This summer short course draws on a variety of empirical methods with careful consideration of measurement issues to provide attendees with a systematic and rigorous overview of the relationship between positive emotional well-being and physical health.
Course Objectives
Course Aims
Through their involvement with the course, participants have gained concrete skills in the different ways of measuring well-being and evaluating linkages between emotional well-being and physical health. In addition, they gained knowledge related to the social and biological processes that are relevant to the linkages between social, psychological, and physical health. At the end of the course week, participants received certificates of completion signed by the course leaders.
The short course aimed to achieve the following objectives:
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To provide up-to-date, state-of-the-art knowledge on the linkages between emotional well-being and physical health outcomes
To teach skills to critically evaluate research in this field
To develop participants’ research skills and their ability to identify appropriate epidemiological and other research methods that can be used to study emotional well-being and physical health outcomes
To build a network of scholars who will lead the next generation of research in this area
Student Testimonials
Dr. Säde Stenlund, 2023 Course Participant:
Dr. Yoobin Park, 2023 Course Participant:
"As someone with a background in social psychology, I joined the course hoping to learn more about how exactly emotional well-being is related to physical health. Overall, what truly surprised me, and what I appreciated the most, was the diversity of perspectives offered in this course. In each lecture, speakers from various disciplines who take different theoretical and methodological approaches shared their own views on studying well-being and health, fueling insightful discussions. The breadth of topics covered throughout the course, from measurement issues to interventions and policy implications, was impressive. This course also provided great networking opportunities. I really enjoyed talking to the speakers and other attendees and discussing potentials for future collaborations. Overall, the course exceeded my expectations in many ways and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this field."
Course History
The course has targeted junior scholars (postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty), early career researchers, and doctoral level graduate students in epidemiology, social science, medicine, psychology or related areas, as well as those involved in policy decisions. Approximately 30-40 applicants were accepted each year to attend the course. This relatively small number has helped to ensure that students have sufficient time for interacting in a meaningful way with their peers and with the course faculty. A breakdown of the course from 2021 - 2025 is provided below.
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2025:
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Hosted at Harvard University (Cambridge MA, USA) from June 16-20
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30 participants coming from USA, UK, Canada, and Spain.
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43% of attendees were students and 40% were early-career researchers!
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We offered 16 tuition fellowships!
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2024:
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Hosted at Harvard University (Cambridge MA, USA) from July 15-19
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42 participants coming from USA, UK, Czech Republic, Canada, Georgia, Switzerland, Philippines, Norway, and Brazil.
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48% of attendees were students, and 36% were early-career researchers!
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We offered 24 tuition fellowships, including 4 Network for Emotional Well-being fellows and 4 Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies fellows!
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2023:
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Hosted at Harvard University (Cambridge MA, USA) from July 10-14
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30 participants coming from USA, UK, Canada, Lebanon, and South Africa.
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43% of participants were students and 47% were early-career researchers!
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We offered 4 Network for Emotional Well-being tuition fellowships!
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2022:
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Hosted at University College London (London, UK) from July 11-15
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32 participants coming from USA, UK, Hong Kong, South Africa, Austria, Belgium, Singapore, Italy, and Ireland.
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53% of attendees were students, and 41% were early-career researchers!
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We offered 10 full tuition fellowships, including 4 Network for Emotional Well-being fellows and 6 Lee Kum Kee Family Foundation fellows!
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2021:
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Hosted virtually from July 12-16
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28 participants calling in virtually from USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Estonia, Australia, and Switzerland.
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57% of attendees were students, and 29% were early-career researchers!