Dimensions of Harvard Medical School
In 2015, the HMS Office for Culture and Community Engagement joined forces with the Office of Human Resources and the Transit Gallery to create an exhibit entitled, Dimensions of Harvard Medical School.
Dimensions is a collection of photographs capturing examples of the richness inherent within the community of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine faculty, administrators, staff, fellows and students.
Dimensions is a celebration of who we are and what each of us brings to work with us each and every day. Personal narratives written by the participants complement the photography of Jennifer Waddell and reveal the motivations and talents our colleagues draw upon to make Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine “work.” Many of the pictures were taken with a personal object that the individual brought with them to the photo shoot. The object is described in the individual's statement, and tells the story about what the object means to that person.
Dimensions gained new faces during the latest installment in 2025. New portraits were revealed during a community open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the Gordon Hall Flex Space.
Christopher AhnAllen
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, HMS
Staff Psychologist, VA Boston Healthcare System
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I am motivated to be a clinical supervisor for whom my trainees will ultimately model and integrate aspects into their future supervisory roles. I strive to conduct supervisory exchanges in an open...
Angela Alberti
Communications Specialist, Office of Communications & External Relations (OCER), HMS
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? I truly enjoy having the opportunity to meet with people across campus and at our clinical affiliates. I've been lucky enough to meet students in classrooms, Drain surgeons in the operating...
Margarita Alegria
Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, HMS
Director, Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research, Cambridge Health Alliance
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? The passion, creativity and resilience of many of Harvard's students. They are not only incredibly bright, but see the world though a different lens, helping me to learn so much! In what ways do you...
Ronald Arky
Daniel D. Federman Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Medical Education Master, FW Peabody Society, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I am inspired and motivated by my medical students of yesteryear as well as those of today! This is my 54th year at the Harvard Medical School. The extraordinary accomplishments of the many students...
Katrina Armstrong
Jackson Professor of Clinical Medicine, HMS
Physician in Chief, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? Academic medicine holds an incomparable position within the United States as the guardian of three important social goods: the discovery of new knowledge to improve the health of individuals and of...
Robert Barbieri
Kate Macy Ladd Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, HMS
Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? The students, residents, fellows and post-docs working at HMS/HSDM are talented and dedicated clinicians, investigators and educators who will make many important contributions to the future of...
Jane Barrow
Assistant Dean, Global and Community Health, HSDM
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I am inspired every day at HSD by the people I work with. My colleagues in global and community health are dedicated to the care of the underserved and to eliminating disparities both locally and...
Mercedes Becerra
Associate Professor, Global Health and Social Medicine, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? My colleagues at the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and our many collaborators. It is a great gift to work every day with not only intelligent but intellectually generous and...
Franceny Bedoya
Customer Service Sales Attendant, Restaurant Associates
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? What inspires and motivates me is meeting people and interacting with them. I've been working at the Medical School for a little over 9 years. As a Customer Service Sales Attendant in the Atrium...
Beth Beighlie
Digital Imaging Coordinator/Client Service Representative Information Technology, Department of Neurobiology, HMS
In what ways do you feel that you contribute to the Harvard community? Preparing images for inclusion in scientific communications has long been a time-consuming, confusing and frustrating endeavor. I work to streamline image preparations so researchers...
Philip Benware
IT Manager, Desktop Solutions Team, Information Technology, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I'm motivated by the desire to help. In my previous role as a Client Services Representative, I could help one or two people at a time. In my current role as IT Manager for Desktop Solutions in HMS...
Joseph Betancourt
Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS
Director, Disparities Solutions Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
What unique skills and/or talents do you bring to your job? I am committed to improving care to diverse populations, addressing disparities and achieving equity. My passion drives my ability to communicate effectively about the importance of these issues...
Kelsey Biddle
MD Candidate '25, HMS
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? As a medical student with a disability (type 1 narcolepsy with cataplexy), I am passionate about making medical education more accessible to all. During my first year of medical school, I...
Kristin Bittinger
Dean for Faculty and Research Integrity, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? Although a seemingly canned answer, I am, in all truthfulness, inspired by the people and community at Harvard Medical School. This community includes smart, talented and truly caring people that...
David Bor
Charles S Davidson Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS
Chief of Medicine, Cambridge Health
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? I've dedicated my career to promoting respectful relationships among Cambridge Health Alliance's clinicians, staff and students and with the people we serve. My colleagues and I find...
Xandra Breakefield
Professor of Neurology, HMS
Geneticist, Neurology and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Many people view research scientists as a bit nerdy, even boring. In fact, we are really thrill seekers. We work arduously for years with little reward, all for that glorious moment when we learn something new that no one ever knew before. Intellectual...
Denise Brown
Staff Assistant III, Office of Student Affairs, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? What inspires me is my belief in, and dedication to, the mission of HMS and our students, whose lives will be dedicated to fulfilling that mission. My job at HMS enables me to interact with many of...
Joan Brugge
Louise Foote Pfeiffer Professor of Cell Biology Co-Director, Ludwig Center at Harvard, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? Through my entire career, I have been motivated by the desire to bring new insights into the cause and treatment of cancer. This overarching motivation is fed by my strong curiosity about how cells...
David Cardozo
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology Director of the Division of Medical Sciences, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I'm motivated by the delight in working with talented and committed staff, students (graduate, dental and medical) and faculty. More than anything, I believe in HMS's fundamental commitment to make...
Terésa Carter
Program Manager, Career Development, Office for Culture and Community Engagement, HMS
What is the significance of the outfit you are wearing in the photo shoot? A garment of praise, glory and honor. That is one scriptural definition of the attire I am wearing. The robe and underlying dress are a liturgical dance garment, formal attire worn...
Patrick Casky
Grants Officer, Sponsored Programs Administration, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? As a trained dancer, I always use dance as a springboard to everything I do. It has shaped my life and given me the discipline that I bring to my work at HMS, and to everything else that I do. That...
Constance Cepko
Bullard Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience Professor of Ophthalmology, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I love being a scientist. I had the opportunity to begin working in lab while in middle school, where Tell in love with doing experiments. Simply going nto lab felt like going home to me, and it...
Bernard Chang
Dean for Medical Education, Daniel D. Federman, MD Professor of Neurology and Medical Education, HMS
What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot? My object is a color lithograph produced in Paris in 1867 demonstrating the anatomy of the human brain. It is one of a series of such pieces that are displayed in my office. I...
Manuel Chinchilla
Programmer/Data Analyst, Office of Faculty Affairs, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? What motivates me as a data analyst and programmer in the Office for Faculty Affairs is the work I do: making data sets of our faculty, running statistical models to describe them, perhaps finding...
Roberto Colter
Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, HMS
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? Community building is something that happens slowly. So, all of our everyday activities -- some of which might appear mundane and inconsequential the moment they occur - will have an effect...
Cary Crall
HMS MD'16
One day, during my third year clinical rotations, I accidentally arrived at the hospital wearing bright red finger nail polish. The night before I had performed in drag for a fundraiser for LGBTQ homeless youth and had fallen asleep without being able to...
Christopher Crosby
Facilities Operations Manager, Campus Planning & Facilities, HMS
What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot? Photo of my great grandfather - born in 1899 only finished the third grade, but managed to build home, farm and raise my mother as his own. The people motivate me the most; I...
George Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? Harvard Medical School is full of exceptional scientists, clinicians, and scholars, all of whom are deeply devoted to learning, striving, and serving the public good. I am motivated each day to try...
Elizabeth (Lisa) Derendorf
Program Coordinator, FW Peabody Society, Program in Medical Education, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? No question, my colleagues that I work with inspire me to do my best work in my role as coordinator of the Peabody Society. It is through their example and friendship that I find the motivation to...
R Bruce Donoff
Dean, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Walter C Guralnick Distinguished Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, HSDM
What inspires or motivate you in your role at HMS/HSDM? The chance to be involved with young men and women who choose to provide the best in health care whether general or oral health is the number one motivation. It provides opportunities to meet first...
Karen Easley
Research Operations Manager, Department of Cell Biology, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? The people I work with inspire me to be the best that I can be. The members of my department are caring and supportive of each other. We are a diverse group, with people from many different...
Kaiz Esmail
MD Candidate '27, HMS
What are you most proud of about your work at HMS/HSDM? I feel so unbelievably lucky to be a medical student here at HMS, to participate in the transformative power of education, and to reify its impact on both individuals and communities. The opportunity...
Sara Fazio
Advisory Dean and Director, Walter Bradford Cannon Society
Director of Education, HMS Center for Primary Care
Professor of Medicine, HMS
General Internist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
What inspires of motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? As a young girl, I watched my mother struggle to receive appropriate care for a delayed diagnosis, given limited options available to her because she could not afford more comprehensive treatment...
Christina Ferlisi Kennedy
Executive Assistant, Office of Research Administration & Operations, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? It's not uncommon to feel disconnected from the research, science and medicine when you work on he administrative side of HMS. However, inspiratior s easily found in listening to the findings...
Jeffrey Flier
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? HMS has a long and rich history, and an inspiring and consequential mission to advance human health. t is also a diverse community of remarkable people and institutions. Working every day to support...
Lachlan Forrow
Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS
Director Ethics & Palliative Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I am amazingly blessed to work at a medical center (BIDMC) and in a larger community (HMS/HSPH/ HSDM and Harvard University) with so many people who are inspiring and extraordinarily-accomplished...
William Giannobile
Dean, HSDM
A. Lee Loomis Jr. Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity, HSDM
What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot? I brought a photo of my family farm that I grew up at in Central Missouri. The image evokes a feeling of peacefulness of the beautiful countryside. It also shows where I came...
Yvonne Gomez-Carrion
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, HMS
Director of the OB/GYN Resident Surgical Service, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? I am Yvonne Gomez-Carrion and I am a gynecologist who strives to deliver outstanding care to all of my patients regardless of race, educational level, socioeconomic status, sexual...
Ernesto Gonzalez-Martinez
Professor of Dermatology, HMS
Dermatologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
My mother, Aurora Martinez, who passed away 15 years ago, has always been my inspiration. Her vision as a widow with two children facing social and racial discrimination was to strive for the education of her children beyond the second grade education she...
MJ Grein
Senior Administrative Coordinator, Countway Library, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? The biggest motivator for me is to ensure the people I work with, and support are successful every day. This means I'm doing my job. What are you most proud of about your work at HMS/HSDM? I love...
Sanjay Gulati
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, HMS
Deaf Service, Cambridge Hospital
Deaf Program, Boston Children's Hospital
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? I first planned to be a physicist. Then I went deaf, an experience that was both catastrophic and transformative. Among the many surprising discoveries I made then was how helpful others can be in...
Lorien Hecht
Assistant Director, Dean's Office and Special Projects, HMS
What unique skills and/or talents do you bring to your job? I bring a strong mix of logistical, organizational, and problem-solving skills that are essential for managing complex events and meetings. Over the years, I have planned and executed a variety...
Chirelle Hitt
Staff Assistant III, Office of Human Resources, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? Providing excellent customer service to the HMS/HSDM employees. Knowing that I am one among the many faces of Human Resources and I do my best to make sure that those that I come into contact with...
Grace Huang
Dean for Faculty Affairs, HMS
Professor of Medicine, BIDMC
What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot? I brought a photo of my adult skating team at the 2024 National Theatre on Ice competition, where we took home the bronze medal. This photo represents three concepts that are...
Julie Huang
Executive Director of the Department of Cell Biology, HMS
What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot? This is a handwritten thank-you note from a laboratory research assistant in my department before he departed for graduate school. It's easy to tell if some aspects of the...
Simon Ibanez
Quad Garage Parking Attendant, HMS
What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM? It inspires and motivates me to know that each and every day I work side by side with a great group of people who are respectful and hard working. In what ways do you feel you contribute to the...
Liza Iezzoni
Professor of Medicine, HMS
Director, Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? For spreading messages, Harvard Medical School's "bully pulpit" offers enormous reach and credibility. I recognize, however, the irony of my using this platform to amplify the voices of...
Sharon Inouye
Professor of Medicine, HMS
Director, Aging Brain Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife
In what ways do you feel you contribute to the Harvard community? I moved to Harvard Medical School in 2005, drawn by the intellectual energy and openness to new ideas. I came with the dream of joining kindred spirits eager to make the world a better...
Lillian Johnson
Financial Aid Coordinator, Office of Financial Aid, HMS
What are you most proud of about your work at HMS/HSDM? Being named the 2012 recipient of the Dolores J Brown Staff Award. The candidates for the award had to meet the following criteria: Have a record of outstanding service to his/her position...
Domenica Karavitaki
Research Associate, Department of Neurobiology, HMS
My work is focused on understanding the cellular mechanisms of sound propagation in the inner ear. Motivated by how little we know and by how much we learn through rigorous experimentation, I trust that our findings will prove essential for curing human...
