Henry Wechsler

Henry Wechsler was a lecturer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and was principal investigator of the College Alcohol Study. He died in November of 2021. Wechsler is noted for his studies of drinking by college students and for popularizing the term “binge drinking” to refer to the consumption of four alcoholic drinks by a woman on an occasion and five alcoholic drinks by a man. Wechsler has brought attention to the large number of problems students who drink at this level produce for themselves, for others on campus, and for residents of neighborhoods where the colleges are located. Wechsler has conducted several national surveys of college and university students across the United States and published extensively on the subject. His most recent book, is Dying to Drink: Confronting Binge Drinking on College Campuses. He graduated from Washington & Jefferson College and Harvard University. Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., was a pioneering psychologist and public health researcher best known for his influential work on college binge drinking. A former lecturer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Wechsler spent four decades shaping the national discourse on high-risk behaviors among college students. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 1957 and began his long career at the school in 1966. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Wechsler fled with his family to the U.S. just prior to World War II. His early experiences and academic rigor informed a life devoted to public health advocacy through research and education. His legacy is most prominently tied to his role as the Principal Investigator of the Harvard College Alcohol Study (CAS), launched in 1992 and running through 2006. This large-scale project was one of the most comprehensive investigations into student drinking behaviors ever conducted in the United States. The College Alcohol Study involved four national surveys of over 50,000 students at 120 colleges across 40 states, resulting in more than 80 publications and establishing a new standard for alcohol research on campuses. Through the CAS, Wechsler introduced and popularized the term "binge drinking", defining it as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting for men and four or more for women. His work highlighted not only the prevalence of such behavior, but also its significant consequences—not just for the drinkers themselves, but for fellow students, campus communities, and surrounding neighborhoods. Wechsler's research was instrumental in shifting public and institutional awareness of how environmental factors, such as school policies, fraternity culture, and housing arrangements, influence drinking patterns. His findings emphasized that binge drinking was not merely a matter of individual behavior, but deeply tied to campus culture and policy. In addition to scholarly articles, Wechsler authored Dying to Drink: Confronting Binge Drinking on College Campuses (2002), a widely read book that synthesized his research findings and advocated for systemic change in college alcohol policies. The book called on universities to take more responsibility for the drinking cultures they enable and offered practical recommendations for prevention and harm reduction. Wechsler’s influence extended beyond academia. He received a leadership award from the American Public Health Association and was frequently cited in both public health forums and national media as an authority on substance abuse in higher education. His contributions have informed public health policies, alcohol prevention campaigns, and the development of safer campus environments. Henry Wechsler passed away in November 2021 at the age of 89, leaving behind a lasting legacy in public health research, particularly in how American colleges address and manage alcohol-related issues. His work continues to guide campus administrators, public health officials, and policymakers in the ongoing effort to create safer and healthier college environments.