Commencement Speaker

Gerald Chan received his master’s and doctoral degrees in radiation physics and radiobiology from HSPH in the 1970s. An investor in biotechnology, he met Frenk when giving a talk at the school on entrepreneurship and public health. Students invited Chan to be a commencement speaker in 2012.

“The world has moved in such a way that we really need to redouble our efforts in public health if we’re to have a safer place for developed and developing countries,” Chan said. “This is a propitious moment for all sides to highlight the importance of public health.”

Chan, 63, who owns a home in the Boston suburb of Newton, said that while he was studying at HSPH, his father once visited the school. His father, who died in 1986, also worked in real estate. He was a believer in education and relieving human suffering, Chan said.

“Like most Harvard parents, he was simply impressed by Harvard,” Chan said.

Property Developer

Hang Lung Group owns and develops properties in Hong Kong and mainland China, according to the company Web site. Gerald Chan recently bought about $120 million worth of property in Harvard Square, the Boston Globe reported in April. Chan said he has invested in Boston-area properties from the time he was an HSPH student.

HSPH was established in 1913 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and offered courses in preventive medicine and sanitary engineering, according to the school website. The school split from MIT for exclusive affiliation with Harvard in 1922.

Scientists at the school have been leaders in research on infectious and chronic disease, cancer prevention and occupational and environmental health. Since 1962, six directors of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have been HSPH graduates, according to the school website.