Public Health Class of 2026 is Making an Impact

A buzz with excitement and dreams for the future, hundreds of smiling students, who as students have already launched innovative research, participated in community-driven public health initiatives and secured prestigious fellowships, were conferred degrees by the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego on June 12. 

Earning a degree in public health is a versatile and impactful path that equips these graduates with the cross-disciplinary tools needed to translate scientific discovery into actionable policy and real-world initiatives to help people lead healthier lives.

“And here is the best-kept secret about the degree you earned today: it is pluripotent. Like a stem cell that can become any tissue the body needs, a public health education can become whatever the world needs it to be,” said commencement speaker Michelle A. Williams, ScD, a renowned epidemiologist, award-winning educator and widely recognized academic leader.

“You will find public health graduates in places that have no idea they hired us. And everywhere you land, you will carry the same ethos in your pocket — prevention, equity, evidence, humility — and quietly shape those places from the inside."

This year’s 410 students graduated from five of the school’s six educational degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Biostatistics, Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics and the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health. 

The sixth and newest degree program, the Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health with a concentration in health services research and implementation science, launched this year with six students. Although there will be no graduates for a couple more years, students are already making impacts in areas of mental health, prevention, health policy, health care and more. 

“Although there are gifts that you, the graduate, can uniquely offer, we are stronger together. We must move forward together,” said Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, professor, founding dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and inaugural Hood Family Endowed Dean’s Chair in Public Health.

“During your time here, you’ve gained knowledge and skills for your degree but you’ve also cultivated the internal qualities that will allow for meaningful work, for curiosity, compassion, resilience, humility and commitment to service.”

Bachelor of Science in Public Health

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health had a record 948 students enrolled in the 2025-26 academic year and graduated 320 students. This program is one of the fastest growing and most diverse majors at UC San Diego with the highest proportion of first-generation college students on campus. 

Student-led research into food insecurity has led to changes on how the university addresses food security on campus. While other students like Stella Ghevondyan, who will be a student speaker at the UC San Diego all-campus commencement ceremony, worked on research outside the campus including studying barriers to eye care and supporting survivors of domestic violence in Armenia. 

“Somewhere between late nights in Geisel, early mornings rushing to the clinic, and mentors who believed in me first, I learned something powerful: discovery isn’t just about research. It’s about identity. It’s about community. It’s about courage,” said Ghevondyan, who is moving to Boston to begin work as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Students are leaving with a deeper understanding of the world, the challenges ahead and the possibilities, said Makayla Jeffris, the undergraduate student speaker at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health commencement. 

“We choose this field because we care deeply about helping those who need it the most. That is the privilege we have here with our degrees; the opportunity to make a real-world impact in our communities. Whether through work across the border, research benefiting populations throughout San Diego County, or efforts to create change right here on our campus, we have already seen the power of public health in action. No doubt we will see it in the future too,” Jeffries told the graduates. 

Master in Public Health

In 2026, the Master in Public Health (MPH) enrolled 77 students, 38 earning their degrees. Some graduates will be working at health care organizations, including the California Lupus Foundation, Serene Health and Family Health Centers of San Diego. 

While some students pursue nontraditional concentrations, the general public health track was specifically designed in response to requests from the UC San Diego School of Medicine for a flexible, one-year MPH option tailored to the needs of medical students, residents, fellows and other health professionals. Some of this year’s graduates will be attending medical school including here at UC San Diego and the University of British Columbia.

The MPH program offers six concentrations: epidemiology, general public health, health behavior, health policy, public mental health, and technology and precision health.

Biostatistics

Graduates of the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs in biostatistics are continuing their education or will be working at top-tier jobs in academia and industry including places like Edwards Lifesciences, the Department of Defense, Stanford Medicine and UC San Diego Health. 

In 2026, the biostatistics programs enrolled 56 master’s and 15 doctoral students and graduated 30 MS and four PhD students.

Biostatistics degrees provide deep expertise in the principles, theories and applications of statistical science, particularly as they relate to medicine, epidemiology, public health and beyond. The doctoral program emphasizes a blend of rigorous coursework and experiential learning, with a strong commitment to student support throughout the academic journey. 

This year, doctoral graduate Yuwei Cheng was awarded the Chancellor’s Dissertation Medal for her dissertation titled Bayesian Approaches in Personalized Clinical Trials.

Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health

From the classroom to the frontlines, students in the UC San Diego-San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health (JDP) are turning scientific discovery into community action to build a healthier future. The JDP offers three tracks: epidemiology, health behavior and global health. 

Most of this year’s graduates are continuing on to postdoctoral research positions across the country with a couple staying at UC San Diego. In 2026, the program enrolled 69 students, with 18 earning their doctorates.

Among them, is Anna Lussier, who earned a doctorate in the global health track and was selected as a finalist for the Chancellor’s Dissertation Medal for her dissertation titled Lost in Migration: A Multilevel Exploration of Marine Migration and Migratory Drowning in the Southwestern United States.

“Through the guidance of dedicated faculty and my fellow students, I’ve learned to see the world through a lens of equity, shared responsibility and endless possibility,” said graduate student speaker Jacob Carson, MPH, who earned a doctorate from the Joint Doctoral Program’s health behavior track. 

“Public health captures the imagination through its marrying of scientific curiosity with the virtuous pursuit of the public good.”

People choose public health because they want a career in which they can contribute to a safer, healthier world and solve real-world health problems.

Williams, a tenured professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University whose research places special emphasis on reproductive, perinatal, pediatric and molecular epidemiology, told graduates they will have to work to make good on the promise of public health.

“Fiat Lux. Let there be light. It is carved into the seal of this university, and today I want you to hear it not as a motto but as a job description. Because that is what a public health degree is,”  said Williams. 

“It is a commission to carry light into the spaces where health is quietly decided — the clinic and the statehouse, the boardroom and the server farm, the kitchen table and the city council. Wherever those decisions get made, you now have a standing invitation, and an obligation, to walk in and turn on the lights.”

Congratulations graduates!