Anne Harrington

Anne Harrington is the Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, specializing in the history of psychiatry, neuroscience, and mind-body medicine. She holds appointments in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and has served in multiple leadership roles including Department Chair and Acting Dean of Undergraduate Education.

Education: PhD in History of Science from Oxford University with postdoctoral fellowships at Wellcome Institute and University of Freiburg.

Research Focus:

• Historical development of psychiatry and neuroscience
• Holistic approaches in German science and culture
• Mind-body healing traditions
• Biological frameworks in mental health

Her publications examine how cultural contexts shape scientific understanding, with recent work interrogating psychiatry's biological turn. Current book projects explore consciousness through case studies of coma, split-brain phenomena, and neuropharmacology.

Professor Harrington has led interdisciplinary initiatives including Harvard's Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative and served on the board of the Mind and Life Institute. She previously directed Pforzheimer House and developed Harvard's Certificate for Civic Engagement.