Dr. Elizabeth Yzquierdo named Director of Undergraduate Experiential Learning at UCLA Fielding

Dr. Elizabeth Yzquierdo will join UCLA Fielding's Office of Undergraduate Student Services as director of undergraduate experiential learning, effective Dec. 1.

As director, Yzquierdo - who currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences - will lead experiential learning for UCLA Fielding's public health majors, with a wide rage of responsibilities, said Dr. Kyle McJunkin, assistant dean for academic programs.

"Many of us already know Liz from her time at UCLA Fielding leading the Office of Graduate Student Services and as a professor,” said Dr. Kyle McJunkin, UCLA Fielding's assistant dean for academic programs. "Across more than 25 years in student affairs and teaching, Liz has worked with undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in public and private institutions, with a sustained commitment to recruiting and retaining students from a wide range of educational and economic backgrounds into the health profession. I am delighted that she is returning to our school.”

Yzquierdo, who most recently has been serving as the associate dean for student affairs at the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing, said she is looking forward to serving as a mentor for public health students at UCLA Fielding.

"I am excited to return to UCLA Fielding in a role that brings together two of my greatest passions: supporting students and preparing the next generation of public health professionals," Yzquierdo said. "This opportunity allows me to return to teaching, mentoring students and create opportunities for them to discover their own paths and make a difference in the communities they will serve."

Her past service at UCLA includes the UCLA Hispanic-Serving Institution Task Force and the UC Health Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, and Yzquierdo holds an EdD in Educational Leadership from UCLA, an MPH in Community Health from California State University, Northridge, and a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara.

In her new post, Yzquierdo's responsibilities will include:

• Directing Public Health 120, Experiential Learning in Public Health, the course through which most majors complete the community engagement requirement.
• Teaching the two-quarter capstone sequence, Public Health 185A and 185B.
• Supervising and supporting the Public Health Academic Mentors.
• Building and sustaining relationships with the community, governmental, and corporate partners who host our students, and expanding the placements.
• Connecting students to the broader range of experiential opportunities, including research apprenticeships, UCDC, UC Center Sacramento, and education abroad.