Professor Laurence Simon's career in world development spans 40 years and has taken him from hands-on antipoverty work in Sri Lanka to the halls of power and influence. Friends and colleagues recently lauded Simon’s dedication over the decades, including many who thanked Simon for his selfless mentoring.

"Even when African-Americans do everything right -- get an education and work hard at well-paying jobs -- they cannot achieve the wealth of their white peers in the workforce, and that translates into very different life chances."

"What the country needs is a revolution in how we structure disability policy."

"The U.S. actually spends a very small proportion of its GDP on international assistance. Even so, the U.S. is the single largest financier of donor-to-global health in the world. I think this aid has been instrumental in dealing with major global health problems, such as maternal/infant mortality and AIDS, over time."

"Elders need help with both their everyday living and their health care, but the two systems are very separate."

"My hope is to strengthen the peace profession, to provide practitioners with the knowledge and tools for effective conflict analysis and intervention."

Prescription drug abuse is rising at alarming rates. To combat the problem, prescription monitoring programs are becoming more sophisticated, aiming to put the brakes on abusers and, in some cases, incorporate rehabilitation programs. Scientist Peter Kreiner explains how the programs work and what they hope to accomplish.

"Across years, disciplines, and continents, I have been involved in research that touches on all the concentrations in the PhD program."

"Health plan decisions can dramatically affect the lives of people with substance abuse and mental health conditions."

"I don't believe that you can have equality without first securing that place where you can live out your dreams and all the opportunities the country has to offer."

"I fell in love with the Tsimane because they are sweet and peaceful. When you live in a small-scale society that practices cross-cousin marriage, the society ends up being a huge extended family and you have to learn how to manage your anger and get along."

"Work is most effectively coordinated through relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect."

"With more people covered by health insurance, it is imperative to measure the quality of care people receive, to create incentives for providing good care, and to implement programs focused on quality improvement."

"The riots in Bolivia were so vocal and widely publicized that I started asking questions: How did I feel about what was going on? What was my responsibility to help?"

"My interests are at the intersection between political science and health services research."

“One of the aspects of directing Heller’s MS Program that I truly enjoy is the interaction with students. I love to hear what they like about the program and what they think is important for their careers and I enjoy tailoring the curriculum to meet the students’ changing needs.”

"My work focuses on driving policy and practice to advance long-term economic opportunity."

"Development can be a complicated field. It's important for students to understand the bigger picture, and how to fit their goals into that picture."

"What [my] book intends to do is to trace the history of U.S. attempts to create universal coverage, going back to Teddy Roosevelt."

“Fundamental change must first take place at the policy level if it is to enhance the lives of the most vulnerable.”

"The Heller faculty really value students, while also producing really interesting work on their own."

"Before coming to Heller, I had long policy discussions with Heller Institute and Center Directors. These are the people who write the articles I read on topics that interest me."

“At Heller, the class discussions can bounce from finance issues to social issues, connecting these often disparate entities.”

“My goal is to gain a robust set of tools for both health systems strengthening and management that I can employ in my career in Nigeria.”

“The research opportunities for doctoral students both in and out of Heller are plentiful.”

"Our ability to analyze problems and develop innovative solutions is a continuing challenge for development as a whole, and the health care sector in particular."

“I am excited to become an agent of change in developing countries, and to bring a smile to the faces of those troubled about access to health care.”

"It is important to include communities in decision making."

“All of us come to Heller to learn, to change the world, because we share the same passion and vision.”

"At Heller, there are so many people in so many fields, there are always faculty to help examine payments, financing, economics of health care and there is enough support to digest the material."

"Working outside my country was challenging, but I was able to learn a lot from the local residents."

“The discussions and level of awareness of social justice issues are so prevalent here.”

“When I say I went to Heller, people will know who I am and that I stand for something.”

"The Heller faculty's rich policy expertise and experience on both the federal and state levels is really unparalleled."

“For me, gaining these tools is incredibly important because the work I want to engage in has to be done.”

“Heller is like a mini-UN because we are from all over the world and bring such an incredible richness of experience both to class and to our everyday conversations.”

“Understanding the whole system helps you identify and understand gaps in the system.”

"I'm getting excellent training in being a researcher - I know where to go, whom to ask, and I'm equipped to do my own study."

"Heller's collaborative, supportive environment in a cross-disciplinary context and the non-competitive atmosphere contributed to my and other students' learning."

"It's clear there's no one solution. It's a global problem."

"My fellow classmates do a good job of keeping the big picture in mind."

The use of cultural norms and practices with regard to conflict management and peacebuilding may be a more sustainable approach to future peacebuilding efforts for conflicts throughout the world.

"People with disabilities in Taiwan have lower education levels, lower income status and lower participation rates in various social activities, with less than sufficient transportation support to assist them in getting to school, the hospital and social events."

Implementing health care reform will be an "enormous burden" on the individual states, especially given the current economic climate.

"Our business model is aligned with our mission."

"It is a huge challenge to help shape a real democracy where men and women can participate equally and effectively to build the democratic institution."

"Our professors are respected international experts in their field — and we learn the word is mightier than guns, and that by bringing people together, they can work through their differences."

"Employers are not looking at potential anymore. By the time you finish college, you already should have accomplished something."

"The professors and career advisors motivate me, and their questions lead me to valuable answers."

“If you want to improve your career, you have a lot of options. But if you want to improve the world while improving your career, you come to Heller.”

"My vision of upward mobility in struggling cities gets me up in the morning."

"The courses are so interesting, I wish I could clone myself."

"I credit my medical training as well as my Heller education for my ability to contribute to Rwanda's public health system."

"[I'm] interested in the role foundations can play by increasing collaboration and resource sharing among the nonprofit community."

"I found my home at the Heller School. The atmosphere was intellectually exciting, the faculty was on a first-name basis with students, and it was the kind of place where you got what you put into the experience. I loved every minute of it."

"If it were only possible, I would reach out to all 20,000 children growing up in this community."

"International development is a broad field and Heller provides a real macro picture of all areas from social justice and human rights to environment and health."

“I am committed to helping my community and other deprived communities.”

"The scale of what needs to be done is huge. There has been a lot of finger pointing about whose responsibility it is, but it's not realistic to expect either government or the private sector alone to solve the problem."

"It wasn't until I started living and working among internally displaced person camps that I began to hear and understand what these people needed."

"Now is the time to put people together -- those who work in disasters and those who work to fight against poverty."

“Heller was the only MBA that took the nonprofit and social policy piece seriously.”

"I believe that to create change, you must start small, but I don't set limits on what is possible."

Health systems in Central and Eastern Europe face a number of thorny challenges that the United States is confronting, including the graying of their population and rapidly increasing healthcare costs.

“I have a commitment and a desire for change. I know it will take a while, but I am determined.”

"Heller feels like the United Nations, so many countries represented, so many languages spoken, so many passionate, friendly students always learning from each other."

"I learned the importance of being politically active and how to influence policy -- but to do this I had to understand the economics at play behind the scenes and how it impacted patient care."

“This wave of kids isn't just a wave. The issue now is: How do we support all these kids who all look slightly different?”

"Preparation for a career in nonprofit management is what I came for and what the program delivers."

“At Heller, leadership is based on being an educated person, crafting partnerships — you learn from them, they learn from you, and everyone is empowered.”

“I’ve learned so many things at Heller. It’s prepared me for launching a nonprofit in my home country."

"When folks are not employed, crime rates go up, the cost of food stamps goes up, drug use goes up, the number of small children without support goes up."

"I've come to think of all of my classmates as my teachers."

"I knew that I had a lot more to learn about health care policy, so Heller's leadership on health care issues made it a perfect choice for me."

"To this day, I remain grateful for all of the lessons I learned while at Heller, and they continue to guide me in my work and help me focus on the importance of sustainability in development."

"Just seeing how involved Heller faculty were with health care reform and how that Massachusetts law went on to be a model for the nation took my breath away."

"The Heller community is passionate and knowledgeable, bringing their varied experiences and backgrounds with them."

"I really fell in love with the values of Heller, the community, the diversity and the commitment people here have to making a difference."

"With no margins, there's no mission."

"Heller has helped me develop the knowledge, skills and relationships that will enable me to help create real change."

"Social enterprises are at the forefront of a global entrepreneurial trend."

“I came to Heller to build the skills that would take me to the next level of my career, and I believe my education has done exactly that.”

"This is an opportune time for me to be doing this building of government capacity. I hope to continue providing this much-needed help to develop systems for this new nation."

"World-class faculty, robust teaching methodology, and peers from across the globe create a unique learning environment."