Core values, concepts, and principles of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Health is a fundamental right of every human being.
- Public health has the responsibility to improve and protect the health of all populations, especially the most vulnerable of these—children, the elderly, the poor, and the underserved.
- Public health must emphasize prevention and embrace collective, multifaceted action to respond to emerging challenges to health practitioners and researchers; it must investigate disease determinants and risks, improve health care quality and delivery, and influence policy.
- Institutions of public health should provide information that promotes health in populations and empowers individuals to make sound health decisions.
- The educational and research agenda of a public health institution must transcend local and national boundaries—health is a global concern.
- A public health institution should support the ideal of service in all its aspects—research, teaching, community involvement, and communication.
- All members of a public health institution should respect the highest principles of scientific and academic conduct, foster open inquiry, and honor individual rights.