Dr. Lisa Berkman is a world-renowned social epidemiologist and influential leader in population health research who currently serves as Director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and the Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Northwestern University in 1972 followed by her Master of Science and Doctorate in epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley, completing her PhD in 1977. Her distinguished career spans over four decades, beginning with her role as head of the division of chronic disease epidemiology at Yale University from 1979 to 1995 before transitioning to Harvard where she headed the Department of Society, Human Development and Health from 1995 to 2008. As an internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Berkman has established herself as a transformative figure whose work bridges public health, social policy, and epidemiological research with exceptional rigor and impact.
Dr. Berkman's groundbreaking research identifying the effects of social networks on mortality risks in the late 1970s fundamentally defined the field of social determinants of health and established the foundation for understanding how social conditions influence population health outcomes. Her extensive body of work, comprising over 300 publications, examines health inequalities related to socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic disparities, social isolation, workplace conditions, and labor policies, with particular emphasis on aging populations and global health challenges. She serves as principal investigator for the landmark Health and Aging Study in Africa, a longitudinal investigation funded by the National Institute on Aging that examines the complex interplay of social, economic, and biological factors influencing health outcomes among older adults in South Africa. Her innovative Study of Workplace Redesign and Worker Well-Being explores how organizational changes can create healthier environments for low and middle-wage workers while simultaneously improving corporate outcomes, demonstrating the practical application of her research to real-world policy challenges.
Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Berkman has significantly shaped her field through leadership roles including past presidency of the Population Association of America and membership in the National Academy of Medicine, where her expertise informs national health policy discussions. She co-edited the seminal textbook Social Epidemiology, now in its second edition, which has become the field's definitive reference work, and recently published Overtime: America's Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer, addressing critical demographic transitions in labor markets. As a core member of the Work and Well-Being Initiative established with MIT, she continues to develop evidence-based workplace interventions that foster employee health and productivity across diverse socioeconomic contexts. Dr. Berkman remains actively engaged in advancing global health research through ongoing projects in South Africa and continues to mentor the next generation of public health scholars who will carry forward her legacy of rigorous, policy-relevant population health research.
