Irvine, California July 18, 2024 — Building on its existing foundation of public health science, community engagement and advancing health equity, UC Irvine received approval today from the UC Board of Regents to transition its highly-regarded public health programs into the School of Population and Public Health, the first public health school in Orange County and the fourth in the 10-campus UC system.
The school will be named the Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health in honor of the $50 million gift from Joe C. Wen and his family, $42.5 million of which will support the new building.
“When we created the Susan and Henry Samueli School of Health Sciences, UC Irvine committed to elevating all of our health science programs to full schools, and I am pleased that the Board of Trustees has completed the final part of that promise,” said Chancellor Howard Gilman. “Through education, research, and partnerships with local and national communities and organizations, the Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health will address a wide range of public health issues facing the world today.”
Under the leadership of founding dean and professor of health, social and behavioral sciences Bernadette Borden Albala, the new department will lead the way in change by advancing evidence-based public health science principles to understand and influence population-level social, biological, behavioral and environmental determinants of health.
“I want to thank our entire community for their support, dedication and hard work as we establish a new School of Public Health that will be a home for innovative training and cutting-edge research,” Borden Albala said. “It is our job as educators to prepare a workforce that can reduce the burden of disease and disability in Southern California’s culturally diverse communities and around the world.”
Since the creation of the Public Health Program in 2003, the department now consists of the departments of Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health, Social and Behavioral, and Population Health and Disease Prevention. It offers nine degree programs, including the first bachelor’s degree in public health in the UC system, and currently has one of the largest undergraduate student enrollments in the country (nearly 1,300), with first-year enrollment growing by 140 percent.
“The establishment of the Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health is a groundbreaking step forward for UC Irvine. The school will play a critical role in Orange County’s public health infrastructure and serve as a model for improving health across the nation,” said Steve Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs. “This school is poised to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time by elevating public health principles across the university in support of our health mission of discovering, educating and curing.”
Faculty from the University of California, Irvine’s School of Public Health played a key role in the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, serving on several regional task forces tasked with advising the Orange County Health Department on contact tracing and limiting the spread of the virus.
Over the past five years, the school’s research enterprise has grown significantly, tripling the number of new contracts and grants, totaling $23 million in 2023-24. Its 57 faculty members focus on environmental justice and sustainability, chronic disease mitigation, nutrition and wellness, health systems and policy, and bioethics. The current research operating budget is $38 million.
“I was initially attracted to the UC Irvine public health program because of the large and diverse student population who are passionate about improving the health of their communities with their public health training at UCI,” Borden Albala said. “The transition of the program to a well-known school will enable us to provide world-class training to even more students — future leaders in the public health field.”
In addition to the Wen family naming gift, the school will receive a $14 million grant from the Irvine Health Foundation in 2023 to establish seven endowed chairs to recruit and retain top public health scholars and experts.
The Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health is part of the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, which also includes the School of Medicine, the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Susan Samueli Institute for Integrative Health. Strengthened by its unique One Health Alliance, which integrates health disciplines to amplify their collective strengths, the College is deeply committed to educating a diverse range of health professionals who deliver holistic, team-based, precision care to individuals and communities.
About UC Irvine’s Bright Futures Campaign: The Brilliant Future campaign, which launched to the public on October 4, 2019, aims to raise awareness and support for UC Irvine. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UC Irvine aims to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health plays a key role in the success of the campaign. To learn more, visit https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/school-of-population-and-public-health.
About UC Irvine: Founded in 1965, the University of California, Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. US News & World ReportThe campus has produced five Nobel Prize winners and is known for its academic achievements, leading research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gilman, UC Irvine enrolls more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. Located in one of the safest and economically vibrant communities in the world, the university is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more information about UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.
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