长期以来，HEAL计划一直是美国东亚历史上最重要的博士学位培训计划之一。它的起源可以追溯到1941年，当时，在约翰·金·费尔班克（John King Fairbank）的倡议下，一个“博士学位授予权常设委员会”正式成立。成立了“历史和远东语言”（名称在1972年更名为“历史和东亚语言”）。当时提供的理由是，东亚历史的学生必须精通东亚学术的主要语言，因此该领域的博士学位需要特别考虑，以准备，研究和写作所需的额外时间。自1941年获得该学位以来，已经获得了200多个HEAL博士学位。获得HEAL学位的著名学者
This degree program is designed to accommodate the particular needs of students who desire a more language-intensive program of study of East Asian history. <br>The HEAL program has long been one of the premier doctoral training programs in East Asian history in the United States. Its origins go back to 1941, when, upon the initiative of John King Fairbank, a 'Standing Committee of the Faculty on the Joint Degree of Ph.D. in History and Far Eastern Languages was established (the name was changed to History and East Asian Languages in 1972). The justification offered then was that the student of East Asian history must know well the main languages for scholarship in East Asia and that therefore a PhD in the field required special consideration for the extra time needed for preparation, research, and writing. More than 200 HEAL PhDs have been awarded since the degree's inception in 1941. The list of prominent scholars who have earned the HEAL degree includes members of the present Harvard faculty as well as leading figures in the East Asian field at institutions across the country and around the globe.