Chancellor Julio Frenk shared this message with faculty and staff.
Dear Colleagues:
I am pleased to announce that John Mazziotta, M.D., Ph.D., has been reappointed for a five-year term and will now serve as senior vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health following the standard five-year administrative review. In these roles, Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta has upheld and grown UCLA Health Sciences as a hub of education, research, patient care and community engagement. As he is always quick to acknowledge, Dr. Mazziotta’s partnership with his colleagues, Steve Dubinett, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine, and Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System and associate vice chancellor for Health Sciences, and their hard-working teams, are the basis for the advancement and success of the medical school and health system.
Over the past five years, Dr. Mazziotta has guided UCLA Health Sciences through times of significant change. Uniquely notable during this period was the COVID-19 pandemic, where teams across UCLA Health worked tirelessly with dedication and courage to create equipment, establish new supply chains, implement medical protocols, advance innovative tests and provide compassionate support to the community. More recently, Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta also led UCLA Health through the effects of devastating wildfires on our physical spaces, and on faculty, staff, students and patients.
Across these moments and many more, his strategic vision has helped sustain health sciences and medical research during uncertainty. As institutions nationwide grapple with the impact of constrained funding, Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta prioritized philanthropy. Under his direction, UCLA Health has raised $250-300 million annually in gifts and pledges ($425 million in fiscal year 2025), contributing $2 billion to the UCLA Centennial Campaign, and has been responsible for securing 457 gifts of $1 million or more. In fiscal year 2024, 11 of the top 25 largest gifts to UCLA were given to UCLA Health, including the largest at $120 million.
The reputation of our medical breakthroughs and clinical care is exceptional. UCLA Health hospitals have consistently been ranked on the US News & World Report (USNWR) Best Hospitals Honor Roll of the 20 best hospitals in the nation and also ranked first in Los Angeles and California. The UCLA Health System is also ranked in the top 20 globally by Newsweek. Under the oversight of Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta, UCLA Health’s presence has expanded significantly, broadening access to care for patients throughout Southern California. Today, 290 clinics serve patients throughout the region, and the acquisition of UCLA West Valley Medical Center in 2024, along with the new Resnick Mental Health Campus, slated to open later this year, will continue to grow our ability to serve an expanded set of patient communities. UCLA Health implemented a Homeless Healthcare Collaborative mobile van program to provide care to people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles and operates mobile stroke, ECMO and eye screening vehicles.
Under Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta’s guidance, our academic medical programs continue to thrive. The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) remains the youngest medical school to be top ranked nationally, with faculty continuously elected to the most prestigious organizations and recognized with national awards. A UCLA Health surgical team performed the first in-human bladder transplant in May 2025. That same year, UCLA alumnus and immunologist Fred Ramsdell earned the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his groundbreaking work. With Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta’s emphasis on educating the next generation, I am certain the influence of UCLA Health Sciences will only increase.
Since Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta’s initial appointment in 2015, DGSOM faculty have designed, developed or tested 23 new FDA-approved cancer drugs and patented seven new medical devices, bringing dozens of life-saving treatments and protocols to patients worldwide.
Without research, the leading-edge medical care we provide today could not exist. In support of evidence-based excellence, Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta has spearheaded the creation of the California Immunology & Immunotherapy Institute, to be housed in the UCLA Research Park, located just two miles from the UCLA campus. Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta’s vision fosters advancement in immunology and immunotherapy and the promise of transformative discoveries. I am excited for the multidisciplinary breakthroughs sure to come thanks to his commitment to the future of the health sciences.
Senior Vice Chancellor Mazziotta’s record of effective leadership is an exemplary component of UCLA’s success. Please join me in congratulating him on this achievement and sharing best wishes for his upcoming term.
We are One UCLA.
Julio Frenk
Chancellor