Dr. Julio Frenk to deliver 2026 UCLA Fielding School of Public Health commencement address

Dr. Julio Frenk will deliver the keynote address for the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health's commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12, 2026.

Frenk, chancellor of UCLA and a distinguished professor in the department of health policy and management at the Fielding School, is also a fourth-generation physician.

Prior to joining UCLA as chancellor in January 2025, Frenk served as president of the University of Miami, from 2015 to 2024, and was the dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2009 to 2015.

In addition to Frenk's leadership in higher education, he served as the federal secretary of health of Mexico, from 2000 to 2006, and was the founding director-general of the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, one of the leading institutions of its kind in low- and middle-income countries. His other leadership roles over the years include service as executive director in charge of evidence and information for policy at the World Health Organization and as senior fellow in the global health program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Dr. Julio Frenk is a world-renowned public health scholar, physician and incredibly accomplished leader," said Fielding School dean and distinguished professor of biostatistics Ron Brookmeyer. "He has a remarkable record of global service and leadership and deeply understands all that public health makes possible in the pursuit of building a healthier and more equitable tomorrow.

"Commencement will be a unique opportunity for our students to hear from Dr. Frenk about his path to public health as they begin their own journeys as changemakers," he said.

Frenk has authored or co-authored nearly 200 articles in academic journals, as well as many books and book chapters, and has been cited more than 40,000 times. In addition, he has written five novels for young people explaining the functions of the human body, the first of which has been in print uninterruptedly since 1978.

In 2024, Frenk was named one of Time magazine's top Latino leaders for his contributions to public health and higher education. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico and El Colegio Nacional (the most prestigious learned society of scientists, intellectuals and artists in Mexico).