Diabetes in Humanitarian Crises

In October, the International Alliance for Diabetes Action (IADA) hosted their 5th Symposium on Diabetes in Humanitarian Crises in Geneva, Switzerland. Hosted in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Centre for Global Chronic Conditions (LSHTM CGCC), and Mass General Brigham, and supported by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the event convened almost 130 researchers, healthcare providers, and humanitarian actors to address the challenges and opportunities of diabetes care in crisis settings — turning commitments into action, sustaining care amid funding shifts, prioritizing nutrition, and advancing care for diabetes in pregnancy - while mapping key research needs and opportunities for meaningful engagement.

Emergency Health Systems Program

• In September, the Emergency Health Systems Program partnered with SimX virtual reality medical training platform to implement a feasibility study exploring how HHI can incorporate virtual reality elements into its current education programming. Thank you to everyone who participated! 
• HHI attended AidEx, the world's leading humanitarian aid and disaster relief event, this past October in Geneva, Switzerland. Program members were honored to have led a highly interactive session titled 'Humanitarian Response Simulation Challenge' which offered participants a hands-on experience in navigating real-world humanitarian response scenarios and showcased elements of the annual Humanitarian Response Intensive Course to an international audience. 
• UA-MED Ukrainian Alliance for Medical Exchange and Development Conference: At this year's Heal Ukraine conference at Harvard University, members of the EHS team were featured on the panel 'Building, Implementing, Evaluating, and Transitioning Trauma Training Programs' where they discussed lessons learned and accomplishments from their various Ukraine programs in collaboration with Global Medical Knowledge Alliance, International Medical Corps, and Project ECHO. 

Program on Resilient Communities

In October, Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino, Director of the Program on Resilient Communities, traveled to Munich, Germany to participate in the International Conference on Climate Resilience held at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU).

Dr. Bollettino spoke on the panel “Strengthening Resilience in Healthcare Systems,” where he presented his work titled “From Anxiety to Action: Eco-Anxiety as a Driver of Disaster Preparedness and Adaptation in the Philippines.” The conference was an inspiring opportunity to exchange insights with experts from around the world on building resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of climate challenges.

Better Data Amidst Disaster

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) juniors worked with members of HHI to learn about HHI research and programs and challenges facing the field, ultimately designing a new collection tool for humanitarian aid. HHI was so excited to collaborate with Professor Mooney and his students last semester and engage in cross-discipline innovation that advances social impact. Read more here.

Drew Boyd, MA

HHI Visiting Scientist, Signal Program

Drew Boyd has more than a decade of experience in civilian protection, security, humanitarian technology and direct cooperation with at-risk communities. He has worked extensively with human rights defenders around the world, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, South Sudan, Myanmar, and other conflict zones. He has provided expert testimony to parliamentary committees working to address mass atrocities and genocide, provided technical and operational guidance to various international organizations, and delivered presentations at global conferences on the subjects of violence prevention and early warning.

Yvonne Su, PhD, M.Sc.

HHI Visiting Scientist, Program on Resilient Communities

Dr. Yvonne Su is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Rights and Equity Studies at York University, a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Research Fellow at Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS). Her interdisciplinary expertise spans forced migration, queer migration, global remittance economies, climate change adaptation and climate (im)mobilities. Her research adopts a policy-oriented, community-based approach, undertaking field-based research across the Global South. Dr. Su has secured over $12 million in external research funding. Currently, she is part of three multi-million-dollar climate grants examining climate adaptation in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Ghana, Canada and the Arctic. 

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative is hiring!

HHI is seeking a proactive, organized, and creative Communications Coordinator (Light-Hire, 14 hours per week) to manage HHI’s communications. Full job description & details linked here. To apply, please email your resume directly to Matilda Matovu, HHI Manager of Administration (mmatovu@hsph.harvard.edu).

HHI Holiday Bowling Party

In December, members of the HHI team enjoyed a festive night out bowling, filled with fun, laughs, and some friendly competition. Congratulations to Hama Othman on the best score (with some close competition), ultimately taking home the trophy!

HHI Team Selfie

The HHI team meets weekly, but not always in person. When the opportunities arise to capture the smiles and warmth of the people behind the work, it must be captured! HHI team members are grateful for the chance to reflect, reconnect, and celebrate another year of collaboration. Selfie below!