The new center will serve as a hub for scientific research and promote rigorous, evidence-based approaches to mindfulness practice.
For immediate release: Monday April 24, 2023
Boston, MA – The Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health will be launched on April 26 at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. The Center was established with a $25 million gift from an anonymous donor, one of the largest gifts to the School.
The Center’s mission is to empower people around the world to live with purpose, serenity and joy through the practice of mindfulness; pursue evidence-based approaches to improve health and well-being through mindfulness; and educate and train the public in mindfulness. Two main areas of focus will be nutrition and the environment.
“We are thrilled to host this groundbreaking center at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health,” said Michelle A. Williams, Dean of the Faculty. “In public health, we work to population at scale – we aim to reach and uplift entire communities. The Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health will operate in this spirit.
The Center for Mindfulness in Public Health is named in honor of Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022), a Zen master, global spiritual leader, scholar and peace activist revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness, global ethics and peace.
Throughout the Vietnam War, Thich Nhat Hanh traveled tirelessly to spread the principles of nonviolence, compassion, and solidarity, working alongside activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who offered the Buddhist monk a Nobel Prize at the height of the Vietnam War. war. Meanwhile, in his home country, Thich Nhat Hanh put his principles into practice by founding an all-volunteer humanitarian organization known as the School of Youth and Social Service. Thich Nhat Hanh spent his life working for peace and social justice, training the next generation of engaged Buddhists, and building healthy communities of conscious living.
Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in each moment. It is an ancient Buddhist approach to life that teaches us to be here and now, to be aware of what is happening within and around us from moment to moment, without judgment. It can be used to reduce stressincrease self-awareness and cultivate a sense of acceptance and well-being.
As of early 2023, there were nearly 25,000 studies on mindfulness in peer-reviewed publications spanning various disciplines. However, the field is quite young and researchers at the Thich Nhat Hanh Center see the need for additional scientific tools to assess the impact of mindfulness interventions on health and wellness. well-being.
The Center has a number of research initiatives planned, including:
- “Minding Our Future,” which focuses on developing evidence-based, interdisciplinary programs to help people live healthier lives while age. A research stream will examine how mindfulness practices fit into daily life, including the mindful design of dining spaces, menus and shared experiences around foodcan contribute to healthy longevity.
- “Eat, Move and Live Mindfully”, a program that integrates lessons on nutrition, physical activityand mindfulness to help young people establish healthy and conscious behaviors habits who are good for themselves and for the health of planet.
- Research on conscious eating and education program at Harvard and beyond.
“I am very pleased that this new center will enable the scientific study of mindfulness in the context of public health. We look forward to building the Center into a platform for rigorous inquiry and collaborating with colleagues around the world to advance the science of mindfulness,” said Walter WillettProfessor of epidemiology and nutrition and the director of the Center.
Lilian Cheungdirector of research and practice of mindfulness in the Department of Nutrition, met Thich Nhat Hanh in 1997 at a mindfulness retreat and later co-wrote a book with him called “Savour: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life”. “Over the years, I have become deeply interested in how the practice of mindfulness could be applied to the discipline of public health, which seeks to prevent disease and promote well-being on a population scale. population. That’s exactly what this center will do,” Cheung said, adding that she hopes the center will empower people around the world to adopt the practice of mindfulness.
Based within the Department of Nutrition, the center will take a collaborative approach to advancing its mission by working with colleagues across the school, university and global mindfulness communities. The Center is currently recruiting additional teachers.
“The Harvard Chan School has traditionally excelled across the spectrum of biological, quantitative, policyAnd Social Sciences that have an impact on the health of the population,” said Harvey Fineberg, co-chair of the Center’s board of directors and president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. “It is exciting to see this commitment to expanding research and education at the intersection of individual well-being and population health. The establishment of the Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health reflects the School’s comprehensive approach to advancing health, and I am confident that it will make many important contributions to this field.
The Center will celebrate its launch with an inaugural symposium on April 26. This one-day event will bring together leading scholars, mindfulness practitioners and monks who studied under Thich Nhat Hanh to honor his life and explore the scientific evidence supporting the value of mindfulness in improving well-being. be. A video recording of the event will be available at a later date.
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For more information:
Jade Conway
jadeconway@hsph.harvard.edu
Todd Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-8413
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Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to train new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to translate innovative ideas from the lab into people’s lives, not only by achieving scientific breakthroughs, but also by working to change behaviors individuals, public policies and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 Harvard Chan School faculty members teach more than 1,000 full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the school is recognized as the oldest public health professional training program in the United States.
