Joseph G. Allen is an American academic and public health expert. He is currently the director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard University's T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where he is also an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

Early life and education

Allen graduated from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

with a degree in biology, and from Boston University School of Public Health with a Master of Public Health degree (environmental health) and a Doctor of Science degree (exposure assessment, environmental epidemiology, biostatistics).

Career

Much of Allen's work revolves around the emerging concept of

healthy building Healthy building refers to an emerging area of interest that supports the physical, psychological, and social health and well-being of people in buildings and the built environment. Buildings can be key promoters of health and well-being since most ...

s and the impact of buildings and

indoor air quality Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the air quality within and around buildings and structures. IAQ is known to affect the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduced ...

on human health. Allen co-authored the book Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Can Make You Sick - or Keep You Well (Harvard Press), with John Macomber from Harvard Business School. The New York Times named the book a “Top 8 Book for Healthy Living,” and Fortune named it a book of the year. Allen is a member of the Scientific and Medical Editorial Review Panel of the

American Lung Association The American Lung Association is a voluntary health organization whose mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. History The organization was founded in 1904 to figh ...

Covid-19

Allen served on The Lancet Covid-19 Commission and was Chair of The Lancet Covid-19 Commission Task Force on Safe Work, Safe School, and Safe Travel. He served on Harvard's Coronavirus Advisory and Governor Charlie Baker's (MA) Medical Advisory Board, and was an advisor to The White House Covid-19 Response Team. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, much of his public work concerned the role of building factors in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, especially in the context of schools and the workforce returning to office spaces after an extended period of

remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...

ing during the pandemic. He publicized these considerations through op-eds in major publications, as well as with appearances on television news programs, and often used these platforms to correct misinformation surrounding transmission of the virus on surfaces and in the air. Through the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard, Allen was involved in propagating research on

airborne transmission Airborne or aerosol transmission is transmission of an infectious disease through small particles suspended in the air. Infectious diseases capable of airborne transmission include many of considerable importance both in human and veterinary ...

of COVID-19, collaborating with aerosol researchers including

Linsey Marr Linsey Chen Marr is an American scientist who is the Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her research considers the interaction of nanomaterials and viruses with the atmosphere. During the COVID- ...

, Donald Milton, and

Lidia Morawska Lidia Morawska (born 10 November 1952, Tarnów, Poland) is a Polish-Australian physicist and distinguished professor at the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, at the Queensland University of Technology and director of the International L ...

to incorporate the results of their research into public policy proposals on building design and operation.

Climate Change

Allen studies the role that buildings play in climate change and strategies to off-set building-related emissions. He has published several articles on the climate and health co-benefits of energy-efficiency measures in buildings. He authored an article in Harvard Business Review titled, "Designing buildings that are both well-ventilated and green," that provides recommendations for how to achieve a healthy building that is also energy-efficient.

References

External links

Joseph Allen's Harvard Faculty Website

Joseph G. Allen's Harvard Catalyst Website with publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Joseph G. Living people Harvard School of Public Health faculty Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni Boston University School of Public Health alumni American health educators COVID-19 researchers Year of birth missing (living people)