Hunger, Food Security, and the Race to Produce New Seeds for a Climate-Changed World

Many of the world’s most productive agricultural regions are increasingly vulnerable to extreme droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather patterns. As climate change forces farmers to migrate and adapt, the ripple effects on global food systems and public health will be felt for decades. In response, crop research centers are racing to develop new seed varieties that can withstand these harsh conditions. Drawing on lessons from the mid-twentieth century efforts to rapidly increase food production, this session explores the urgent need for innovation in food production, highlighting the long-term impacts on the environment, health, and food security. Dr. Gabriela Soto Laveaga will discuss how this race for resilience will shape the future of global health and well-being. Dr. Megan Murray will moderate the conversation.

The event is free and open to the public.

About the Speakers

Gabriela Soto Laveaga, PhD, MA, Professor of the History of Science and Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico at Harvard University

Gabriela Soto Laveaga is Professor of the History of Science and Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico at Harvard University. Her award-winning first book Jungle Laboratories: Mexican Peasants, National Projects and the Making of the Pill narrated the impact of the search for medicinal plants at the local, national, and global level. Her award-wining articles have ranged from examining the role of indigenous midwives in the Mexican healthcare system, the use of soap operas to deliver public health messaging, Latin American innovation in science and medicine, and how we narrate histories of science outside of so-called centers of innovation. She is completing two book manuscripts: one on doctors as agents of social unrest and her third book which examines agricultural science exchange between India and Mexico. She has been a fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, held the Dibner Distinguished fellowship in History of Science and Technology at the Huntington Library, among other awards. Most recently she was elected to the Academia Mexicana de la Historia, one of the highest honors for a historian of Mexico, especially one outside of the country. She is also a past recipient of the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Graduate Mentoring Award.

Megan Murray, ScD, MD, Ronda Stryker and William Johnston Professor of Global Health, Harvard Medical School; Director of Research, Global Health & Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Megan Murray is an epidemiologist and an infectious disease physician, with over 25 years of experience studying tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. She received her MD from Harvard Medical School in 1990 and completed her residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital. She received her ScD in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2000. She currently serves as the Ronda Stryker and William Johnston Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and as a Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Murray’s research focuses on social, host and pathogen specific determinants of TB infection, disease and treatment outcomes. She studies nutritional risk factors for TB infection and disease, including macronutrients status and the role of Vitamins A, E and D. She uses bacterial and human genetic and genomic tools to identify variants of interest and their role in TB.

About the Global Research and Innovation Speaker Series

The Harvard Global Health Institute’s Global Health Research and Innovation Speaker Series showcases the latest scholarly and scientific advancements in global health across Harvard and beyond, to make cutting-edge research accessible to a diverse global audience, and to spark innovative solutions in the pursuit of health equity and improved health outcomes worldwide. The public series takes place virtually on the second Tuesday of each month from 12:00 to 12:45 pm ET. Each session will include a presentation by a featured speaker showcasing their innovative research in global health, followed by a moderated Q&A.

Speakers will share their own perspectives; they do not speak for Harvard.