwanda, where they witness a lack of up-to-date medical
information.
HAC organizes the Unite Against AIDS Conference on HIV/AIDS in Africa and the African
Diaspora, in collaboration with the Black Men’s Forum and Black Student Association SA. The
conference attracts over 500 students.
Political Advocacy Campaign sets up meetings with senior health advisors for Massachusetts
senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy about the upcoming reauthorization of Global Fund.
Infant Formula Initiative is started to conduct a market analysis of the potential for infant formula
as a scaleable prevention technique, in collaboration with the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS
Initiative (CHAI).
Fifth Annual World AIDS Day featuring Dr. Don Francis, one of the leading scientists who
spearheaded the movement that discovered HIV as the infectious agent that causes AIDS. Also
features movie screening of “And the Band Played On”, a documentary about the HIV discovery
movement focusing on Dr. Fancis’ work. HAC builds three-story ribbon for first time.
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2006
Pharmacy Access Political Advocacy Campaign launched to pressure Massachusetts state
government to pass legislation that will allow pharmacies to sell needles and syringes without
prescription (MA was one of three states without this legislation). Initiative identifies eight target
state senators for call-ins, information distribution, and sets up meetings with four senators.
Legislation passed in June 2006.
Students Promoting Equity through Aid and Research (SPEAR) started in spring with three
parts: 1) Licensing, to build on efforts of Harvard UAEM chapter; 2) Neglected Diseases, to
increase research for diseases neglected by global research community; 3) Aid, to examine whether
Harvard could cut overhead costs from $100 million PEPFAR grant given to Harvard. HAC
members participate in an independent study to pursue this research, and later expand their work
into the Neglected Disease Research Initiative and the Aid Initiative.
Group of HAC-ers join Novartis Protest at office in Cambridge, pressuring for generic production
to increase access to Novartis intellectual property.
Grassroots Soccer Initiative is launched to create Harvard chapter that brings students to high
schools to promote AIDS awareness and raise money for Grassroots’ campaigns in Africa.
“Voices from the Local Community” speaker event featuring HIV-positive man from Boston.
Attracts ~80 students.
HAC sponsors FaceAIDS Film Event, which features several leading AIDS films and
documentaries. Paves the way for donation of largest HIV film archive of over 500 hours of footage
to Harvard.
Professor Lincoln Chen (WHO Special Envoy for Human Resources and Health) speaks on global
health challenges. Attracts ~50 students.
Sixth World AIDS Day campaign with a speaking event featuring Dr. Paul Farmer and Dr. Bruce
Walker. Attracts over 300 students. Second three-story AIDS ribbon.
2007
HAC changes its name to Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition (HCGHAC) to
reflect the larger global health scope of its efforts.
Boston Living Center Initiative founded to foster express service relationship between HCGHAC
volunteers and meal serving program.
Over 30 Harvard students attend Abbot Labs Protest HQ in Worcester, MA to oppose Abbot’s
withdrawal of medicines off the market in Thailand in response to the government’s compulsory
license for Kaletra, an antiretroviral HIV medicine.
HCGHAC organizes “Missing Medicines 1: Making University Drugs Accessible to the Global
Poor” featuring Dr. Jim Kim, who speaks on the potential for Harvard to increase access to lifesaving medicines through licensing solutions. Attracts over 200 students. Event linked with UAEM
National Day of Action.
HAC organizes “Step it Up” in collaboration with BMF and the South Asian Men’s Collective
(SAMC). The awareness/fundraising effort includes: Speaking event with Dr. Paul Farmer and Ira
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Magaziner (Chair of Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative), which attracts over 600 students;
Dance in Annenberg that attracts over 1000 students and raises over $6000 for Partners in Health
and the Treatment Action Campaign.
Harvard hosts annual UAEM Conference, which attracts over 200 students from across the US
and Canada.
2 Summer Initiative is launched with aim of providing undergraduates with a meaningful way to
engage in global health work overseas. Links with PIH and CHAI are created and pursued.
Seventh Annual World AIDS Day runs speaker event featuring Stefan Hildebrand, leading HIV
photographer and documentary film maker. Attracts over 60 students. Third annual three-story
AIDS ribbon.
Speaking event featuring Dr. Kiran Martin (founder of Asha health NGO in slums in Dehli, India)
at HCGHAC meeting. Attracts ~40 students.
2008
Members help in UAEM Harvard Researcher Project to determine knowledge base and interest
level of Harvard researchers in access-minded licensing for medically-relevant technologies.
HCGHAC writes its Constitution.
HCGHAC organizes “Missing Medicines 2: Harvard’s Response to the Challenge of Global
Neglected Disease” featuring Provost Steve Hyman, Professors Jon Clardy, Lisa Hirschorn, Jose
Trevejo, Bruce Walker, Rebecca Weintaub, and Dyann Wirth, to explore opportunities for change in
Harvard policies and institutions in basic science, translation, and delivery of medicines and
technologies for neglected tropical diseases. Attracts ~300 students. Neglected Disease initiative
becomes Missing Medicines Initiative to focus on “neglected areas of research” more broadly.
The “Petition to Action in Global Health at Harvard” is launched, calling for a stronger, more
collaborative Harvard Initiative for Global Health, and increased funding for research on neglected
tropical diseases and health delivery. Over 2000 undergraduate signatures are collected, as well
endorsement from certain faculty.
Dr. Kiran Martin speaks at another HCGHAC meeting, attracting ~30 students.
The Textbooks Initiative is renamed “Medical Information Equity Initiative” to reflect the
broader scope of the initiative’s focus and its interest in looking at increasing access to Harvard
publication and online health information.
Health Sciences Initiative is started to expand HCGHAC’s repertoire to include more basic
science perspectives on these complex, cross-disciplinary problems.
MHOP Initiative is started, building a link between HCGHAC and the Mali Health Organizing
Project.
2-Summer Initiative is institutionalized at the DGHSM/FXB Center, to be driven by former
HCGHAC-ers Arjun Suri and Nathan Sharp as university employees.
HCGHAC/HIGH/DGHSM Critical Issues in Global Health Speaker Series is coordinated
through HCGHAC to supplement Anthropology 1825, taught by Professors Paul Farmer, Jim Kim,
and Arthur Kleinman.
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Current Initiatives
“2-Summer” Initiative
Though many former HCGHAC members have been lucky enough to spend summers
abroad working for organizations like Partners in Health and the Clinton Foundation, on exciting
projects in Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, Mali, Haiti, and Thailand, these positions are not easy to
find without personal connections. Additionally, it can be hard to show these organizations that
undergraduates do have tremendous capabilities, because often the skills needed are very specialized
and can only be gained through intensive training or extended time on the ground. A traditional
summer-long internship often only gives students time to get their feet wet and as soon as they
begin to feel comfortable and familiar in their surroundings, it’s time to head back to school. There
are two main desires founded the idea of a “2-Summer” program – first was the aim to open
positions like these to everyone interested (selecting based on abilities and interest, rather than those
personal connections), and the second was to make a college student truly valuable to the NGO by
either training them extensively or allowing for much more than 2 months on-site. The original idea
of “2-Summer” was to train students here in Cambridge for one summer in particular skills, such as
language, cultural sensitivity, organization of health systems, and applicable social theory. Then,
during the second summer, students would spend the whole three months overseas assisting at a
clinic or related project. Another possible approach to the same issue is to allow students to spend
an entire semester plus one summer abroad – up to seven months of experience and engagement –
while providing them with the same credit they would receive from a study-abroad program.
As with many other HCGHAC initiatives, this original idea garnered huge support from the
University – in this case, the support led to hiring two new full-time interns, Arjun Suri and Nathan
Sharp (both former HCGHAC members!). Arjun and Nathan’s main responsibility is to get this
program up and running. However, they will need plenty of student input, both informally through
emails and conversations and formally, such as in a focus group. They might also need assistance
working on the project itself – researching, setting up meetings, designing and reviewing the
application process, and a whole wealth of other tasks. Like all HCGHAC initiatives, all members
are welcome to contribute as much as they want to! Look out for Arjun and Nathan at HCGHAC
meetings to talk about the future of this exciting process, and the help they will need from us as
undergraduates. To get involved, contact Margie Thorp (mthorp@fas.harvard.edu, 303-718-4117).
Boston Living Center Initiative
The Boston Living Center (BLC) is a holistic care center for people with HIV/AIDS in
Boston. It began informally in 1989 as small-scale get-togethers in the homes of people with
HIV/AIDS in the Boston area. Today, it has grown into an organization serving over 2,400 people
with HIV/AIDS, 75% of whom are low income. It offers a range of services from art classes,
support groups, computer classes, a pharmacy, yoga, massages, hair cuts, and meals for its members,
all of which are free.
HCGHAC began working more closely with the BLC in the fall of 2006. We first
collaborated with the BLC to advertise a World AIDS Day film screening fundraiser that they put
on at the Brattle Street Theater. Our relationship continued in the spring of 2007 when we
fundraised $500 for the BLC through private donations paired with a highly successful door-to-door
cookie sale. The $500 was matched by a larger donor to the BLC, so the center ultimately received
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$1000 as a result of our efforts. This fundraiser was a great opportunity for members to do hands
on work and reach out to the campus. We put together bags, each containing a few cookies, and
then knocked on the doors of rooms in freshman dorms. Many people gave us donations for
cookies, and some even wanted to learn more about the BLC and HIV/AIDS in Boston.
By the end of the 2006-2007 school year, several members were interested in becoming
more involved with the BLC. Members started volunteering there to serve meals, and one even
started going to the BLC weekly to give members massages. In the fall of 2007, several members
also volunteered at the BLC’s big Thanksgiving celebration dinner at the Hynes Convention Center,
which was amazing to be a part of. After this event, the BLC contacted HAC again about helping
with a personal care items fundraiser for BLC members. This fundraiser was needed, as BLC had an
increasing number of members at the poverty line, who could not afford such items themselves.
Our contribution of tooth paste, soap, and other items was the largest one that the BLC received.
Indeed, the BLC has come to see HCGHAC as a reliable partner in its fundraising and volunteer
activities.
During the 2008-2009 school year, there are even more opportunities to become involved
with the BLC. In past years, the BLC has mainly served lunch to its members, such that volunteers
were primarily needed from 10am-2:30pm. However, starting this year, the BLC will also be
offering dinners on Wednesday and Thursday nights, allowing for even more times during which
students can volunteer. Students have consistently found the BLC as a warm and welcoming place
with a compelling mission in Boston. Thus, serving the BLC has been a rewarding experience for
many HAC members over the years. For more information or to get involved, please visit the
BLC’s website at www.bostonlivingcenter.org and/or contact Jean Junior (jjunior@fas.harvard.edu,
586-202-8061).
Critical Issues in Global Health Speaker Series
Co-sponsored by HMS Department of Social Medicine, HIGH, and HCGHAC
Thanks to our friends at the Harvard Initiative for Global Health, there is a $20,000 budget
for what we have dubbed the “Critical Issues in Global Health” Speaker Series, designed to
supplement Anthropology 1825. The initiative is technically co-sponsored by the Department of
Global Health and Social Medicine, HIGH, and HCGHAC, which gives us the best of many worlds:
credibility, money and manpower! The credibility of our invitations is largely due to Jim Kim’s
willingness to send the invitations to whichever leaders in the field we would like to invite. The
huge budget means that we can really dream big! Names thrown around so far include Bill
Rodriguez, Chris Murray, Dean Jamison, Sudhir Anand, Amartya Sen, Paul Davis, Asia Russell…
and the list goes on and on. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize these names yet – you will soon!
And if you can think of someone whom you would love to hear, don’t hesitate to contact Matt
(matthew.basilico@gmail.com) to make a suggestion.
One of the most exciting things about the speaker series is not just that everyone at Harvard
will have the opportunity to hear directly from these phenomenal personalities, but HCGHACers
can have direct, one-on-one access to them as well. We hope to plan smaller events such as dinners
around every speaker series, allowing many of us up-close and personal interaction. Additionally, we
expect to ask one or two students to be point people to organize each speaker’s visit. This could
include as much as plane and hotel reservations, airport transportation, meals, and activities for outof-town guests. Though that may sound like a hefty load, it also is an unbeatable opportunity to get
to know and engage with people who are otherwise usually unavailable. To get involved, contact
Heidi Kim (heidikim@fas.harvard.edu, 714-345-6274).
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Health Sciences Initiative (Pilot)
HCGHAC is committed to a multi-disciplinary approach to combating the challenges of
global health inequity. We believe that our group capacity depends on broadening the member base
to include more students engaged in the natural sciences. The health sciences initiative aims to
deepen Harvard students’ understanding of global health issues from a natural or basic science lens.
The pilot program will consist of a series of teach-ins on topics in science, including (but not limited
to) disease pathology, drug and technology development, field interventions, and epidemiology, etc.
In the future, we may look to author a biannual publication summarizing key global health
developments in the basic science realm. This is a brand new initiative, and (as is true for all
initiatives) we are looking for new members to play a leadership role as it evolves. To get involved,
contact Jillian Irwin (jirwin@fas.harvard.edu, 412-401-8118).
Licensing Initiative
Intellectual property (IP) is held in the form of patents, which can be licensed through legal
contract to parties (for example, pharmaceutical companies) wishing to further innovate upon or
develop the existing intellectual property. Universities currently hold patents on many key
HIV/AIDS drugs on the market – Emtricitabine (Emory), 3TC (Emory), Stavudine (Yale), Abacavir
(Minnesota), T-20 (Duke). The Senate Joint Economic Committee found that 15 of the 21 drugs
with the most therapeutic value were derived from federally funded research projects at academic
centers. Further, every major access to medicines battle in recent news – Zemplar in Thailand,
Gleevec in India, HPV vaccine in US – has a connection to an American university.
Most university research is federally funded; it is conducted using grants comprised of
taxpayers’ money. The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 (University and Small Business Patent Procedures
Act) allowed universities to own, license and market the fruits of their research, which previously
were released into the public domain without IP restrictions. While the goal of the legislation was to
incentivize the development of federally funded basic science research—which may otherwise have
lain untouched on laboratory shelves—into usable products that would benefit society, the
subsequent growth in university patenting and licensing activity has significantly hampered public
access to urgently needed health care tools. This is most often because an exclusive license has
granted a drug company a monopoly on a particular pharmaceutical product. In the absence of
market competition, drug prices for essential medicines, such as antiretrovirals, remain prohibitively
high. (For example, BristolMeyerSquibb profited enormously in the late 1990s from an exclusive
license on stavudine negotiated with Yale University, in whose labs the drug was first discovered.
Political pressure at Yale forced the university to renegotiate this license in 2001, which caused the
price of stavudine in South Africa to fall from US$1600 to US$55—a thirty-fold drop—per patient
per year. A victory for the access to medicines movement, stavudine nonetheless remains a notable
exception.)
The HCGHAC licensing initiative advocates for changes to the university technology
transfer infrastructure which would ensure that cost is not a barrier to the fruits of university
research. The initiative seeks (1) increased transparency in a largely opaque university licensing
process; (2) an explicit commitment to humanitarian, or access-minded, licensing on the part of the
Harvard Office of Technology Development (a central administrative body which handles
commercialization of research in university labs; see http://www.techtransfer.harvard.edu/); and (3)
an institutionalized mechanism for ensuring that each of the former objectives is consistently carried
out in each license the university negotiates. The licensing initiative thus works to collaborate with
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university stakeholders, garner awareness among the university community, and generate political
pressure upon university administrators to effect policy change at Harvard. These efforts have
ranged from large-scale on-campus speaker events to protests at pharmaceutical company labs to
editorials in local publications to focused meetings with university scientists, policymakers, and
administrators; they also include cooperation with groups at other notable research universities. A
body which facilitates this cooperation is the national organization Universities Allied for Essential
Medicines (see www.essentialmedicine.org), of which HCGHAC is a chapter. To get involved,
contact Neha Gupta (gupta@fas.harvard.edu, 516-423-9288).
Medical Information Equity Initiative (MIE) (Formerly known as “Textbooks”)
While many of us are aware of the incredible transnational disparities concerning access to
health care, the often publicized response to this is increased funding for preventative and curative
services. One measure of the progress of many global health initiatives (PEPFAR, Global Fund) is
to monitor the number of people who are able to access treatment. One obvious concern is the
price and accessibility of medicines, which rightfully deserves much time and attention. However,
while providing high quality care certainly necessitates access to medicines, an also integral aspect to
health care is accessibility to information. Sadly, the demand for equitable access to information has
yet to become a popularized response to health care deficiencies around the world.
Apart from inadequate supplies of medical equipment, doctors in developing countries face
tremendous barriers to learning about the best quality medical practices. With copyrighted journal
articles, expensive textbooks, increased shipping costs, and inadequate infrastructure for universal
access to the internet, the ever expanding process of globalization has yet to ensure access to the
fruits of academic research. At the close of the 20th century, over half of the research and highereducation institutions in the lowest-income countries simply had no current subscriptions to
international journals.1 Poor countries shoulder a disproportionately larger amount of the disease
burden (90%) and most pressingly need to utilize this information. Sadly, they are least able to do
so.
Given the vast amount of resources at Harvard and the drought of resources in many clinics
within developing countries, we are well positioned to effect change on an educational level, which
will hopefully translate into improved health outcomes. Our goal is to encourage and foster
collaboration among 3 organizations to ship medical reference textbooks to resource-poor clinics:
The Sabre Foundation, Partners in Health, and Harvard University.
The Sabre Foundation is an NGO based in Cambridge that is committed to education in the
developing world. The Sabre foundation is well connected with publishing companies, and is able to
procure brand new medical textbooks in English, French, and Spanish for free. The Sabre
Foundation requires that a 501 3 c NGO distribute these books in developing countries. The only
catch is that the Sabre Foundation does not have funds for shipping. We must raise approximately
$25,000 for each shipment of a 40 ft by 20 ft container (this cost not only includes shipping, but
overhead and storage costs incurred by the Sabre Foundation). Partners in Health (PIH) is a social
justice based NGO that operates clinics in multiple countries, including Rwanda, Haiti, Russia, Peru,
United States, Lesotho, and Malawi. Co-founded by Paul Farmer and Jim Kim, PIH aims to work
toward the realization of health as a human right, a public good that should not be denied to those
who cannot afford it. They have clearly shaped our outlook on access to healthcare, and given our
B. Aronson, “Improving Online Access to Medical Information for Low-income Countries,” New England Journal
of Medicine 350 (2004): pp. 966–968.
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close personal connections with PIH, it is a well-positioned organization to assist with distributing
medical reference books based on need in their various sites. We are hoping to connect PIH with
the Sabre Foundation to eventually distribute these textbooks.
Given Harvard’s vast accumulation of wealth, with assets valued upwards of $39 billion,
Harvard is very well placed, at least financially, to assist with shipment costs for distributing these
textbooks. Given Harvard’s status as a leader in education, as well as its relatively close affiliations
with PIH, “Harvard” is at least the first place we will turn to for financial assistance. Further, one
end that we should keep in mind is sustainability. The hope is that HCGHAC can be the glue that
ties all three of these organizations together to foster collaboration that hopefully yields improved
health outcomes. To get involved, contact Krishna Prabhu (kprabhu@fas.harvard.edu, 515-4503253).
Missing Medicines Initiative
The “Missing Medicines” initiative seeks to pressure Harvard to play a bigger role in global
health by expanding research on the most urgent or neglected health topics and by increasing
funding and commitment to interdisciplinary and cross-university global health collaboration. This
initiative focuses on two neglected areas of research: “neglected diseases” and health delivery.
Because we live in a world where R&D is demand-based instead of needs-based, the destitute sick
who lack “purchasing power” don’t get the drugs they need. The World Health Organization
estimates that only 10% of health related research today goes to 90% of the disease burden. Instead
of using R&D dollars to target diseases that cause millions of deaths around the world, the global
research community focuses on products like Rogaine and Viagra because they represent a sizeable
“first world” market. So-called “neglected diseases” are those which slip between these cracks in the
world market, yet cause over 2 million deaths each year, including shistosomiasis, chagas disease,
human African trypanosomiasis, hookworm, buruli ulcer, leprosy, and even headline killers like
malaria and TB. In addition to the neglected disease issue, global health experts around the world are
increasingly recognizing the need to study the delivery or implementation of health services as a
science. Even when a life-saving medicine exists and is available in country, there are still enormous
challenges before sick patients in developing countries are able to receive the treatment and care
they need, especially in rural areas. For example, many medications must be refrigerated, which
poses a major challenge to countries that lack modern health infrastructure, as refrigerators and even
electricity can be in short supply.
Because of their cutting-edge science facilities, universities like Harvard conduct the basic
research for close to 50% of the 100 most important medicines and health technologies available
today. Furthermore, since global health challenges involve diverse research areas ranging from
molecular biology to economics to anthropology, universities are perhaps the only institutions which
simultaneously harbor research capacity in all relevant fields. Harvard is therefore ideally positioned
to better leverage its research capacity and international influence to fill the research gap toward
neglected diseases and delivery science and in doing so drastically improve health outcomes in the
developing world.
Although President Faust told us she wanted global health to be a “flagship program of
Harvard,” recent strategic planning efforts to provide increased funding to the Harvard Initiative for
Global Health (HIGH) failed, offering only $5 million, less than half of what they asked for, and a
drop in the bucket compared to the need for support in this area. Harvard is lagging behind other
universities such as Duke and Emory have each recently decapitalized over $50 million from their
endowments for similar global health centers. As the home to many of the world’s most cutting12
edge research facilities and internationally respected health leaders such as Paul Farmer, Sue Goldie,
Jim Kim, Bruce Walker, and Dyann Wirth, an equal or greater commitment from Harvard is long
overdue.
To advocate change, the Missing Medicines initiative organized a 300 person conference last
April on Havard’s potential role product development pipeline for neglected diseases. Speakers
included Provost Steve Hyman, Professors Jon Clardy, Lisa Hirschorn, Jose Trevejo, Bruce Walker,
Rebecca Weintraub, and Dyann Wirth. Building on the momentum of this conference, we launched
a petition and have gathered ~2000 signatures, representing almost a third of the undergraduate
population, that urges Harvard to overturn recent decisions, supporting the HIGH proposals in full,
and taking immediate steps to create a robust university-wide Institute for Global Health. Having
interviewed over 20 faculty members and researchers, we were granted representation on the HIGH
Strategic Planning Committee and have earned a voice in the planning process. Next steps include
scaling-up the petition collection strategy to attract signatories from the Medical School, Business
School, School of Public Health, Law School, Kennedy School and others, and strategizing about a
demonstration for the petition drop-off, which we expect will attract significant press in the Boston
area. We are also in the process of a second round of faculty interviews regarding the most recent
Harvard Initiative for Global Health Planning results, and planning a corresponding large-scale
conference “Missing Medicines 3” for later in the year. This is a long term initiative that has much to
accomplish and along these lines, we can use all the help we can get! For more information or if
you’d like to get involved, contact Jon Weigel (jweigel@fas.harvard.edu, 978-985-4053).
Political Advocacy
Earlier this year, Congress passed a landmark bill regarding AIDS in particular and global
health in general, called PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). The original
version of this bill was put into affect in 2003, and it allocated $15 billion over five years for USfunded programs around the world to combat AIDS; the new incarnation was over three times that,
specifying almost $50 billion over the next five years. This momentous occasion obviously took the
support of many senators and representatives, and the president himself, but it really started
somewhere else – in the minds of activists, people without elected offices but with a belief in the
United State’s ability to fight global health inequity. The process in between – bringing the ideas
from the imaginations of activists to the bill on the senate floor – was a tough but surprisingly
simple process. It involved tirelessly pursuing senators and representatives to make sure they were
on board – this meant phone calls, emails, random favors from the nephews of second cousins of
neighbors, protests, rallies, sit-ins, and bird-dogging (essentially hassling policy-makers at their
respective public events, especially during the primary races between April 2007 and June 2008).
Though PEPFAR is now passed, there is still much work to do. Several issues with the bill
specifically stand out; first, the language of the bill calls for over $60 billion-worth of programming,
and in doing so, blatantly under-funds several programs. Second, the bill restricts programs that
want to go beyond abstinence-only education, though there is plenty of solid data supporting
programs that aim to educate using alternative methods. Additionally, PEPFAR cannot be the endall, be-all of US global health funding; never before has a US president made combating AIDS a top
priority, but with the crisis growing and a solution available in the form of widespread ARV access,
the time is now. Luckily, the election this fall presents a terrific opportunity to us as students and
activists around the country – we can use our unique access to the candidates to get them to make
big commitments. Candidates are much more vulnerable and accessible now than they will be once
13
they are in office, where they will be very difficult to contact. All this means that we have to act
soon.
This fall, we expect to participate in several advocacy events, including traveling to New
Hampshire (a swing state) to bird-dog and protest at presidential and senatorial race events. Birddogging can be an exciting and very effective way to accomplish our goals, and truly anyone can do
it – we’ll teach you all you need to know! These events also need students to help coordinate and
plan to maximize our impact. After the election cycle is over, we’re considering attending a massive
march in Washington, D.C., to help ACT UP Philly (an awesome AIDS activist group) rally support
and gain attention to the potential of the next president.
Poli Advo doesn’t end after inauguration, though – email and phone call campaigns help
inform the senators that these issues are hugely important and incredibly urgent. Manpower alone
makes these campaigns successful, but again, good coordination and planning will maximize the
effect. If you’re interested, please contact Molly Siegel (msiegel@fas.harvard.edu ) or Margie Thorp
(mthorp@fas.harvard.edu ) for more info!
Promoting Access to West African Healthcare - Mali Health Organizing Project (MHOP)
Initiative
In Africa’s fastest growing city (UN-IRIN) of Bamako, Mali, one in four children dies before
the age of five due to poverty and lack of health care infrastructure (Demographic and Health
Surveys). Residents of Sikoroni, one of Bamako’s poorest slums, have identified the construction of
a new clinic as a critical component to increasing access to primary health care services. Slum
residents have few rights. Most are squatters who receive little help from their governments.
Communities refuse to pay taxes until the government provides services, and the government
refuses to provide services until the communities pay taxes. This deadlock continues indefinitely,
leading to terrible infrastructure, crippling poverty, and poor health. People die of preventable
diseases because of crowding and a lack of sanitation and health care.
Mali Health Organizing Project (MHOP) acts as a catalyst to bring slum residents and their
governments together. The Mali Health Organizing Project (MHOP), in partnership with the
community of Sikoroni and the Malian government, has committed to construct a 10-room health
clinic to provide essential preventative and primary care for 30,000 slum residents in Mali, West
Africa by 2009. The clinic will open in May 2009 and will require equipment ranging from
mosquito nets to autoclaves. This is an opportunity for students working in the US to recruit
medical supplies from donors like the Seeding Labs and Medisend International. For more
information visit http://www.malihealth.org/.
MHOP is a pilot initiative of HCGHAC that seeks to increase access to primary health care
by assisting in medical equipment recruitment for MHOP to serve 30,000 underserved slum
residents. Recruiting medical supplies is critical to the success of the clinic and is a rare opportunity
to immediately begin working for a small organization based on the Partners in Health model.
Student support could expand to fundraising for MHOP or creating a speaker series focusing on
issues of slum deadlock in sub-Saharan Africa. For students interested in becoming more involved
and working with a community health action group over the summer, there are opportunities for
four interns to travel to Mali to work as a Health Programs Coordinator or a Microfinance
Coordinator. Other action steps include collaborating with the student group Seeding Labs, and
creating a mechanism to identify unused medical equipment and send it to Mali. To get involved,
contact Katie Walter (walter@fas.harvard.edu, 914-329-0826).
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World AIDS Day
Every December, we partake in the global effort to raise awareness and remember those
who live with and have died from HIV/AIDS. We extend December 1, the globally recognized day
of remembrance, into a weeklong campaign aimed at fostering a community of activists on campus.
Historically, we have had prominent speakers (including Paul Farmer, Bruce Walker, Stefan
Hildebrand, and Phyllis Kanki), movie screenings and a film festival, a candlelight vigil, a three story
AIDS ribbon, art shows featuring HIV positive artists, and other activities recognizing the gravity of
the epidemic, the progress made towards eradication, and necessary steps for the future. We have
also focused on campus awareness, distributing condoms, highlighting the number of people who
die each day from HIV/AIDS, and informing other students about concrete steps they can take
towards eradicating the disease. This year, we have tentative plans to invite Stephen Lewis (former
UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa) and Ophelia Dahl (Director of PIH) to speak, but we
will welcome new membership and are looking for new and creative ideas to make this event as
broad and effective as possible. To get involved, contact Sarah Ruberman
(ruberman@fas.harvard.edu, 617-512-7816).
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Guide to Navigating Global Health at Harvard
Part 1: Terms and People
NAVIGATING HARVARD
FAS: Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Where Harvard College and GSAS (Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences) are located.
HMS: Harvard Medical School.
HBS: Harvard Business School.
HLS: Harvard Law School.
HSPH: Harvard School of Public Health.
KSG: Kennedy School of Government.
TERMS AND ACRONYMS
3x5: The goal of the WHO was to treat 3 million people by 2005. Though they fell short of their
goal, it was the largest jump in the number of people treated at the time.
Abbott: Pharmaceutical company, owner of the rights of the antiretroviral Kaletra.
ABC: Campaign for prevention of HIV/AIDS implemented in a variety of disease-burdened
societies. Stands for Abstain, Be faithful, Condoms.
ACT, Artemisinin: This is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant forms of malaria. ACT stands
for artemisinin-based combination therapy.
ACT UP: AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. Original AIDS activists that started the movement
for HIV/AIDS awareness and action in San Francisco. Larry Kramer played a large part in this
movement.
ARV: Antiretroviral drug.
ART: Antiretroviral Therapy, the general term for HIV/AIDS treatment.
Birddogging: When hunters go out hunting for quail, especially in overpopulated areas, they
typically bring a “birddog” with them, which points the hunter to the game and fetches it once it
has been killed. Similarly, birddogging is a political activity in which we engage. It involves going to
political candidates’ events and asking them questions to point them towards adopting global health
platforms.
BLC: The Boston Living Center is a non-profit community and resource center whose mission is to
foster the wellness of all HIV positive people and respond to the changing needs of the HIV/AIDS
community. The BLC provides education, treatment information, and support services to its
members free-of-charge.
CDC: Center for Disease Control.
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CHAI: The Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative was established in 2002 to close the gap in access to ART
by negotiating lower prices and by working with governments to improve the national health care
systems required to deliver crucial medicines.
CHW: Community Health Worker. These health workers typically work within villages and
resource poor areas of urban environments and serve to make sure that patients are adhering to
prescribed drug regimens and are seeing doctors when needed. Many organizations and public
entities have adopted varying models of community health work.
D4T: An antiretroviral drug that was originally developed by researchers at Yale, it was licensed to
GlaxoSmithKlein and was largely unaffordable to those most affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan
Africa. This drug was the target of a student-led campaign at Yale to allow for generic production in
developing countries.
DOT: Directly Observed Therapy. In resource-poor settings, drug adherence is often a challenge.
Sporadic drug use can lead to drug resistant forms of disease, which are particularly costly to treat.
Directly observed therapy for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis typically involve community health
workers who monitor drug adherence and make sure that patients are taking their drugs on time and
seeing professional health workers regularly.
EAC: The Environmental Action Committee, a student group here at Harvard that tried to target
Harvard University to reduce its share of greenhouse gasses and be climate neutral. They petitioned
President Faust to enact policies at Harvard, which is particularly relevant for our own model. Over
the summer Faust set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below the levels of 2006 by
2016. As of now, EAC will be serving as a watchdog organization to make sure these pledges are
fulfilled.
FXB: François Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights (at HSPH). Directed by Jim
Kim.
Gates Foundation: A foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates, this is the largest private
philanthropic organization that funds a variety of global health research initiatives.
GHD: Global Health Delivery. Project chaired by Professors Jim Kim (HMS/HSPH), Paul Farmer
(HMS/HSPH), and Michael Porter (HBS), focusing on implementation of global health solutions.
GID: Global Infectious Diseases, a working group that is part of the Harvard Initiative for Global
Health. The leaders of this group are Bruce Walker (HIV/AIDS researcher at HMS) and Dyann
Wirth (Malaria researcher at HSPH).
Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: A branch of the United Nations to
address HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis in developing countries. Operates on a budget of
approximately $11.6 billion USD and operates in 136 countries.
HAART: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV. This is a course of drug treatment that
attempts to overcome drug resistance of HIV. It typically involves a cocktail of three drugs from
different classes to reduce the viral load in patients.
17
HealthGAP: A grassroots political advocacy organization that aims to 1) propose legislation to
address health disparities by persuading key political leaders to support their proposals and 2) effect
change to already existing health policies in order to realize health as a human right.
HIGH: Harvard Initiative for Global Health is the body we are trying to scale-up with our Missing
Medicines project. It currently focuses on global health education by hosting speaker events and
assisting students in securing internships, fellowships, and grants.
HUGH Forum: Harvard University Global Health Forum is a Harvard group formed last year with
interests eerily similar to HACs. According to its administrators, HUGH differs from HAC in that
its main focus is on awareness, whereas HAC’s is on action.
ID: Infectious Disease.
IMF: International Monetary Fund.
Merck: A pharmaceutical company.
MGH: Massachusetts General Hospital.
MSF: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières is an international medical humanitarian
organization working in nearly 60 countries to bring medical care to people threatened by violence,
neglect, or catastrophe. In 1999, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize.
ND: Neglected Diseases.
NGO: Non-Governmental Organization.
NIH: National Institute of Health, it’s part of the US Department of Health and Human Services,
and is the primary arm through which the US government funds health research. It conducts both
“in-house” research and distributes federal grants.
Novartis: A pharmaceutical company, has a Boston branch.
One world health: A non-profit pharmaceutical company that engages in socially responsible
research. A recipient of large Gates funds.
OTD: The TTO at Harvard. See TTO entry.
PDP: PPP Development Partnerships are a class of PPPs that focus on health product
development for diseases of the developing world. PDPs have formed over the past decade to unite
the public sector's commitment to international public goods for health with private industry's
expertise in product development and marketing. These not-for-profit organizations bridge publicand private-sector interests, with a view toward resolving the specific incentive and financial barriers
to increased industry involvement in the development of safe and effective products.
18
PEPFAR: The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief was a commitment of $15 billion over
five years (2003–2008) from Bush to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic -- the largest
international health initiative ever initiated by one nation to address a single disease. In 2008
PEPFAR was reauthorized and expanded, totaling a commitment of $48 billion over five years
PIH: Partners In Health is an international organization that supports a range of health programs in
poor communities in Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, and the United States. PIH also undertakes
research and advocacy activities on behalf of the world’s sick and impoverished in the name of social
justice.
PMTCT: Prevent Mother to Child Transmission (of HIV/AIDS). About 15-30% of infants born to
HIV positive women acquire HIV during labor, and another 5-20% acquire HIV during
breastfeeding. The simplest way to prevent mother to child transmission is a single dose of
nevirapine, an antiretroviral drug that is given to the mother during labor and the child after delivery.
This decreases the rate of transmission by roughly 50%.
PPP: Public-private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is
funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector
companies.
SGAC: Student Global AIDS Campaign is a US-based network of over eighty-five student and
youth organizations committed to the global fight against AIDS. It was founded in 2001 by Harvard
Students as the Harvard AIDS Coalition (holla!) along with its parent organization, Global Justice.
TB: Tuberculosis.
TTO: Technology transfer office. This is the office at Harvard (and other institutions) that serves
as an intermediary between science researchers who have developed innovative products and private
companies looking to purchase the rights and intellectual property from university researchers.
Wellcome Trust: The Wellcome Trust spends over £600 million every year both in the UK and
internationally achieving their mission: supporting and promoting research to improve the health of
humans and animals.
WHO: World Health Organization.
UAEM: Universities Allied for Essential Medicines.
WHO’S WHO IN GLOBAL HEALTH?
Barry Bloom: Former dean of HSPH.
Jon Clardy: A Professor at Harvard Medical School, he is a basic science researcher who studies
malaria, trypanosomiasis, and tuberculosis.
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David Cutler: A Professor of Economics in the department of economics and Kennedy School of
Government, and Associate Dean for Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences for Social
Sciences.
Opehlia Dahl: Executive director of Partners in Health. Granddaughter of Roald Dahl. Global
Health activist.
Arnold Epstein: Professor of Health Policy and Management in the Department of Health Policy
and Management at HSPH. Dr. Epstein's research interests focus on access and quality of care
especially for disadvantaged populations.
Paul Farmer: A medical anthropologist and physician who has dedicated his life to treating the
poor, while in the process helping to raise the standard of health care in underdeveloped areas of the
world. He is the founding director of PIH. He is a Professor of Social Medicine at HMS.
Drew Faust: President of Harvard University, Faust has access to a large amount of money that she
can use at her discretion. She oversees all of the schools at Harvard. We are working to get her
support on global health funding here at Harvard.
Julio Frenk: An eminent authority on global health who served as the Minister of Health of Mexico
from 2000 to 2006. He will become the new dean of HSPH in January 2009.
Sue Goldie: Dr. Goldie’s research focuses on developing and validating computer-based models
linking the basic biology of a disease and its epidemiology to population-based outcomes. She uses
these models within a decision analytic framework to synthesize data, identify key knowledge gaps,
and evaluate the clinical benefits, public health impact, and cost-effectiveness of alternative
preventive and treatment interventions. Her focus in the last several years has been on three viruses
of major public health importance: human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, and
hepatitis.
Jim Kim: A founder and former executive director of PIH. He currently serves as chief of the
Division of Social Medicine and Health Inequalities at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; director of
the François Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights; chair of the Department of
Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School; and Matt’s boss. Dr. Kim is also the former director of
the WHO’s HIV/AIDS department.
Arthur Kleinman: A Professor of Anthropology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Professor
of Medical Anthropology in the Faculty of Medicine. From 1991 to 2000, Dr. Kleinman chaired the
Department of Social Medicine at HMS. Dr. Kleinman has practiced as a psychiatrist and is an
expert on depression. He will be teaching Anthro 1825 in the fall.
Tom La Salvia: Administrator who took over HIGH when Chris Murray left.
Stephen Lewis: The Secretary-General has appointed Stephen Lewis as his Special Envoy for
HIV/AIDS in Africa. Mr. Lewis, who served as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) from 1995-1999, and former Canadian Ambassador to the United
Nations, will be responsible for ensuring follow-up to the African summit on HIV/AIDS,
20
tuberculosis and other infectious diseases held in Abuja, Nigeria, last April, and to next month's
United Nations General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS, as related to Africa.
Ira Magaziner: The Chairman of Clinton Foundation International Development Initiative. He
spoke in a panel with Paul Farmer at Harvard in 2007 for “Step It Up”.
Chris Murray: A professor of global health at the University of Washington, and head of its
Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Before coming to the UW in May of 2007, Murray was a
Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Social Medicine, and director of HIGH at Harvard. Before
coming to Harvard, Murray worked in the WHO. He left Harvard for UW because of a $105M
Global Health grant that the Gates Foundation gave UW.
Amartya Sen: A Professor in the departments of Economics and Philosophy who won the Nobel
Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his work on famine, human development theory,
welfare economics, and the underlying mechanisms of poverty, and political liberalism.
Bruce Walker: A leader in HIV/AIDS research for over 25 years. He is a Professor of Medicine
and Director of the Division of AIDS at Harvard Medical School and director of the Partners AIDS
Research Center at MGH. Dr. Walker is also renowned for having opened a state-of-the-art research
facility/clinic/medical training center in Durban, South Africa.
Dyann Wirth: Chair of the department of immunology and infectious diseases at HSPH and an
associate member of the Broad Institute, where she co-directs the Infectious Disease Initiative. An
expert in tropical disease and molecular microbiology, she has developed many of the molecular
genetic tools used in the investigation of malaria and leishmania. Her laboratory was the first to
discover multi-drug resistance mechanisms in these organisms.
21
Guide to Navigating Global Health at Harvard
Part 2: Recommended Reading List
Books (General)
Health and Human Rights
Mountains Beyond Mountains – Tracy Kidder
Dying for Growth – ed. Jim Kim
Pathologies of Power – Paul Farmer
Infections and Inequalities – Paul Farmer
The Invisible Cure – Helen Epstein
Economics
End of Poverty – Jeff Sachs
The White Man’s Burden – William Easterly
The Shock Doctrine – Naomi Klein
Globalization and its Discontents – Joseph Stiglitz
Making Globalization Work – Joseph Stiglitz
Books and Articles (Initiative Specific)
Licensing
 Strong Medicine – Michael Kremer (Harvard Economics Professor)
 Addressing Global Health Inequities: An Open Licensing Approach for University
Innovations – http://www.essentialmedicine.org/cs/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/202_spring-2005_2-benkler.pdf
 Closing the access gap for health innovations: an open licensing proposal for universitieshttp://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/3/1/1
Medical Information Equity
 Excluding the poor from accessing biomedical literature: A rights violation that impedes global
health, http://www.hhrjournal.org/index.php/hhr/article/viewArticle/20/88#refs2
 Internet in Africa
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94415421&ft=1&f=1004
Missing Medicines – all articles can be found at
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k33941&pageid=icb.page142708
 Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases –Peter Hotez,
http://www451.pair.com/hupa/1018.pdf
 Incorporating Appropriate Technology into North American Schools of Public Health - Peter
Hotez, http://www451.pair.com/hupa/HotezetalPAJPH20062.pdf
 “Rapid-Impact Interventions”: How a Policy of Integrated Control for Africa’s Neglected
22
 Tropical Diseases Could Benefi t the Poor - David H. Molyneux, Peter J. Hotez*, Alan
Fenwick, http://www451.pair.com/hupa/MolyneuxetalPLoSMedicine2005.pdf
Political Advocacy – see www.healthgap.org




The 2008 Stop AIDS Campaign Summary - 08.Stop.AIDS Combined Global/Domestic
Platform
The Great Harvard Drug Scandal-Did a bitter power struggle keep life-saving AIDS
medicine out of Africa? - John Wolfson,
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/the_great_harvard_drug_scandal/
Brook Baker - "How the IMF Restricts Health/Education Sector Spending"
Strategies in Political Advocacy - Birddogging 101: How to take your demands right to the
Candidates
Web Resources
08-STOP-AIDS Listserv- With the presidential election just around the corner, this listserv will
provide you with useful updates on presidential platforms and opportunities for action. Sign up at
www.08stopaids.org.
AIDS Action Committee Action Alerts and Blog – Domestic and State HIV/AIDS Advocacy
Issues, sign up for action alerts at www.aac.org. Also check out their blog at blog.aac.org.
Clinton Foundation Newsletter – Follow the work that the Clinton Foundation is doing by
signing up for the newsletter at www.clintonfoundation.org.
E-Journal Access at Harvard - http://sfx.hul.harvard.edu/sfx_local/az/
Global Health Delivery Online and Blog- Learn more about global health delivery through
discussions on www.ghdonline.org. Hear about the latest news and updates on the GHD project
globalhealthdelivery.org/blog.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report – Daily news clips of domestic and global AIDS issues, both
news and opinion pieces, mostly US and UK newspapers, sign up at www.kaisernetwork.org
Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition Email List- To share information and
engage in dialogue with other HCGHAC members, and to stay up-to-date on HCGHAC news,
email Jon Weigel (jweigel@fas.harvard.edu).
Health and Human Rights Journal - http://www.hhrjournal.org/index.php/hhr - edited by Paul
Farmer
HEALTHGAP Listserv- To hear about the most recent news and action alerts regarding political
advocacy, visit www.healthgap.org, and sign up for the listserv by emailing info@healthgap.org.
Harvard Initiative for Global Health listserv- Stay up to date on global events at Harvard by
signing up for the HIGH listserv. Email globalhealth@harvard.edu to sign up.
23
Student Global AIDS Campaign List- action alerts and bi-weekly newsletter on global AIDS
issues, sign up www.fightglobalaids.org
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines Listserv – journal or newspaper articles concerning
neglected diseases, licensing, intellectual property issues related to global health. Email Neha if you
wish to be added to listserv, gupta@fas.harvard.edu.
Videos
GHD Videos - http://globalhealthdelivery.org/blog/?page_id=233
 Global Health Equity by Paul Farmer at MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social
Sciences, November 15, 2007
 http://mitworld.mit.edu/play/512/noreal/Bridging the Delivery Gap to Global Health by Jim
Yong Kim at MIT Sloan School of Management, November 19, 2007
 The Future of Global Health by Jim Yong Kim at Boston University Sargent College of
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, December 4, 2007
 Announcement of the Global Health Delivery Initiative during the Clinton Global Initiative
2007 Annual Meeting in September
Other Videos
 Joseph Stiglitz and Ken Rogoff Discuss Globalization and its Discontentshttp://info.worldbank.org/etools/BSPAN/PresentationView.asp?PID=325&EID=145
 Agnes Binagwaho, Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission http://www.worldbank.org/afr/debriefing/binagwaho/default.htm
24
Guide to Navigating Global Health at Harvard
Part 3: Courses at Harvard*
*[not meant to be a complete and extensive list, but these are some we would recommend checking out]
Anthropology 1825. Health, Culture and Community: Case Studies in Global Health [Fall,
Tu., Th., 10-11:30]
Jim Yong Kim (Medical School), Paul Farmer (Medical School), and Arthur Kleinman
Examines, through lecturers and case-based discussions, a collection of global health problems
rooted in rapidly changing social structures that transcend national and other administrative
boundaries. Students will explore case studies (addressing AIDS, tuberculosis, mental illness, and
other topics) and a diverse literature (including epidemiology, anthropology, history, and clinical
medicine), focusing on how a broad biosocial analysis might improve the delivery of services
designed to lessen the burden of disease, especially among those living in poverty.
Anthropology 2736. Medical Anthropology of Contemporary Africa [Spring, Th., 2-4]
Duana Fullwiley
This course will examine the health effects of larger problems facing Africa today, including military
and humanitarian HIV/AIDS interventions, genetic studies and offshore clinical trials, ethnic and
state violence, economic crisis, resource extraction and migration.
Chemistry 201. Organic Synthesis and Genomic Medicine [Fall, Tu., Th., 10-11:30]
Stuart L. Schreiber
Organic Synthesis and Genomic Medicine, teaches advanced students in chemistry and chemical
biology the principles that underlie modern synthetic organic chemistry and genome biology, and the
coordination of the two disciplines, especially using chemical biology, towards genomic medicine.
For example, the course will explore how synthetic organic chemistry could provide a general
mechanism to exploit the dramatic insights being gained from modern human genetics in order to
develop safe and effective therapeutics for currently intractable diseases.
Prerequisite: A grade of A in Chemistry 30.
*Economics 980o. Health, Education, and Development [Fall, Th., 2-4]
Erica M. Field
Advanced course addresses health and education issues in developing countries from the standpoint
of economics, with a focus on modeling techniques and econometric methods. General topics
include demographic transition, household models of production, and the role of health and
educational inputs. Specific topics include: the return to education in developing countries, structural
problems in delivery, education finance, health inequality, technology adoption and behavior, AIDS,
and the impact of disease.
Note: A research paper is required. Concentrators may not take pass/fail.
Prerequisite: Economics 1010a (or 1011a) and 1123 (or 1126).
*Economics 980q. Economics Design Lab [Fall, Th., 2:30-4:30]
Sendhil Mullainathan
This class offers a chance for students to see how social science insights (economics, finance and
psychology) can be used to design policies and products that solve important problems. Presents
examples of innovative designs. Applications are in areas such as maternal mortality, development of
25
drugs for diseases faced mainly by the poor, financing small firms, unemployment insurance,
prescription drug insurance to the elderly and fighting corruption in important social programs.
Note: Each student will be asked to pick one concrete problem and craft a solution. Students with non-traditional
economic backgrounds (such as psychology or engineering) are particularly encouraged to take the course.
Economics 1393. Poverty and Development [Spring, M., W., 1-2:30]
Nathan J. Nunn
Studies the relationship between economic growth, poverty, and income distribution. Discusses how
globalization affects poverty and inequality. Studies the main theories of economic growth and the
main potential sources of economic development, from physical capital accumulation, to education,
to technology, to the role of government. Discusses various global issues such as public global
health (e.g., the impact of malaria and AIDS on Africa), corruption and institutions, natural
resources, the environment, international donor institutions, and population growth.
Prerequisite: Economics 1010a (or 1011a) and 1010b (or 1011b).
*Environmental Science and Public Policy 90f. Global Change and Human Health [Spring,
Tu., 1-3:30]
James J. McCarthy and Paul R. Epstein
Global consequences of increasing human population and our consumption of natural resources
include extensive changes in many natural ecosystems and in the composition of Earth's
atmosphere. In the last decade, geographic ranges of certain well known infectious diseases have
expanded and new diseases have become threats to human health. This seminar explores
hypothesized linkages between changes in ecosystems, climate, and the epidemiology of certain
infectious diseases.
*Extra-Departmental Courses 187. The Quality of Health Care in America [Spring, Tu., Th.,
4:30-6, and a weekly section to be arranged]
Donald M. Berwick (Public Health, Medical School), David Blumenthal (Medical School), Howard H. Hiatt
(Medical School, Public Health), and Warner V. Slack (Medical School)
Offers information and experiences regarding most important issues and challenges in health care
quality. Overview of the dimensions of quality of care, including outcomes, overuse, underuse,
variation in practice patterns, errors and threats to patient safety, service flaws, and forms of waste.
Each session focuses on one specific issue, exploring patterns of performance, data sources, costs,
causes, and remedies. Explores desirable properties of health care systems that perform at high
levels in many dimensions of quality.
*Freshman Seminar 25g. The Impact of Infectious Diseases on History and Society [Fall,
Th., 7-9 p.m.]
Donald A. Goldmann
Mankind's journey- farming, urbanization, exploration, trade, globalization -has been marked by
devastating encounters with infectious diseases. Infections have affected wars, political dynasties,
global balance of power, social structure, public health policy, economics, and the arts. This course
explores these themes by studying infections such as plague, syphilis, smallpox, malaria, sleeping
sickness, tuberculosis, cholera, yellow fever, polio, and influenza. It investigates how the
epidemiology of these diseases, and society's response, inform contemporary policy and future
threats.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
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*Freshman Seminar 25t. AIDS in Africa [Spring, Hours to be arranged]
Myron Essex (Public Health) and Tun-Hou Lee (Public Health)
HIV/AIDS has infected or killed more than sixty million people, and no vaccine is expected within
five to ten years. About two-thirds of current infections are in ten percent of the world's population
in sub-Saharan Africa, where few patients receive life-saving treatment. Explores dimensions of
AIDS in Africa including the evolution and epidemiology of HIV, the pathobiology of AIDS,
prevention of infection, and treatment of disease. Encourages multidisciplinary approaches, using
country-specific illustrations of successful interventions.
Note: Open to Freshmen only.
Government 1093. Ethics, Biotechnology, and the Future of Human Nature [Spring, M., 2-4]
Michael J. Sandel and Douglas A. Melton
Explores the moral, political, and scientific implications of new developments in biotechnology.
Does science give us the power to alter human nature? If so, how should we exercise this power?
The course examines the science and ethics of stem cell research, human cloning, sex selection,
genetic engineering, eugenics, genetic discrimination, and human-animal hybrids.
Note: May not be taken concurrently with MCB 60. May not be taken for credit if MCB 60 has already been
taken. Moral Reasoning 22 (Justice) is recommended as background. Enrollment may be limited.
[Government 1100. Political Economy of Development] [Fall, Hours to be arranged]
Robert H. Bates
Comparative analysis of political economy of development drawing on case studies from Africa,
Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Government 1197. The Political Economy of Africa [Spring, Hours to be arranged]
James Robinson
The basic social science literature on Africa's development. Particular emphasis on political
economy.
*History 87a. Health, Disease, and Ecology in African History [Spring, W., 2-4]
Emmanuel K. Akyeampong
Examines the history of disease and health in sub-Saharan Africa from the 19th century to recent
times, exploring African and western concepts of health, disease and healing. Illustration through
discussion of case studies of individual diseases, including malaria/sickle cell trait, trypanosomiasis,
tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism, AIDS, and onchocerciasis, and the public
health policies affecting them.
Prerequisite: Senior level undergraduates.
History of Science 140. Disease and Society [Fall, M., W., (F.), at 12]
Charles E. Rosenberg
A consideration of changing conceptions of disease during the past two centuries. We will discuss
general intellectual trends as well as relevant cultural and institutional variables by focusing in good
measure on case studies of particular ills, ranging from cholera to sickle cell anemia to anorexia and
alcoholism.
History of Science 141. The Social Life of Pharmaceuticals (New Course) [Fall, W., 2-4]
Jeremy Alan Greene
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The evolution of the modern pharmaceutical industry over the long twentieth century--from its early
intersection with the image and later the structure of scientific research, to its dramatic post-WWII
expansion and late-century saturation of medical and marketing media--is tightly intertwined with
broader social, cultural, economic, and political developments. This conference course engages
primary and secondary works in the history and anthropology of pharmaceuticals to situation the
prescription drug as cultural artifact.
*History of Science 154. Science and Business in Modern America [Spring, M., 2-4]
Steven Shapin
A survey of the relationships between the practice of science and the world of commerce in the
United States since the beginning of the 20th century. Topics covered include the conduct and
image of science in academia and industry, ideas about the connections between science and
technology, and the development and understanding of entrepreneurial science.
History of Science 159v. Science and Society (New Course) [Fall, Tu., Th., at 12]
Andrew Lakoff
In such fields as health, the environment, and law, we rely on scientific expertise to help us
distinguish truth from lie, to measure risk, to treat our ills. In this context, it is crucial to know how
such knowledge is produced, disseminated, and arbitrated. This course focuses on areas of
controversy such as genetically modified foods, intellectual property, global warming, and new
reproductive technologies in order to understand the complex relationship between science and
society.
History of Science 160. Intellectual Property in Science [Spring, Tu., 2-4]
Mario Biagioli
We examine different forms of credit for scientific and technological innovation, comparing
publication credit in science and use of patents to protect technoscientific work. Readings range
from history of technoscience to legal and literary studies.
Life Sciences 1a. An Integrated Introduction to the Life Sciences: Chemistry, Molecular
Biology, and Cell Biology [Fall, Tu., Th., 1-2:30]
Erin K. O'Shea, Daniel E. Kahne, and Robert A. Lue
What are the fundamental features of living systems? What are the molecules imparting these
features, and how do their chemical properties explain their biological roles? The answers form a
basis for understanding the molecules of life, the cell, diseases, and medicines. In contrast with
traditional presentations of relevant scientific disciplines in separate courses, we take an integrated
apprach, presenting chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology framed within
central problems such as the biology of HIV and cancer.
Note: This course, in combination with Life Sciences 1b, constitutes an integrated introduction to the Life Sciences.
When taken for a letter grade, Life Sciences 1a meets the Core area requirement for Science A. This course, when
taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement in Science of Living Systems.
Life Sciences 60. Ethics, Biotechnology, and the Future of Human Nature [Spring, M., 2-4]
Douglas A. Melton and Michael J. Sandel
Explores the moral, political, and scientific implications of new developments in biotechnology.
Does science give us the power to alter human nature? If so, how should we exercise this power?
The course examines the science and ethics of stem cell research, human cloning, sex selection,
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genetic engineering, eugenics, genetic discrimination, and human-animal hybrids. Readings will be
drawn from literature in the areas of biology, philosophy, and public policy.
Note: May not be taken concurrently with Government 1093. May not be taken for credit if Government 1093 has
already been taken. The course is open to both science and non-science concentrators. Moral Reasoning 22 is
recommended as a background. Enrollment may be limited.
MCB 192. Principles of Drug Discovery and Development [Spring, Tu., Th., 11:30-1]
Vicki L. Sato and Mark C. Fishman (Medical School)
This interdisciplinary course will examine the process of drug discovery and development through
disease-driven examples. Topics include: the efficacy/toxicity balance, the differences between drugs
and inhibitors, the translation of cellular biochemistry to useful medicine.
Note: May not be taken concurrently with Chemistry 192. May not be taken for credit if Chemistry 192 has already
been taken.
Prerequisite: MCB 52 and one year of organic chemistry. MCB 54 is recommended.
MCB 234. Cellular Metabolism and Human Disease [Spring, M., W., F., 9-10:30]
Thomas Michel (Medical School), Robert A. Lue and members of the Department
Half course (spring term)
Cellular and organismal metabolism, with focus on interrelationships between key metabolic
pathways and human disease states. Genetic and acquired metabolic diseases and functional
consequences for specific organ systems. Lectures and conferences are integrated with clinical
encounters with patients.
Note: Students may attend lectures in either Cambridge or Boston since they will be transmitted live from HMS to
Harvard College and vice-versa; the inter-campus link will allow real-time interactions between students and faculty at
each site. May not be taken concurrently with BCMP 234. May not be taken for credit if BCMP 234 has already
been taken.
Prerequisite: Knowledge of introductory biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology required (MCB 52 and MCB 54 or
equivalent); one year of organic chemistry.
Quantitative Reasoning 50. Medical Detectives [Fall, M., W., F., at 9]
Karin B. Michels (Medical School, Public Health)
Why is there confusion in the scientific community as to whether butter or margarine is worse for
your health? How do epidemiologists find out whether cell phone use increases your risk for brain
cancer? What is your risk of contracting diabetes? Discover how researchers draw on quantitative
skills to detect causes of acute disease outbreaks and chronic diseases. This course introduces the
techniques and methods for empirically based analyses, decisions, and actions in the context of
current public health problems.
Science of Living Systems 11. Molecules of Life [Fall, Tu., Th., 10-11:30]
Jon Clardy (Medical School) and David R. Liu
Large molecules - DNA, RNA, and proteins - encode and transmit the inherited information in our
genes. This course focuses instead on the small molecules that link the genetic program in our DNA
to the world in which we live. Small molecules govern how our bodies develop, allow us to respond
to changes in our environment, and carry our thoughts. They are also the basis of the drugs we use
to fight infections and combat diseases including cancer, diabetes, and depression. In the future,
small molecules could even be used to direct the fate of stem cells or extend life.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Science B.
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Sociology 165. Inequalities in Health Care [Fall, M., W., (F.), at 3]
Mary Ruggie (Kennedy School)
Asks why certain social groups are at greater risk for more severe health problems (eg., infant
mortality, HIV/AIDS, cancer) and yet receive unequal health care in the US. Examines selected
health disparities around the world and what best practices foster adequate delivery of healthcare
services, mutual respect between patient and provider, and healthy living.
Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1177. AIDS: Politics, Culture, and Science [Spring,
M., W., at 11]
Ian Keith Lekus
This course introduces the political, social, cultural, and medical constructions of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. Drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary texts, we will investigate the pandemic's historical
epidemiology; state, medical, and grassroots responses to AIDS; and evolving media representations
of AIDS. We will explore both continuities and changes in these dynamics from local, national, and
transnational perspectives. To do so, we will focus on examples from the U.S., Latin America, subSaharan Africa, and South Asia.
[Social Analysis 28. Culture, Illness, and Healing: An Introduction to Medical
Anthropology] [Expected to be given in 2009-2010, Spring, Tu., Th., at 10]
Arthur Kleinman
An inquiry into the role of health and medicine in society that demonstrates how anthropological
analysis can be applied to the study of illness and care. Compares medical systems across societies to
understand the experience and treatment of sickness. Analyzes how practitioners and patients
construe sickness and suffering as distinctive social realities, and how those realities are organized in
local cultural systems. Assesses varieties of suffering as social phenomena in order to appreciate the
social sources of global social problems, the cross-cultural variety of illness experiences, the reform
of services, and the global moral and political-economic crisis in health care.
[Social Analysis 76. Global Health Challenges] [Expected to be given in 2009-2010, Fall, M., W.,
(F.), at 10]
Sue J. Goldie (Public Health, Medical School)
This course introduces the principal health problems of the world's populations. It is an interdisciplinary exploration of the factors that account for health patterns, ranging from their
physiological basis to their epidemiological, economic, social and political context. Topics include:
infectious and chronic diseases, childhood and reproductive health, aging, health systems, priority
setting, and real world policy. Emphasis is placed on methods for measuring population health, the
evidence base for the costs and consequences of interventions, and analytic tools for decision
making. Students are encouraged to think creatively about the major challenges to improving health
at a global level.
Sociology 190. Life and Death in the US: Medicine and Disease in Social Context [Spring, M.,
W., at 3]
Nicholas A. Christakis (Medical School, FAS)
Explores how biological and social factors jointly conspire to determine the health of individuals and
populations. Examines how medical care, social networks, and socioeconomic inequality influence
illness, recovery, and death.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core requirement for Social Analysis.
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Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1177. AIDS: Politics, Culture, and Science [Spring,
M., W., at 11 ]
Ian Keith Lekus
This course introduces the political, social, cultural, and medical constructions of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. Drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary texts, we will investigate the pandemic's historical
epidemiology; state, medical, and grassroots responses to AIDS; and evolving media representations
of AIDS. We will explore both continuities and changes in these dynamics from local, national, and
transnational perspectives. To do so, we will focus on examples from the U.S., Latin America, subSaharan Africa, and South Asia.
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Appendix: HCGHAC Constitution
The Constitution of the Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition
Preamble
We the members of the Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition, in order to promote a
strong, lasting commitment to the ideals of social justice, organize effective initiatives combating
global health inequity, and fight for health as a basic human right, do hereby establish this
Constitution of the Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition (HCGHAC).
Article I. Mission
The Harvard College Global Health and AIDS Coalition (HCGHAC) believes that health should be
a fundamental human right.
Towards this end, HCGHAC strives to challenge and expand the role of both the university and
individual students in addressing global health and development needs.
Through collaboration with various parties, HCGHAC aims to:
-Engage students in a growing movement for global health through education and awareness
activities
-Effect policy change through advocacy and activism, both on and off campus
-Address local and global health needs through direct service and fundraising
Through these initiatives, HCGHAC strives to build momentum for a social movement that seeks
social justice, especially in pursuing health as a human right. HCGHAC hopes this movement will
instill a lasting commitment to global health among members of the Harvard community, and
empower these current and future leaders to carry out this commitment in their personal and
professional lives.
Article II. HCGHAC General Membership and Membership Rights
Membership in HCGHAC is conferred upon individuals who have attended at least two general2
meetings in the last calendar year. Every member has the right to
i. Ask for an evaluation of any initiative decision by the general HCGHAC body
ii. Request a report about any general or initiative decision, action, or other proceeding
iii. Propose a new initiative
iv. Join any existing initiative
v. Participate in any decision-making dialogue and all general voting procedures
Article III. Initiatives
Initiatives are action groups, comprised of HCGHAC members, whose purpose is to carry out all or
part of HCGHAC’s mission through defined goals.
Any member may propose an initiative. Initiative proposals must be submitted on the Sunday
planning meeting prior to the initiative’s approval in a general meeting. Approval for new initiatives
will be granted in general meetings by consensus, in order to ensure that initiatives are wedded to
HCGHAC’s mission and accountable to its general membership.
“General” as used throughout the document denotes the full HCGHAC membership, and/or those issues which
concern all members. General decisions are those reached by consensus or voting procedures at general meetings.
2
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Each initiative, upon formation, will design a format and be held responsible for the work of
logistics coordinator(s).
The duties of the logistics coordinator are as follows:
i. Organize weekly meeting time
ii. Communicate weekly meeting time to HCGHAC member email list with at least 48 hours
notice
iii. Send weekly update to HCGHAC discussion email list by Sunday at noon.
Format for designating logistics coordinator may be revised at any point by consensus among
initiative members, and will be revisited by each initiative at yearly fall retreat.
Article IV. Bureaucracy
The Bureaucracy of HCGHAC will be held accountable by the general membership for the
following:
i. Accounting of finances and management of budget
ii. Collection and dissemination of meeting notes
iii. Room booking for general and introductory meetings as well as yearly fall retreat
iv. Yearly Re-Registration and attendance at University affiliate meetings
v. Moderate and add new members on relevant email lists
vi. Ensure website maintenance
vii. Maintain a current membership roster
viii. Follow up on initiative deliverables
ix. Ensure continuation of teach-in and speaker series initiatives
x. Act as liaison to outside groups or individuals for non-initiative-specific endeavors
xi. Ensuring regular social events for HCGHAC membership
xii. Support recruitment of new members and facilitate their entrance into initiatives
xiii. Facilitate and support information transfer
xiv. Organize weekly rotating chair for planning and general meetings
Terms of membership to the Bureaucracy will last for twelve months, commencing upon the first
day of the Spring academic semester. The Bureaucracy must have no fewer than three members.
Individuals must have been members of HCGHAC for a minimum of two semesters to be eligible
for the Bureaucracy. Members must declare their candidacy for the Bureaucracy by submitting a
statement to HCGHAC general email list no later than one week prior to confirmation vote.
Membership to the Bureaucracy must be confirmed by the membership of HCGHAC. A minimum
of 15 members must be present in order for confirmation voting to be valid. All candidates must be
present at a question-and-answer session, of no less than 10 minutes, prior to confirmation voting.
Each member can vote to either approve or not approve each candidate. Voting will be anonymous.
Candidates must earn 3⁄4 approving votes of all votes cast to be confirmed as an acting member of
the Bureaucracy. Graduating seniors will preside over voting procedures and vote counting,
including the administration of absentee voting. This body of seniors will also be responsible for
organizing and communicating the voting time with at least two weeks’ notice to HCGHAC
members via the general email list.
Any member may motion for a vote of no confidence on a member of the Bureaucracy at any time.
In order to move into voting procedures, a quorum of 12 HCGHAC members must be reached.
Motion must be approved by a ¾ majority of all votes cast. If the motion to proceed with a vote of
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no confidence is approved, the vote will take place at the following general meeting. Members of the
Bureaucracy will be responsible for notifying HCGHAC members via general email list that a vote
of no confidence will be held. A 15 member quorum is required for a vote of no confidence to take
place. A ¾ majority must vote “no confidence” in order for the Bureaucracy member in question to
be removed from the Bureaucracy.
In the event that the Bureaucracy consists of less than the minimum 3 members at any given point,
the Bureaucracy must call for emergency elections to install additional Bureaucracy member(s) for
the remainder of the current term.
Article V. Planning Meetings
Weekly planning meetings serve as a forum for idea generation and logistical preparation for the
weekly general meetings. All initiatives that seek presentation time on the general meeting agenda
must have a representative present at the planning meeting.
Planning meetings will be facilitated by the weekly rotating chair.
Weekly written initiative updates must be made available to HCGHAC discussion email list by
Sunday at noon. Bureaucracy members will follow up on initiatives that do not submit weekly
updates.
Members of the Bureaucracy are required to attend planning meetings. All other HCGHAC
members are encouraged to attend.
Article VI. General Meetings
General meetings serve as the governance forum for all procedural and substantive HCGHAC
concerns, including discussion, deliberation, and knowledge reproduction. General meetings should
involve clever introductions, initiative updates and involvement opportunities, group decisions, and
discussion of new ideas and initiatives.
General meetings will be facilitated by the rotating weekly chair, whose duties are to:
i. Attend, facilitate, and take notes at the prior planning meeting
ii. Email an agenda informed by the proceedings at the weekly planning meeting to the
HCGHAC general email list no less than 24 hours before the general meeting.
iii. Moderate general meeting discussion, motions to vote, and voting procedures. Any member
has the right to motion for a substitute voting facilitator for any particular issue. This
motion must be approved by a ¾ majority for alternate voting facilitator to be selected, and
the new voting facilitator must be approved by a ¾ majority.
iv. Designate and follow up with a note-taker, whose duty it is to take notes on the meeting
discussion and email said notes to the HCGHAC general email list, chosen for the meeting’s
duration.
All major and/or non-initiative-specific decisions will be determined by a general meeting vote. The
objective of general meeting discussions will be to reach unanimous consent.
In order for a group decision to be reached, a quorum of ten voting members in the general meeting
must be reached.
At any point, any member can motion to vote to determine consensus.
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All votes may be made by acclamation (hand-raising) or anonymous vote. Voting proceedings will
be coordinated and votes counted by the meeting chair. It is expected that members who were not
present for the discussion period preceding voting procedures will abstain.
After 10 minutes any member can motion to vote via ¾ majority. 2/3 majority consent is required
to proceed with ¾ majority vote.
If ¾ majority cannot be reached by the end of the session, any member can motion for a simple
majority vote at the following general meeting. Simple majority consent is required to proceed with
simple majority vote. At the following meeting, any member can motion for a fifteen minute period
of discussion before voting takes place.
After a decision has been made, any member may make a motion to vote by 2/3 majority to reopen
discussion on the topic.
Article VII. Constitutional Amendment Procedures
Any member has the right to propose an amendment.
An amendment proposal must be made available over the general member email list at least one
week prior to the general meeting at which voting will occur.
In order to move to vote on an amendment, a quorum of twelve voting members in the general
meeting must be reached. Any member can motion to vote on an amendment, a 2/3 majority must
approve the motion for an amendment vote for the vote to be held. A 2/3 majority of all votes cast
is required for an amendment to pass, at which point the amendment will become active.
Bureaucracy Members 2008
Neha Gupta
Jean Junior
Heidi Kim
Sarah Ruberman
Molly Siegel
Jon Weigel
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