UC Berkeley Public Health

06/23/2026

In the latest episode of The Other 80, healthcare pioneer Rushika Fernandopulle introduces his new venture, Liza, which aims to fundamentally rebuild US primary care from the bottom up by prioritizing patient needs over shareholder value.

Grounded in conscious capitalism, Liza's strategy focuses on designing the right clinical model first and delaying business constraints until the approach is proven to work. Ultimately, Fernandopulle argues that AI allows innovators to completely rethink medicine by shifting the system away from resource scarcity and toward a future of abundance.

Listen to episode 75: https://ow.ly/70yI50ZfVXI

Podcast Episode · The Other 80 · June 17 · 43m

06/18/2026

Dr. Joe Griffin, executive director of Youth ALIVE! and Impact Fellow at UC Berkeley Public Health, turned his personal experiences with community violence into a lifelong mission after a public health course transformed his worldview. Today, he bridges grassroots advocacy and academia with the G-VITAL Institute, which will train frontline workers to interrupt gun violence through community-led solutions.

https://ow.ly/fT0w50Ze1Gg

Dr. Joe Griffin, executive director of the violence prevention program Youth ALIVE!, on healing communities and interrupting urban violence.

06/16/2026

Congratulations 🎉 to this year's recipients of the UC Berkeley Public Health Staff Special Awards! 🌟

These annual awards recognize staff members who go "above and beyond", requiring a nomination from fellow staff or faculty. Named after former staff members and supporters, these awards celebrate outstanding contributions to customer service, DEIB, school core values, student experience, emotional support, and community collaboration.

This year's awardees:

🌟 Megan Olivera, Manager of Community Partnerships, RISE: Careers and Leadership Office: Abbie Smith Customer Service Award
🌟 Khirin Carter, Director for Graduate Academic Success, DREAM Office: Abby Rincón Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Award
🌟 Lucas Carlton, Director of Operations & Finance, Online MPH Program: Alfred Wheeler Childs Award for Staff
🌟 Claire Trias, Program Manager, Division of Epidemiology: Angela Waxman Enriching Student Experience Award
🌟 Lori Nalbandian, Admissions and Recruitment Manager, Student Services & Admissions: Carol Wong Memorial Staff Award
🌟 Zoe Blalock, Program Manager, Online MPH Program: Sally Bellows Community Building Award

The awardees received their certificates and kudos at this year's Staff Luncheon held at Alumni House on May 9.

06/15/2026

In her commencement remarks, 2026 undergraduate speaker Misha Afnani reflected on finding a supportive community at UC Berkeley Public Health. From advisors and peers to faculty and staff, she discovered a village that made Berkeley feel like home. 💙💛🎓

06/11/2026

UC Berkeley Public Health is excited to welcome its third cohort of Impact Fellows, bringing together 10 accomplished leaders from health care, policy, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy! 🎉

During the 2026–27 academic year, the fellows will collaborate with faculty and students, mentor the next generation of changemakers, and develop innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in health. The program reflects our commitment to turning knowledge into action and advancing health for all. 💡 🩺

https://ow.ly/3Ejn50ZazcK

The Impact Fellows program is grounded in the belief that universities exist to create change in the world by bridging the gap between knowledge and action.

06/10/2026

According to a new study led by UC Berkeley Public Health postdoctoral scholar Lisa Couper, warming temperatures from climate change are making California increasingly hospitable to the dengue virus and the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit it.

Although local transmission has historically been rare, areas in Southern California and the Central Valley are approaching optimal temperatures for the virus to thrive and circulate. Consequently, public health researchers expect cases of this painful illness to grow as the state's urban environments become more climate-suited for the disease.

https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/as-california-warms-cases-of-dengue-fever-are-expected-to-grow

A warming climate is making parts of the state more hospitable to the dengue fever — and the mosquitoes that carry it.

06/10/2026

In her powerful May 19 commencement speech, 2026 graduate speaker Bhavya Joshi honored the women who lifted her up and the public health leaders who refused to accept the unacceptable. A first-generation doctoral graduate and recipient of the Meredith A. Minkler Award, she challenged the UC Berkeley Public Health Class of 2026 to carry that legacy forward. 🎓

alt text: Bhavya Joshi delivers her commencement speech from the podium wearing her graduation cap and gown. “Across communities and generations, there are women who look at girls around them and decide, ‘not her’. Women who choose to uplift rather than limit. It is on the shoulders of many such women in my journey that I stand today, and it is in their honor that I walk out of this room committed to doing the same for women around the world. Conflict is one of the most significant determinants of health in the world today. But here’s the good news. Our training, every methodological debate, every passionate discussion, every humbling moment of realizing how much more there is to learn was preparation for exactly this moment. We are the people who said yes to the most difficult, most necessary work of this era from cholera to smallpox, from HIV/AIDS to Covid 19. This field has a history of doing what seemed impossible because the alternative was unacceptable.”

06/09/2026

UC Berkeley Public Health Professor of Community Health Sciences Jodi Halpern is featured in a new PBS documentary on the health benefits of human social connection. Halpern, a bioethicist, is an expert on how chatbot companions can endanger social health.

Said Halpern, "The companies design the bots to keep your eyes on the application as much as possible, and they know that can create dependence and addiction. nAnd what happens in many cases is then people withdraw from their other relationships."
https://ow.ly/Nrbl50Z94t3

Scientists now link friendship to a remarkable range of benefits—both physical and mental.

06/08/2026

Can the history of medicine rewrite how we view modern civilization? In the latest episode of The Other 80, Former Wired executive editor Thomas Goetz discusses everything from the invisible success of fluoride to the medicalization of sleep, arguing that public health must rebrand itself as essential everyday infrastructure. https://ow.ly/A7Q650Z94i6

Podcast Episode · The Other 80 · June 3 · 40m

05/29/2026

Sharing moments from last week’s commencement ceremony...we are still feeling the glow! Congratulations to all our grads and their families! 💙💛🐻
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