The University of California Board of Regents announced Wednesday that University of Miami President Dr. Julio Frenk would succeed Gene Block as chancellor of UCLA.
Block, who has served UCLA as chancellor for 17 years, announced his retirement in August 2023. Block’s term officially ends on July 31.
UCLA executive vice chancellor and provost Darnell Hunt will serve as interim chancellor before Frenk begins his role on Jan 1, 2025.
Here’s what to know about UCLA’s new chancellor Dr. Julio Frenk.
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Background
Dr. Frenk is a Mexican-born, fourth-generation physician. His paternal grandparents fled Germany in the early 1930s for Mexico.
He holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico, as well as a master of public health and a joint PhD in Medical Care Organization and Sociology from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Frenk’s career spans academia and government positions.
Academic career
Dr. Frenk has served the University of Miami as president since 2015. At Miami, Frenk also held positions as Professor of Public Health Sciences at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and as Professor of Health Sector Management and Policy at the School of Business Administration.
Prior to his tenure at the University of Miami, Dr. Frenk was Dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where he simultaneously taught as the T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development.
Dr. Frenk also holds honorary degrees from seven universities.
Experience in government
From 2000 to 2006, Dr. Frenk served as Mexico’s National Health Secretary.
As part of his effort to reform the nation’s health system, Dr. Frenk helped launch Seguro Popular, a program that aimed to provide universal health insurance. Seguro Popular has been credited with helping expand healthcare access for more than 55 million people in Mexico, according to a press release from UCLA.
Dr. Frenk was also the founding director-general of Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health, and also served the World Health Organization as an executive director.
In 2008, before coming to Harvard, he was a senior fellow with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s global health program, advising the organization’s global health strategy.
Publications and awards
Dr. Frenk has published more than 160 articles in academic journals in addition to numerous academic books and book chapters. He has been cited over 13,000 times.
Besides writing academic papers, Dr. Frenk has also published three novels explaining human body functions for young audiences.
Dr. Frenk currently serves on the boards of the United Nations Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and has received accolades such as the Clinton Global Citizen Award, the Bouchet Medal for Outstanding Leadership and the Welch-Rose Award for Distinguished Service.
