

Course Schedule
The 2025 course was held June 16-20, on Harvard University's Campus in Cambridge, MA. Class was not held on Thursday, June 19th, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. The course consisted of four full days, Monday to Wednesday, and Friday. There was a mix of lectures, interactive discussions, practical work, and mentoring sessions. Lectures are around one hour-long (40 minutes lecture, 20-minute discussion). Practical activities consisted of group work, analysis demonstrations, student flash talks, and more.​​
​
Each day of the course has a different thematic focus exploring the linkages between emotional well-being and physical health. In addition to core sessions, guest speakers presented on topics that are particularly relevant in the field right now. These session topics include: social networks, arts and health, nature and well-being, and cross-cultural understanding of well-being.
​
We provided coffee and tea breaks each day, as well as organized opportunities for student interactions and social activities. There were other opportunities to chat with course directors and faculty during the course and in the evenings.
Daily Breakdown
The following is representative of the typical schedule during previous courses.
Monday
State of the Knowledge on Linkages Between Emotional Well-being and Physical Health
Topics include:
-
Orientation
-
State of the knowledge
-
Defining and measuring well-being
Tuesday
Methods & Novel Topics
Topics include:
-
Cross-cultural understanding of well-being
-
Study design: epidemiological and experimental studies
-
Nature and well-being
-
Methods to enhance causal inference
Wednesday
Mechanisms
Topics include:​
-
Biological mechanisms
-
Behavioral mechanisms
-
Income and well-being
-
Measuring well-being at the societal level
Friday
Social Context & Interventions
Topics include:
-
Arts and cultural interventions
-
Measuring well-being at the societal level
-
Well-being and public policy
-
Interventions in patient populations
-
Social connections and health​
​
​