Dr. Jaime Sepulveda, the Haile T. Debas Distinguished Professor of Global Health, is the Executive Director of UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences. A member of the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet, he leads a team of over 300 faculty and staff engaged in translating UCSF’s scientific leadership into programs that positively impact health and reduce inequities globally. Sepulveda oversees several education and training programs, including the Masters of Science in Global Health Sciences degree program, the first such program in the nation, and the PhD program in Global Health.
Sepulveda obtained two masters and a doctoral degree from Harvard University. He received the Harvard Alumni Award of Merit (1997) and was elected to serve at the Harvard Board of Overseers (2002 to 2008). Sepulveda was the Principal Investigator for the FIRST (Fighting Infections through Research, Science & Technology) program, which tackles neglected infectious diseases in Mesoamerica. He was the co-director of the UCSF Preterm Birth initiative, and has served as a guest editor for global health supplements in Health Affairs and Science.
From 2007 to 2011, Dr. Sepulveda was a member of the Foundation Leadership Team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He served at the BMGF in various roles: as Director of Integrated Health Solutions, Director of Special Initiatives and Senior Fellow in the Global Health Program. He also played a central role in shaping the foundation’s overall global health strategy as part of its executive team. Dr. Sepulveda worked closely with key foundation partners—including the GAVI Alliance, where he chaired the Executive Committee—to increase access to vaccines and other effective health solutions in developing countries. As Vice-Chair of the GAVI Board, he contributed to improve the governance and management of the organization.
Sepulveda worked for more than two decades in a variety of senior health posts in the Mexican government. After graduating from Harvard University, he became Mexico’s Director-General of Epidemiology. At age 36, he was appointed Vice-Minister of Health. From 2003 to 2006, he served as Director of the National Institutes of Health of Mexico. For almost a decade, he was Director-General of Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health and Dean of the National School of Public Health.
In addition to his research credentials, Sepulveda is an experienced implementer of effective health programs. Sepulveda designed Mexico’s Universal Vaccination Program, which eliminated polio, measles, and diphtheria by achieving universal childhood immunization coverage. He also modernized the national health surveillance system, created the National Health Surveys System and founded Mexico’s National AIDS Council. Sepulveda is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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