Central OC Times

The University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) will transition its Program in Public Health to the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health after receiving approval from the UC Board of Regents. This marks the first school of public health in Orange County and the fourth within the 10-campus UC system.

The school is named in recognition of a $50 million gift from Joe C. Wen and his family, with $42.5 million allocated to support the new institution.

“When we created the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, UC Irvine committed to elevating all of our health science programs to full schools, and I am delighted that the regents have completed the final piece of that promise,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “As the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health educates, conducts research, and partners with regional and national communities and organizations, it will address the wide range of public health problems faced by the world today.”

Founding Dean Bernadette Boden-Albala emphasized community support for establishing this new school: “I want to thank our entire community for their support, dedication and hard work in establishing a new school of public health poised to become a destination of innovative training and cutting-edge research.” She added that it is essential to prepare a workforce capable of reducing disease and disability burdens in Southern California’s diverse communities.

The Program in Public Health at UC Irvine was established in 2003 and includes departments such as Environmental and Occupational Health; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Health, Society and Behavior; and Population Health and Disease Prevention. It offers nine degree programs, including the first bachelor’s degree in public health within the UC system. The program has approximately 1,300 undergraduate students, reflecting a 140 percent increase in first-year enrollment.

“The establishment of the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health is a monumental step forward for UC Irvine,” said Steve Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs. “The school will fulfill a key role in the public health infrastructure of Orange County, serving as a model for improving health nationwide.”

UC Irvine’s public health faculty played significant roles during the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with local health agencies on contact tracing efforts and other initiatives. Over recent years, there has been substantial growth in research funding at UC Irvine's public health program, with contracts and grants totaling $23 million during fiscal year 2023-24.

“I was initially drawn to UC Irvine’s Program in Public Health because of its large and diverse student population committed to taking their UCI public health training and improving the health of their own communities,” Boden-Albala noted.

In addition to Wen's donation, a $14 million grant from the Irvine Health Foundation was received last year to establish seven endowed chairs aimed at recruiting top academics.

The Joe C. Wen School is part of UC Irvine’s Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences which also includes schools focused on medicine, nursing, pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences as well as integrative health institutes.

UC Irvine launched its Brilliant Future campaign publicly on October 4th, 2019 aiming to raise awareness and philanthropic investment amounting to $2 billion while engaging 75,000 alumni towards enhancing student success among other goals.

Founded in 1965 by Chancellor Howard Gillman-led administration currently overseeing over 36 thousand students offering numerous degree programs contributing significantly both locally economically vibrant community being second largest employer within region generating billions annually statewide.

For more information visit www.uci.edu or https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/school-of-population-and-public-health