Attack on Summers' Remarks Prove Off-Base

To the editors:

The opinion article entitled, “Summers in a Matrix” (Op-ed, Nov. 12), accuses University President Lawrence H. Summers of being either ”ignorant or deliberately misrepresenting facts” specific to U.S. foreign policy in the developing world “through several” rhetorical statements he made during the Harvard School of Public Health Forum: “Public Health Crisis in Africa, How May Harvard Help?”

These accusations came as an offshoot of Summers’ responses to questions centered around what the “Matrix” author states as “a seemingly obvious point in the forum: some of the largest problems facing the developing world health, such as AIDS and nutrition, could be combated globally if trade policies were adapted in order to prevent further impoverishment of poor countries.”

To the contrary this was not “an obvious point” or focus of the forum discussion. Specifically, the forum was not a venue created to indict U.S. foreign policy initiatives; rather it was a student-organized roundtable discussion on how Harvard University, through its existing mission of promoting world-class research and sustained teaching excellence, can help alleviate the current public health crisis in Africa. Lack of existing primary health care infrastructure, continued political instability and cultural-religious stigmas against Western interventions are just a subset of the problems that have historically impeded many well intended international relief efforts focused on alleviating poverty and combating disease. Additionally, the author of “The Matrix” cogently outlines many U.S. foreign policy challenges that continue to serve as obstacles to create sustained public health efforts in the developing world. However, it is speculative at best to assume that focusing primarily on changes in U.S. foreign policy would have a noticeable effect on improving health outcomes or building the infrastructure necessary to promote public health in the developing world.

It seems counterproductive to point an accusing finger at Summers without highlighting his opening statement which provided a grander vision for Harvard University as a potential change agent for mediating solutions between the developing and developed world. Summers stated, “I am convinced that the public health of the developing world and especially Africa is the single issue that has the greatest significance for humanity over the next half century.” Furthermore Summers went on to add, “New knowledge makes a huge difference in our ability to prevent, to contain and to treat disease. And we need to make sure that we are bringing here to Harvard the people who have the greatest potential to contribute to this knowledge, to contribute to the scientific knowledge, to contribute to the social scientific knowledge that is necessary if the world is going to make the fullest possible effort.”

The forum discussion also featured presentations from Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Barry R. Bloom and Lasker Professor of Health Sciences Myron E. “Max” Essex, chair of the Harvard AIDS Institute. All three panelists collectively provided an impressive laundry list of past accomplishments achieved by Harvard faculty, students and affiliated research centers. Although Harvard has achieved many impressive accomplishments, there are undoubtedly many opportunities for making future contributions to the developing world. To help further these goals Summers should seek to provide additional centralized administrative support and budgetary assistance to interested students and faculty. This type of support can greatly help create incentives and encourage additional inter-faculty course development and student affairs efforts between the various Harvard schools. Such leadership can advance ideas to shape U.S. foreign policy—that help to solve complex problems in the developing world.

JEFFREY M. BLANDER

Nov. 17, 2003

The writer is a fourth-year student at the Harvard School of Public Health.