Harvard Medicine Magazine
Stories about the connections between the health of the planet and the health of its inhabitants
As Youth Demand Climate Action in Court, Doctors Bear Witness
A youth-led legal movement centers on the fundamental right to a healthy climate. Some physicians are providing key evidence to support these claims.
Confronting Health Care’s Carbon Footprint
Hospitals are waking up to their climate change culpability and the mandate to act
A Walk in the Woods May Boost Mental Health
Many physicians are prescribing time in nature as balm for the brain
Memory and the Senses
The Connections Between Smell, Memory, and Health
The ability of odors to bring to mind past experiences has intriguing scientific and therapeutic implications
Harnessing the Senses to Improve Memory
Andrew Budson, MD ’93, explains how multisensory cues can shape and strengthen our recollections of the past
How Music Resonates in the Brain
Scientists tune in to the brain’s emotional response to music
The Heart Issue
Heart-Brain Health: A Two-Way Street
The health of the cardiovascular system is linked to the health of the brain — and vice versa
COVID’s Damage Lingers in the Heart
Researchers increasingly find that the effects of infection by SARS-CoV-2 extend to the cardiovascular system
What We Get When We Give
In addition to helping others, kindness can benefit one's health
With A-Fib on the Rise, Researchers Work to Fine-Tune Treatments
Atrial fibrillation is an electrical malfunction. But what triggers it remains a mystery.
Featured Stories
Shared Identity and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Patients with demographically similar physicians tend to report increased satisfaction. Do they also have better health outcomes?
Dyslexia and the Developing Brain
Research on dyslexia is identifying the many factors — neural to societal — that are linked to the condition
How Medical Experts Interact With the Law
Alumni working with the legal system demonstrate the many ways in which law and medicine are entwined
The Written Word
Uché Blackstock Is on a Mission to Root Out Racism in Medicine
The author of "Legacy" talks racial concordance, medical education, and her path to becoming a second-generation Black woman physician