Cultivating Health: Boost Business Success

John E. McDonough, Professor of Public Health Practice at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Director of the Center for Executive and Continuing Professional Education, has shaped American healthcare policy for over three decades. After earning his DrPH from the University of Michigan and MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School, he has built an extraordinary career spanning academia, politics, and public health advocacy. His pivotal role in healthcare reform includes serving as Senior Advisor on National Health Reform to the U.S. Senate Committee (2008-2010), where he contributed significantly to the Affordable Care Act's development and passage. Previously, as Executive Director of Health Care For All (2003-2008), he was instrumental in crafting Massachusetts' groundbreaking 2006 health reform law. His academic contributions include three influential books: "Inside National Health Reform" (2011), "Experiencing Politics" (2000), and "Interests, Ideas, and Deregulation" (1998). McDonough's expertise combines practical political experience from his twelve years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives with scholarly work published in prestigious journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and Health Affairs

Howard Kyongju Koh, the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of Public Health Leadership at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has profoundly influenced American public health policy and practice. After graduating from Yale College and Yale School of Medicine, he achieved board certification in four medical specialties and earned his MPH from Boston University. His remarkable career spans multiple leadership roles, including serving as the 14th U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health (2009-2014) where he oversaw major public health initiatives and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. As Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health (1997-2003), he led significant advances in tobacco control, cancer screening, and bioterrorism response. At Harvard, he chairs the Initiative on Health and Homelessness and co-directs the Initiative on Health, Spirituality and Religion. His scholarly contributions include over 325 published articles and research grants exceeding $28 million. Koh's exceptional service has earned him numerous accolades, including the Sedgwick Memorial Medal from the American Public Health Association and recognition in Modern Healthcare's Top 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare

Amy C. Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, has fundamentally transformed our understanding of organizational behavior and team dynamics. After earning her PhD in organizational behavior, MA in psychology, and BA in engineering and design from Harvard University, she has built a remarkable career spanning academic research and practical leadership development. Her pioneering work on psychological safety has spawned a vast body of research across management, healthcare, and education. She has authored seven influential books, including "The Fearless Organization" and her latest work "Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well," which has been translated into multiple languages. Before joining Harvard in 1996, she served as Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers and worked as Chief Engineer for Buckminster Fuller. Her exceptional contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including being ranked #1 on the Thinkers50 global list of management thinkers, receiving the 2019 Breakthrough Idea Award, and being named the most influential thinker in Human Resources by HR Magazine. Through her research published in prestigious journals and her practical guidance for organizations, Edmondson continues to shape how leaders approach team building, innovation, and organizational learning.

José Alvarez, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and Clinical Professor at Tuck School of Business, has transformed understanding of retail management and food systems through his unique combination of academic expertise and industry leadership. After earning his AB from Princeton University and MBA from the University of Chicago, he spent nearly two decades in retail management, culminating as President and CEO of Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover from 2006 to 2008. His research focuses on global food systems, retail operations, and supply chain optimization, having co-authored over 30 case studies and the influential book "Retail Revolution: Will Your Brick-and-Mortar Store Survive." As faculty chair of Harvard's Agribusiness Seminar, he explores critical challenges across the food industry from farm to table, addressing issues like food security, sustainability, and technological innovation

Glorian Sorensen, Research Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has revolutionized workplace health interventions through her groundbreaking research spanning four decades. After earning her PhD in sociology and MPH from the University of Minnesota, she has established herself as a leading figure in occupational health research. As founding Director of the Harvard Chan Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing, and Director of the Center for Community-Based Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, she has conducted pioneering research integrating occupational safety with health promotion. Her landmark 1989 study was the first to demonstrate that combining workplace safety with health promotion significantly improved health outcomes for blue-collar workers. She has designed and implemented interventions across diverse industries including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and transportation, particularly focusing on low-income and multi-ethnic populations. Her research extends internationally through tobacco control studies in India, where she developed effective interventions for teachers in Bihar state. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including the 2017 Mark Dundon Research Award, and has influenced workplace health policies globally. Through over 250 published articles and extensive research grants, Sorensen continues to shape understanding of how organizational factors impact worker health and safety, while mentoring the next generation of public health researchers

Robert Huckman, the Albert J. Weatherhead III Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, has established himself as a preeminent expert in healthcare operations management and organizational performance. After earning his Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard and an A.B. in Public Policy from Princeton University (summa cum laude), he has dedicated his career to understanding and improving healthcare delivery systems. As Faculty Chair of the HBS Healthcare Initiative and Chair of the MBA Required Curriculum, he has shaped the education of countless business leaders. His research, published in prestigious journals including the American Economic Review, New England Journal of Medicine, and Management Science, focuses on the intersection of organizational characteristics and operating performance in healthcare settings

Kasisomayajula "Vish" Viswanath, the Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has revolutionized understanding of health communication and its impact on public health disparities. After earning his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1990, he has built an extraordinary career spanning research, policy, and practice. As Faculty Director of the Health Communication Core at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Director of Harvard Chan's India Research Center, he leads groundbreaking research on communication inequalities and health disparities. His work encompasses over 280 journal articles and book chapters, focusing on translational communication science, public health policy, and health interventions for underserved populations. He has co-edited four influential books, including "Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research & Practice" and "The Role of Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use." His contributions have earned numerous accolades, including the Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award, the Dale Brashers Distinguished Mentorship Award, and election as Fellow of the International Communication Association. Through his leadership of the Enhancing Communications for Health Outcomes Laboratory and the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, Viswanath continues to shape global understanding of how communication influences health outcomes and social equity.

Raffaella Sadun, Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, has revolutionized our understanding of managerial practices and organizational productivity. After earning her PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics, she has built a distinguished career combining rigorous academic research with practical business insights. As co-founder of landmark initiatives like the World Management Survey and the Executive Time Use Study, she has pioneered new methods for measuring management practices across organizations and countries. Her groundbreaking research on productivity drivers has been published in prestigious journals including The Quarterly Journal of Economics and American Economic Review. Currently serving as Senior Associate Dean for HBS Publishing and co-chair of Harvard Business School's Project on Managing the Future of Work, she leads the Digital Reskilling Lab studying large-scale organizational training investments. Her contributions to economic policy and management science have earned her numerous accolades, including the Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine "Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" in 2021 and the Fondazione de Sanctis Prize for Economic Sciences in 2022

Gina McCarthy, Professor of the Practice of Public Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has established herself as one of the nation's most influential voices in environmental policy and public health protection. After earning her MS in Environmental Health Engineering from Tufts University and BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, she has built an extraordinary career spanning over 35 years in public service. As the first White House National Climate Advisor under President Biden and former EPA Administrator under President Obama (2013-2017), she spearheaded landmark initiatives including the Clean Power Plan and helped secure the Paris Climate Agreement. Her leadership at EPA resulted in groundbreaking policies to cut air pollution, protect water resources, and strengthen chemical safety standards. Before her federal service, she served as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and held senior positions in five Massachusetts administrations. Currently, as Director of Harvard Chan School's Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, she leads crucial initiatives in climate science and sustainability while serving as Senior Advisor at Bloomberg Philanthropies and Managing Co-Chair of the America Is All In coalition. Her work has consistently emphasized the connection between environmental protection and public health, particularly focusing on vulnerable communities and environmental justice.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor at Harvard Business School, has fundamentally transformed understanding of leadership, innovation, and organizational change over a five-decade career. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she earned her PhD from the University of Michigan in 1967, beginning her academic journey that would lead to groundbreaking contributions in management theory. As co-founder and founding chair of Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative (2008-2018), she pioneered a new model of higher education preparing accomplished leaders to address global challenges. Her influential work includes 20 books, with her latest "Think Outside the Building" offering bold theories on tackling complex social and environmental problems. Kanter's impact has earned her numerous accolades, including 24 honorary doctorates, the Thinkers50 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award, and recognition as one of the most influential business thinkers globally. Her research on tokenism and corporate culture, particularly in her landmark work "Men and Women of the Corporation," has become foundational in management studies. Through her consulting firm Goodmeasure Inc., she continues to advise CEOs and organizations worldwide while advocating for responsible capitalism and innovative approaches to social change.

John Quelch, currently Executive Vice Chancellor at Duke Kunshan University, has built an extraordinary career spanning four decades and three continents in business education leadership. After earning degrees from Oxford, Wharton, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Business School, he established himself as a pioneering figure in global business education. His career includes transformative leadership roles as Dean at London Business School (1998-2001), China Europe International Business School (2011-2013), and most recently the University of Miami Herbert Business School (2017-2022). At Miami, he secured a $100 million naming gift and achieved triple crown accreditation while improving the school's rankings significantly. His 33-year association with Harvard Business School included roles as Charles Edward Wilson Professor and senior leadership positions. A prolific author of 25 books and numerous case studies that have sold over 4 million copies, Quelch is renowned for his expertise in marketing and global strategy. His contributions earned him appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. Throughout his career, he has championed innovative approaches to business education while building bridges between academia, industry, and public health

Rakesh Khurana, serving as the Danoff Dean of Harvard College since 2014, has established himself as a preeminent authority in organizational behavior and leadership development. After earning his B.S. from Cornell University and Ph.D. through a joint program between Harvard Business School and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1998, he has built an extraordinary career spanning academic leadership and groundbreaking research. As the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School and Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, his research has revolutionized understanding of elite selection processes and leadership development. His influential works include "Searching for a Corporate Savior" and "From Higher Aims to Hired Hands," the latter winning the American Sociological Association's Max Weber Book Award in 2008. While serving as Faculty Dean of Cabot House with his wife Stephanie Ralston Khurana, he has deeply influenced undergraduate education at Harvard. His contributions to leadership studies include co-editing seminal texts like "The Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice" and "The Handbook for Teaching Leadership." Prior to his academic career, he worked as a founding member of Cambridge Technology Partners, bringing practical business experience to his scholarly work. His current research examines global leadership and the impact of transnational networks on institutional leadership, while continuing to shape Harvard's undergraduate experience through his role as College Dean.

Sara Singer, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and Professor by courtesy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, has transformed understanding of healthcare organization and management. After earning her PhD in Health Policy/Management from Harvard and MBA from Stanford, she has built an extraordinary career combining academic research with practical healthcare improvements. As faculty director of Stanford's Health Leadership, Innovation, and Organizations (HELIO) Labs, she leads interdisciplinary collaborations across medicine, business, engineering, and law. Her pioneering research focuses on how organizational leadership and culture impact healthcare delivery innovations, patient safety, and care integration. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and developed crucial survey instruments for measuring healthcare organizational effectiveness. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including three consecutive Academy of Management best paper awards (2009-2011) and the 2013 Avedis Donabedian Healthcare Quality Award. Previously at Harvard, she directed multiple graduate programs and research initiatives, including the Safe Surgery 2015 initiative and the Harvard PhD in Health Policy Program. Currently, she directs the AHRQ-funded Engineering High Reliability Learning Lab, continuing to shape healthcare management through research on team dynamics, organizational design, and leadership development.

George Serafeim, the Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, has fundamentally transformed how businesses approach sustainability and social impact. After completing his doctorate in business administration at Harvard Business School, he has established himself as one of the world's foremost experts on integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into business strategy and investment decisions. His pioneering research on corporate sustainability and integrated reporting has earned him recognition as one of the top 40 professors under 40 worldwide and one of the most cited researchers in corporate sustainability. Through his course "Reimagining Capitalism: Business and Big Problems" and his influential book "Purpose and Profit: How Business Can Lift Up the World," he has shaped the thinking of thousands of business leaders. His research has been published in prestigious journals including Management Science and The Accounting Review, while his insights regularly appear in major media outlets. As the founder of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Project at Harvard Business School, he continues to develop innovative frameworks for measuring and reporting corporate impact on society and the environment, working with leading organizations to implement these approaches in practice.

Eileen McNeely, Founder and Executive Director of SHINE (Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise) at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has transformed understanding of workplace health and sustainability. As an Instructor in the Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program, she combines expertise in environmental epidemiology, occupational health, and clinical practice as a nurse practitioner to pioneer innovative approaches to worker well-being. Her groundbreaking research includes founding the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study, the largest cohort study of its kind, and leading investigations into garment factory workers' well-being. Through SHINE, she develops strategies that integrate worker health into corporate sustainability, measuring impacts through combined mental, physical, and psychosocial metrics alongside business performance indicators. Her current research portfolio includes pioneering projects on blockchain technology in supply chains, the future of work post-COVID, and creating cultures of health in business settings. McNeely's work spans multiple industries, focusing on transforming how businesses approach employee well-being through systematic rather than programmatic approaches, ultimately aiming to create sustainable, healthy workplace environments that benefit both workers and organizations.

Elizabeth (Beth) Pegg Frates, MD, has revolutionized lifestyle medicine education while serving as Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (2022-2024). After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard College and Stanford Medical School, she completed her residency at Harvard's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program, where she served as Chief Resident. Her innovative work spans multiple Harvard institutions, teaching award-winning courses at Harvard Medical School, Harvard Extension School, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As founder of the first Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at Harvard Medical School in 2008, she has created standardized curricula now used nationwide. Her expertise combines physical medicine, rehabilitation, and wellness coaching through her company Wellness Synergy, LLC, where she develops pioneering programs for stroke survivors and their caregivers. Currently serving as Director of Wellness Programming at the Stroke Institute for Research and Recovery at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, she continues to shape the field through her teaching, research, and clinical practice focused on empowering patients to adopt healthy lifestyle changes.

Cass R. Sunstein, the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School, has fundamentally transformed legal theory and behavioral economics through his groundbreaking work spanning four decades. After graduating from Harvard College in 1975 and Harvard Law School in 1978, where he served as executive editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, he clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall and built an extraordinary career combining legal scholarship with public service. As Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (2009-2012), he implemented significant regulatory reforms and later served on crucial presidential advisory boards. His prolific academic contributions include over 500 articles and nearly 50 books, with his co-authored work "Nudge" revolutionizing behavioral economics and public policy. His expertise spans constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and behavioral economics, making him the most cited American legal scholar. Sunstein's recent work focuses on "sludge" reduction, digital governance, and freedom of speech, while serving as Chair of WHO's technical advisory group on Behavioral Insights and Sciences for Health. His achievements have earned him numerous accolades, including the 2018 Holberg Prize, often considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and humanities.