John Harvard's Journal ing to be looking into what’s going on, they the point of a college-admissions process Elsewhere, students and other observers dialed down the Asian penalty. This is pow- ought to be, and what criteria are legitimate have argued that SFFA has used discrimina- erful, circumstantial evidence of discrimina- in achieving it. Watson professor of law Jean- tion against Asian Americans to obscure its tion.” Lee later forcefully refuted that claim: nie Suk Gersen has contributed regular com- real aim in the case: to dismantle affirmative “From the class of 2006 to the class of 2019, the mentary to The New Yorker on the subject. As action and harm the disadvantaged groups percent of Asian Americans in the admitted SFFA did, she compares Harvard’s current who benefit from it. “[R]ecognizing that class increased from 16.5 percent to almost admissions policies with its efforts to limit racism can affect how Asian Americans are 21 percent—an increase of approximately 25 the number of Jewish students enrolled in perceived in college admissions cannot, and percent....Last year—for the class of 2022— the 1920s. “[O]ne outcome of this month’s should not, be a referendum on the entire Asian Americans were almost 23 percent of trial,” she wrote in October, “has been to structure of race-based admissions policies,” the admitted class. The idea that being sued heighten awareness of implicit racial biases. argued Elyse Pham ’22 in The Harvard Crim- by SFFA is the reason these numbers have And, win or lose, Harvard’s Asian problem, son, in one of several op-eds by students on gone up is simply not true.” recalling the experience of Jews, will be a the subject. The questions of race, identity, Whatever the outcome of the trial and piece of the social history of an American deserts, and fairness that have been ampli- its subsequent appeals, the case has pro- minority group on its way to eventual, if not fied by the trial are sure to live beyond the duced wide-ranging discourse about what always enthusiastic, acceptance.” litigation. vmarina n. bolotnikova
cancer treatment, making current miracle cial potential, was followed by a $50-million Accelerating Medical cures the standard of care by 2030. gift, in 2013, in support of translating basic That vision may now have a better chance science into therapies and a Harvard Business Research of becoming reality. The symposium cele- School fellowship program for life-sciences Netflix has thrived in part because it brated a $200-million gift, the largest in entrepreneurs. Those were mere preludes to knows what movies subscribers have HMS history, focused on four priorities: the newest philanthropy, summarized in the watched—and which films similar viewers • investments in the infrastructure and news announcement this way: have enjoyed. Is there an analogy to this pow- technology for basic and clinically applica- School priorities supported by the erful recommendation protocol applicable to ble research; gift include deepening fundamental medicine? Nelson professor of biomedical • faculty appointments focusing on bio- discovery; accelerating the develop- informatics Isaac Kohane thinks so. During a medical informatics (see “Toward Precision ment of new treatments; spurring ap- Harvard Medical School (HMS) symposium Medicine,” May-June 2015, page 17) and data plications of data science toward the on November 8, he outlined a tool that would science, among other fields; comprehension, diagnosis, treatment encourage cancer “superresponders”—the • grants to seed collaborations among and cure of disease; recruiting data patients who achieve gains in longevity not HMS researchers and those at its 15 affili- scientists, computational biologists, of a year or two, but of many times that—to ated hospitals and other research institu- bioengineers and other experts; and share their health and therapeutic histories, tions—an important step toward harness- catalyzing collaborative discovery ing the latent power across the broader Harvard life sci- of the Greater Boston ences ecosystem. biomedical ecosys- The presentations by Kohane and others tem; and illustrated some of the scientific and thera- • a Longwood peutic potential. A separate panel discus- Medical Area “life sion, moderated by MIT president emerita lab,” a counterpart Susan Hockfield, a neuroscientist, demon- to the facility in strated some of the leverage from bringing Allston, to support the expertise resident in Boston-area insti- nascent biotechnol- tutions—with their thousands of basic re- ogy and life-sciences searchers, academic clinicians, and skilled enterprises. technicians—to bear on common problems. The gift, from the Laurie Glimcher ’72, M.D. ’76, president and Coming together: Greater Boston biomedical and life-sciences Blavatnik Family CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and panelists (from left) Eric Lander (Broad Institute), Vasant Foundation, builds professor of systems biology Eric Lander, Narasimhan (Novartis), and Laurie Glimcher (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), with moderator Susan Hockfield (MIT) upon prior support the president and founding director of the for biomedical re- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (a lead- genomic data, lifestyle indicators, and more, search from Len Blavatnik, M.B.A. ’89, who ing center for genomics research), said it so clinicians will know what drugs to try has been a benefactor of science around the mattered not at all whether scientists con- when they meet new but similar patients. globe. A $10-million gift to Harvard in 2009 ducted research at one venue or another. Harnessing such patient data with therapeu- split evenly between cancer-vaccine research Both hailed the growth of an intellectu- tic information and possible clues to further and a “biomedical accelerator fund,” to en- ally integrated “community” of life scien- research, he said, would radically advance courage development of ideas with commer- tists. Glimcher also cited the collaborations
18 January - February 2019 Photographs by Kris Snibbe/Harvard Public Affairs and Communications
Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 John Harvard's Journal among academic medical centers and phar- With Len Blavatnik ironically laid maceutical companies as “a marriage made low in London following surgery, Dean George Daley (left) and in heaven,” noting the relationship dating to President Larry Bacow conferred 1982 between her enterprise and Novartis, an HMS jacket on his brother, Alex which has a vast research center in Cam- Blavatnik—a sign of membership bridge. Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan, in the Medical School community. M.D.-M.P.P. ’03, cited the advantages of scale Stressing the importance of collabo- in bringing discoveries to patients’ bedside: rating with community institutions his company performs 550 clinical trials per and scientists, he said it was “not a year, he said, and its compounds treat a bil- gift just to Harvard but to biomedi- lion people annually (the sort of data that, cine through Harvard,” igniting a ultimately, Kohane and his bioinformatics “new era of discovery.” colleagues hope to harness). The gift, which has been in the works of his stupendous gift: a resident of London, President Lawrence S. Bacow hailed the since earlier in the year, underscores a fun- Len Blavatnik was recuperating in a hospi- gift as an endorsement of “curiosity-based damental strengthening of HMS, which has tal there following an appendectomy, occa- research” and a powerful statement of sup- been operating at a deficit for several years sioning some rueful humor about expedient port for the “unique ecosystem” of life and (not unusual among institutions which con- medical care; he watched the proceedings by biomedical sciences in Greater Boston, duct expensive “wet” lab science; the fiscal a live video link. For a detailed report on the where “We have the capacity” to trans- year 2018 red ink was $39 million). It follows Blavatnik gift and HMS, see harvardmag. form health and reimagine health care. He the school’s successful capital campaign, com/hms200mgift-18. thanked Blavatnik for “supporting the very which realized $789.4 million in gifts and Separately, Harvard’s science aspirations best people in the very best places,” espe- pledges (much of that for research, as was were advanced by another nine-figure gift, cially in the life sciences, raising the odds noted in a November 8 evening celebration at this one to the Faculty of Arts and Scienc- for discoveries of fundamental importance. Fenway Park), and the recent sale of a lease- es (FAS). On October 12, The Harvard Gazette An ebullient HMS dean George Q. Daley hold interest on an HMS research building unveiled an anonymous $100-million gift, proclaimed this a “pivotal moment in the his- (which brought in another $272.5 million). by an alumnus and his wife, designated to tory of medicine,” and said the new gift would In a hard-to-believe moment, the donor keep the Science Center in shape as a core have a “transformative impact and outcomes.” himself was absent from the gala celebration undergraduate teaching facility; support mathematics research; and provide unre- stricted funding for use at the discretion of the FAS dean. The donor is described as a 1990s College graduate; his interests, in col- Explore More laborations with Israel and in mathemati- cal finance, perhaps provide grist for bud- Harvardmagazine.com brings you ding applied mathematicians to develop an algorithm to try to peel back the cloak of continuous coverage of University and alumni news. anonymity from one of the most generous Visit to find these stories and more: donors in Harvard history. vjohn s. rosenberg A Quantum Science Initiative Harvard thinks bigger about the odd realm of matter at the very smallest scale. harvardmag.com/quantsci-18 Surplus Surprise… and the Endowment’s A Culinary Tour of the New Smith Campus Center Evolution Six new vendors supply the Harvard community with coffee, cocktails, wraps, and much more. The University’s financial report for the harvardmag.com/smithcenter-food-18 fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, published on October 25, revealed a fifth consecutive budget surplus—nearly $200 million—in Allston Land Company Leads Harvard part reflecting continued U.S. economic Commercial Development growth and the benefits accruing from the A new, wholly owned subsidiary will direct $9.62-billion Harvard Campaign (which Harvard’s commercial district plans in Allston. wrapped up on June 30; see harvardmag. harvardmag.com/allstonlandco-18 com/campaigntotal-18). The report includ- visit harvardmagazine.com ed an annual message from Harvard Man- FROM TOP: COURTESY OF JOHN DOYLE/HARVARD RESEARCH CENTER FOR QUANTUM OPTICS; KEN RIVARD; HARVARD PLANNING OFFICE agement Company (HMC) chief executive
Harvard Magazine 19
Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746