Julio Frenk— current president of the University of Miami, former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and former secretary of health of Mexico — has been named UCLA’s seventh chancellor.

“At this crucial moment for higher education, returning to the public sector to lead one of the top research universities in the world — including one of the 10 largest academic health systems — is an exciting opportunity and a great honor for me,” said Chancellor-designate Frenk. “I look forward to adding my lifelong commitment to public service in education and health care to the vibrant, diverse, and cosmopolitan community that is Los Angeles.”

Chancellor-designate Frenk brings to UCLA a wealth of experience at the highest levels of academia, a deep commitment to advancing human health, and new ideas and perspectives that will position our university for growth and success in its second century. He will take the helm of UCLA on January 1, 2025. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt — a longtime campus leader who has been UCLA’s chief academic and operating officer since 2022 — will serve as interim chancellor from August 1, 2024 until the end of the calendar year.

Chancellor-designate Frenk’s distinguished career has included executive roles in both university and government settings. As president of the University of Miami since 2015, he has elevated the institution across nearly every dimension, achieving a turnaround of its academic health system; making advances in educational innovation, interdisciplinary research and the athletics enterprise; orchestrating a $2.5 billion fundraising campaign; and fostering a culture of greater inclusion and belonging. His work led to the university’s induction into the prestigious Association of American Universities in 2023.

Prior to becoming president of the University of Miami, Chancellor-designate Frenk served as dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2009 until 2015, where he presided over an expansion of the school’s international reach, a reimagining of its mission to focus on four public health pillars and the renaming of the school following a historic $350 million endowment gift.

Chancellor-designate Frenk served as Mexico’s secretary of health from 2000 to 2006. In this role, he pursued a major reform of the nation’s healthcare system and introduced a national health insurance program that expanded coverage to more than 55 million previously uninsured people. Chancellor-designate Frenk holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico as well as a Master of Public Health and a joint Ph.D. in Medical Care Organization and sociology from the University of Michigan.

Frenk’s selection as UCLA’s next chancellor marks the culmination of an international search conducted by the University of California Office of the President. Representatives from UCLA’s student body, faculty, staff and alumni served on the search committee. The appointment was announced on June 12, 2024 at a UC Board of Regents meeting on the UCLA campus.