“Evolution in medicine: Past, present, and future”

Harvey Fineberg, M.D, Ph.D
President, Gordon and Bette Moore Foundation

Evolutionary biology is fundamental to modern medicine. The field of evolution in medicine is coming of age, as signified by this inaugural meeting of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health. This presentation will consider some basic tenets of the field, examine contemporary areas of application of evolutionary principles to medicine and public health, and point to possible future directions for research, clinical applications, and professional education.

Harvey V. Fineberg is the president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and interim chief program officer for its Patient Care Program. He previously held the Presidential Chair for 2014-2015 as visiting professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to that, he served as president of the Institute of Medicine from 2002 to 2014 and as provost of Harvard University from 1997 to 2001, following 13 years as dean of the Harvard School of Public Health. He has devoted most of his academic career to the fields of health policy and medical decision-making. His past research has focused on the process of policy development and implementation, assessment of medical technology, evaluation and use of vaccines, and dissemination of medical innovations.  

Fineberg chairs the board of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and serves on the boards of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the China Medical Board. He helped found and served as president of the Society for Medical Decision Making and also served as consultant to the World Health Organization.

Fineberg is co-author of the books Clinical Decision Analysis, Innovators in Physician Education and The Epidemic That Never Was, an analysis of the controversial federal immunization program against swine flu in 1976. He has co-edited several books on such diverse topics as AIDS prevention, vaccine safety, understanding risk in society and global health. He has also authored numerous articles published in professional journals. Fineberg is the recipient of several honorary degrees—the Frank A. Calderone Prize in Public Health, the Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research and the Harvard Medal, awarded by the alumni association of the university from which he earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees.