2026 Student Academic Honors & Awards
UCLA Fielding recognized the accomplishments of its exceptional students in a ceremony attended by family, friends, students, faculty and staff.
The 2026 UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Student Academic Honors & Awards ceremony — a celebration of students' outstanding achievements — was held on Wednesday, June 10, and awards were conferred by Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, dean of UCLA Fielding, as well as faculty from across the school.
“At the Fielding School, we have 813 graduate and 162 undergraduate students from 25 countries who are united by their shared mission: To research and build solutions that will improve health,” Brookmeyer said. “This event is to honor our students’ commitment to this mission, and to recognize their remarkable accomplishments.”
THE JAY S. DROTMAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AWARD
- Juan Ramon Delgado
The Jay S. Drotman Undergraduate Student Award was established to recognize the career of a promising young public health professional and student. The award is given to one undergraduate student each year based on superior academic achievement and potential of becoming an impactful contributor to the field of public health.
THE KIM-FARLEY FAMILY AWARDS FOR UNDERGRADUATE EXCELLENCE
- Juan Ramon Delgado,
- Maria Mayet,
- Romina Bigdeli,
- Nadeen Bassam Heyari,
- Shreya M. Sundar.
The Kim-Farley Family Awards for Undergraduate Excellence recognize outstanding achievements of undergraduates in public health. The awardees have earned the highest GPAs for graduating B.S. Public Health and B.A. Public Health majors. The award was established in 2025 to coincide with the first graduating class of the new undergraduate public health major.
THE ABDELMONEM A. AFIFI STUDENT FELLOWSHIP
- Amaan Jogia-Sattar, Department of Biostatistics,
- Curtis Chan Wong, Department of Community Health Sciences,
- Eun Kwak, Department of Epidemiology.
The Abdelmonem A. Afifi Student Fellowship was established upon Professor Afifi's completion of 15 years of service as dean of the school. Recipients are selected for academic excellence and demonstrating a well-balanced and humanitarian understanding of the field of public health.
THE E. RICHARD (RICK) BROWN SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARD
- Rafik Nader Wahbi, Department of Community Health Sciences
The E. Richard (Rick) Brown Social Justice Fellowship was established in honor of the late faculty member Rick Brown, founder of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and provides support to a student who conducts research and/or advocates policy to expand health care coverage for all.
THE JUNEAL MARIE SMITH FELLOWSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL NUTRITION
- Meaghan Ashley Woody, Department of Community Health Sciences
Juneal Smith’s parents established the Juneal Marie Smith Fellowship in their daughter’s memory to support graduate students pursuing careers in international nutrition. Juneal Marie Smith, who received her MPH and PhD from the Fielding School, combined her scholarship with a commitment to helping underserved communities worldwide through her work in nutrition.
THE SAMUEL J. TIBBITTS FELLOWSHIP
- Xumeng Wang, Department of Community Health Sciences
Family members and friends established the Samuel J. Tibbitts Fellowship in honor of Samuel Tibbitts to recognize students for their academic excellence and commitment to public health. Samuel Tibbitts received a bachelor’s degree in public health from UCLA in 1949. A pioneer in the field of managed care, he founded PacifiCare, one of the nation’s first major HMOs, and was vice chair until his passing in 1994.
THE DEAN’S OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARDS 2026
Easy year, all five departments nominate students who have demonstrated exemplary scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership in their class to demonstrate the Dean's Outstanding Student Award.
- Soumyakanti Pan, Department of Biostatistics,
- Dillon Wesley Trujillo, Department of Community Health Sciences,
- Hasibe Caballero-Gomez, Department of Environmental Health Sciences,
- Aiden Chal, Department of Environmental Health Sciences,
- Kuangyu Liu, Department of Epidemiology,
- Jessica Erin Channick, Department of Health Policy and Management.
THE CAROLBETH KORN SCHOLAR AWARD
- Matthew Majerus Coates, Department of Epidemiology
The late Carolbeth Korn received her bachelor's degree in public health from UCLA and was a long-time supporter and former member of the Dean's Advisory Board. In 2005, Ms. Korn established an endowed prize to financially and publicly acknowledge, for generations to come, the Fielding School's most outstanding graduating student. Each year's recipient is selected by the dean and academic leadership from across the school.
