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Open Inquiry and Constructive Engagement

Harvard Chan School is committed to building a culture of open inquiry and constructive dialogue across differences. We advance our mission by supporting a free, respectful, and academically rigorous exchange of ideas, firmly grounded in science and scholarship.

A Culture of Mutual Respect

Everyone at Harvard Chan School should have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to our mission. To make that possible, we work to build a culture defined by respect, empathy, and the understanding that differences are a source of strength.

Enacting Our Values Together

The School’s Working Group on Constructive Engagement, made up of faculty, postdocs, staff, and students, developed practical recommendations for nurturing an inclusive culture, encouraging open inquiry, and strengthening capacity within our School to engage respectfully across differences. The full report of the working group, published in May 2026, is available to download here.

Recommendations for communicating and reinforcing values and expectations on viewpoint diversity, open inquiry, and pluralism

1. Develop a guiding Constructive Engagement Framework for fostering a shared culture of pluralism, viewpoint diversity, and open inquiry at the School.
2. Shape the norms and expectations of behavior across research, teaching, learning, and administration to operationalize the Constructive Engagement Framework.
3. Create a standing Committee on Constructive Engagement to guide application of the framework and the recommendations from the Working Group.
4. Implement an intentional data gathering and learning strategy to inform approaches to constructive engagement and viewpoint diversity over time.

Recommendations for educational programs

5. Adopt the Chatham House Rule for classrooms to ensure confidentiality.
6. Develop resources and pedagogical tools to support faculty in applying the Framework for Constructive Engagement in their classrooms while also designing opportunities that help students build the skills necessary for constructive dialogue and viewpoint diversity as a critical component of career readiness.
7. Integrate constructive engagement approaches into non-degree courses, including the Advanced Learning Academy.

Recommendations for Schoolwide programming and engagement

8. Establish communications that reinforce our commitment, including through intentional onboarding / orientation of staff, faculty and students and throughout their experience at the School.
9. Develop and implement a strategy for embedding constructive dialogue and exposure to diverse viewpoints at schoolwide events.
10. Establish clear processes for responding to highly emotional or charged incidents.
11. Seek new opportunities for constructive engagement on population health throughout society.

We welcome ideas and feedback from our community. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding these recommendations, please share them through this Qualtrics form.

Engaging across differences isn’t always easy or comfortable, but it is essential to advance public health goals. We see it as a core competency for every member of our community.

Andrea Baccarelli, Dean of the Faculty