Dear friends and colleagues:

We are delighted to welcome you to the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.

Founded more than three decades ago, the FXB Center is a university-wide center rooted in the notion that health and human rights are inextricable—and that realizing these rights demands addressing the structural violence that shapes health outcomes.

Our mission is to generate rigorous, interdisciplinary scholarship that informs policy and practice, amplifies marginalized voices, and support future generations of scholars. From its earliest days focusing on children orphaned by AIDS—a population largely absent from academic discourse at the time—FXB has remained committed to addressing urgent and marginalized scholarship and practice, with child protection as a central thread.

Today, FXB continues to distinguish itself by filling critical gaps in mainstream academic scholarship. We are the only university-wide center in the United States with dedicated academic programs on Roma and Palestinian health and human rights, and one of the few academic institutions globally to position child protection as a central research and policy priority. We are also proud to be among a small number of academic centers confronting racial injustice as a core determinant of health; affirming that human rights are universal and must be upheld not only abroad, but also in the United States.

Our community includes faculty, students, visiting scholars, practitioners, fellows, and global partners across disciplines—including medicine, public health, law and the social sciences. Throughout the academic year, we offer a vibrant calendar of events, including webinars, conferences, lectures and public forums.  

We encourage you to participate actively in FXB events, contribute to ongoing research, and explore the Center’s publications—from peer-reviewed articles and policy reports to op-eds and podcasts. You can find these and more on our website or stay connected through our social media platforms (Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook).

For more than thirty years, the FXB Center has worked to advance the health and dignity of marginalized populations, champion evidence-based policy, and train generations of scholars and practitioners committed to a more just and humane world. We are thrilled to have you with us to carry that mission forward.

Welcome to the FXB community.

Mary T. Bassett, MD, MPH 

Director

François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights

Harvard University

The above represents solely my own views and does not necessarily represent the views of the institution.

The François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights (FXB Center) at Harvard is the world’s first University-based center dedicated to the inextricable link between health and human rights. François-Xavier, son of the Center’s founder Albina du Boisrouvray, tragically lost his life while on a helicopter rescue mission in 1986. Endowing the Center in 1993 with the support of the FXB Foundation, Albina sought to perpetuate the values, generosity, and compassion that motivated François-Xavier, who strove especially to protect children. The FXB Center, which is University-wide, employs interdisciplinary approaches to such complex problems as poverty, forced migration, climate disruption, oppression, racism, bigotry, discrimination, and inequity.