UC Berkeley Public Health

10/19/2026

UC Berkeley researchers Dr. Ziad Obermeyer (UC Berkeley Public Health) and Emma Pierson (Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences) have been awarded $1.7 million in research funding through the Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Science.

Their project uses advanced AI to turn complex medical models into clear, easy-to-understand insights for cardiology and oncology. By making AI predictions practical for doctors to use, this work aims to speed up new medical discoveries and improve patient care.

Read more about their work: https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/faculty/berkeley-receives-funding-to-accelerate-scientific-breakthroughs-with-ai

More than 75 years of transformational research and hands-on social impact for a better world.

10/16/2026

UC Berkeley and Dr. Ziad Obermeyer have been named recipients of the Academic Discovery of the Year Award by California Life Sciences for their groundbreaking work in AI and medicine. Dr. Obermeyer’s research identified a deep learning–derived ECG biomarker that allows doctors to detect sudden cardiac death risk and intervene before fatal events occur. Congratulations to Dr. Obermeyer and the UC Berkeley team on this well-deserved recognition, which will be honored at the 23rd Annual Pantheon Awards on November 12!

https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/faculty/obermeyer-receives-academic-discovery-of-the-year-award

The award recognizes a California academic institution, research institute, or non-profit whose scientific finding has the potential to reshape human health.

10/15/2026

Are you interested in learning more about public health graduate degrees? Check out TIPH’s In-Person Grad School Fair on Monday, October 19, 2026 on the UC Berkeley campus!

This event, held from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Pauley Ballroom, will feature representatives our Online MPH and in-person program admissions teams to answer all your questions about attending UC Berkeley Public Health.

This in-person fair gives you the chance to chat directly with admission staff, students, and faculty from graduate schools and programs of public health.

Take one step further toward shaping the future of public health. Find out more:
https://f.mtr.cool/6qcpkfecs9

10/14/2026

For 20 years, the UC Berkeley Public Health Alumni Association has championed graduate student fellowships—and for the past 9 years, this incredible community has helped us exceed our crowdfunding goals! 💛💙

This year, we’re setting our sights on raising $14,000 to fund 7 fellowships ($2,000 each) for Berkeley Public Health students committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Last year, your generosity allowed us to fund 10 fellowships. With your help, we can exceed our $14,000 goal again and support even more deserving future leaders!

Diversity is vital to creating a public health workforce that truly serves all communities. Yet, the rising cost of higher education remains one of the largest hurdles for talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Financial aid is often the deciding factor in whether a student can pursue their degree.

➡️ Donate before October 31 to make money one less obstacle: crowdfund.berkeley.edu/phaa26

10/13/2026

We are deeply saddened by the passing of UC Berkeley Public Health emeritus professor Dr. Steve Selvin, a legendary biostatistician who taught and inspired generations of students. Honoring his legacy, Dean Michael C. Lu shared, “Steve's influence is everywhere in our school.” His groundbreaking contributions to public health and dedication to making complex ideas engaging will be remembered forever.

Dr. Selvin was known as a gifted teacher who could explain biostatistical ideas to lay audiences and students with limited mathematics backgrounds.

10/12/2026

UC Berkeley School of Public Health is excited to welcome Dr. Leonardo "Leo" Martinez as a new Assistant Professor of Epidemiology! Dr. Martinez's global health research focuses on tuberculosis prevention, transmission, and long-term health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, people living with HIV, and incarcerated individuals.

We are thrilled to have him at Berkeley as he builds his research group, collaborates across disciplines, and mentors the next generation of public health leaders!

https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/faculty/meet-our-new-faculty-leo-martinez

Dr. Martinez’s research uses epidemiologic and quantitative methods to study tuberculosis prevention, transmission, and long-term health outcomes.

10/07/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Mahasin S. Mujahid, Professor and Chair of the Epidemiology Division at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health! 🎉 She has been honored with the 2026 Abraham Lilienfeld Distinguished Achievement Award, the highest accolade bestowed by the American College of Epidemiology. 🏅

The award honors her social epidemiology research integrating geospatial methods to examine structural drivers of health equity, alongside her leadership in the landmark RURAL study and mentorship of over 100 scholars.

https://f.mtr.cool/i1yaqm88pf

Mujahid was celebrated for her transformational contributions to the field of social epidemiology and received the award at the ACE annual meeting.

10/05/2026

Public health research with results: Research led by public health scholar David J.X. González revealed that millions of Californians living near oil and gas wells face elevated toxic air pollution and higher risks of preterm birth. His peer-reviewed findings provided crucial scientific evidence for state lawmakers to pass SB 1137, a landmark law establishing protective buffer zones that ban new wells near homes, schools, and hospitals.

Read more: https://f.mtr.cool/qnkas3jzad

A comprehensive multi-year study of air quality and the experiences of people living near oil wells leads to a new state law.

10/03/2026

Are you interested in learning more about public health graduate degrees? Check out TIPH’s In-Person Grad School Fair on Monday, October 19, 2026 on the UC Berkeley campus!

This event, held from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Pauley Ballroom, will feature representatives our Online MPH and in-person program admissions teams to answer all your questions about attending UC Berkeley Public Health.

This in-person fair gives you the chance to chat directly with admission staff, students, and faculty from graduate schools and programs of public health.

Take one step further toward shaping the future of public health. Find out more:
https://f.mtr.cool/wrxchki8ir

10/01/2026

At UC Berkeley Public Health, one of our core values is "Strength Through Diversity." To build a truly inclusive public health workforce and tackle health inequities long-term, we must break down the financial barriers standing in our students' way.

The UC Berkeley Public Health Alumni Association is launching our annual crowdfunding campaign to raise $14,000 to provide 7 students with a one-year, $2,000 fellowship.

What a fellowship means for a student:
🔹 Financial relief against rising tuition costs
🔹 Freedom to focus on research, education, and community service
🔹 A direct step toward a thriving public health career

If we exceed our $14,000 goal, every extra dollar goes directly toward funding additional fellowships for students who need them most.

Help us center diversity in public health education. Donate now and share with your network! 🐻
crowdfund.berkeley.edu/phaa26

09/30/2026

Bay Area residents interested in public health graduate studies: Join our admissions team in person tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. on the UC Berkeley campus to discover more about our programs!

Info/RSVP: https://f.mtr.cool/x7bg66vr27

09/29/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lesley Park, MPH, PhD, to the UC Berkeley School of Public Health faculty! 🎉

Joining us from Stanford Medicine’s Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Dr. Park brings valuable expertise in HIV and cancer epidemiology as the principal investigator for the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS). When she’s not teaching or advancing public health research, you can find her w**e tasting or practicing Pilates—welcome to Berkeley, Dr. Park! 🐻

https://f.mtr.cool/wmg1b5pubi

Dr. Lesley Park is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on HIV, cancer, and aging using large-scale data from the US Veterans Health Administration.

09/28/2026

What happens when students turn a healthcare challenge into an opportunity for impact?

As part of UC Berkeley’s Impact Innovators Program, Ashley Kochans and Gayatri Bhanot explored the challenges faced by people living with chronic pelvic pain—a condition affecting 1 in 4 women.

Their work culminated in The Patient’s Table, hosted by Unmuted Health, where patients, advocates, learners, and partners came together for honest conversation and connection. The students also pitched Unmuted Health, an AI-powered solution designed to better support people navigating chronic pelvic pain and address gaps in today’s healthcare experience.

What made the evening special was seeing students move from listening to building—using empathy, technology, and innovation to imagine a more patient-centered future.

👏 Congratulations to Gayatri and Ashley who brought this vision to life, and to everyone who helped make The Patient’s Table such a meaningful conversation. This is student-led innovation in action.

09/27/2026

Are you interested in a career combining social work and public health? Apply to the Bay Area Community Health Scholars program and receive up to $60,000 in scholarships to fund your training at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health!

This opportunity is open to prospective students applying to Master of Public Health programs, with in person and online options available. Eligible candidates must have an MSW degree by summer 2027 or apply to UC Berkeley’s concurrent MSW/MPH program.

Visit tinyurl.com/CommunityHealthScholarship to sign up for announcements, learn more about MPH program options, and read our FAQs. Questions? Reach out to Grace Brown, Social Impact Consultant at the School of Public Health, at [email protected].

09/25/2026

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that reliable electricity in low-resource healthcare facilities is linked to a 41% reduction in patient mortality.

Analyzing health records and power data from 303 health centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, researchers found that facilities with reliable power for more than 22 hours per day experienced significantly lower death rates.

“We thought there would be some effect, and we were shocked that the effect is as large as it is," said Laura Kwong, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley Public Health and a collaborator on the project.

Read more: https://f.mtr.cool/vgjtzbfp5g

Reliable electricity may be more than an infrastructure challenge for healthcare facilities in low-resource settings—it may be a matter of life and death.

09/24/2026

UC Berkeley School of Public Health Dean’s Speaker Series: Lynn Barr on Reimagining Public Health

October 6, 2026 | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Zoom & in person*
RSVP/more info: https://f.mtr.cool/5fb5puez2g
*followed by reception

Please join the UC Berkeley School of Public Health via zoom as health care innovator Lynn Barr, MPH ’11, joins faculty director Kimberly MacPherson to discuss lessons on driving policy change and improving rural health care, following an introduction by Dean Michael C. Lu. Founder of Caravan Health and UC Berkeley’s Rural Health Innovation Program, Barr has spearheaded national initiatives impacting over one million Medicare patients and funding 100 full-ride public health scholarships across 30 states.