From January 6 to 24, 2025, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health took place in the city of Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará, Brazil. This program brought together students, researchers, and professionals from diverse backgrounds to engage in critical discussions on public health challenges and innovative solutions.

The course hosted 30 participants, including 15 selected students from Harvard and 15 Brazilian participants. Among the selected participants was Luisa Arroyave, a postdoctoral fellow at the ICEH. Her participation in the course provided a unique opportunity to collaborate with peers, exchange knowledge, and engage in hands-on fieldwork related to health inequalities, child development, and infectious disease control.

The course, coordinated by Professor Marcia Castro, Andelot Professor of Demography, and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Population, combined lectures, discussions, site visits to community-based programs, and group work. Throughout the program, attendees had the opportunity to interact with public health professionals, policymakers, and community leaders. The course organizers designed dynamic sessions to foster knowledge exchange and the development of innovative strategies to address persistent health challenges. Luisa specifically contributed to a project on child development, utilizing data from the IRACEMA birth cohort study.

The Harvard-Brazil Collaborative Public Health Field Course 2025 proved to be an invaluable experience for all participants. The interdisciplinary approach, hands-on engagement, and exposure to real-world public health initiatives strengthened participants' understanding of key health issues. Luisa Arroyave’s contributions to the course underscored the importance of international collaboration in addressing global health issues and disparities. This experience will undoubtedly influence her ongoing research and reinforce partnerships.