Dr. Erica Pan delivers keynote address at UCLA Fielding’s 2026 Research, Innovation & Impact Day
California's highest-ranking state public health official gave the keynote address for UCLA Fielding's 2026 Research, Innovation & Impact Day.
California's highest-ranking state public health official gave the keynote address for UCLA Fielding's 2026 Research, Innovation & Impact Day.
Dr. Erica Pan, a physician who has served as director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health since February of 2025, told the crowd that despite the challenges facing public health as a scientific discipline, ranging from funding cuts at the federal level to unsubstantiated claims about health and medicine, the experts who make up the profession are its greatest resource.
"The most important thing, and one of the reasons I'm here today to talk to all of you, is that we have an incredible crew,” said Pan, who has served at state and local public health agencies for more than two decades. “We just have such a dedicated, passionate team and I know we will get through to the other side."
The April 24 event, held at the California NanoSystems Institute’s center on the UCLA campus, hosted more than 100 students, faculty, staff, and invited guests who attended panels spotlighting current research by UCLA faculty and staff on topics ranging from artificial intelligence's use on medical research to the impact of the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires.
"Today is an opportunity to share information with each other about some of the impactful research and practice work that's happening in our school," said said Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, dean and distinguished professor of biostatistics at UCLA Fielding. “This is a unique opportunity for our community to learn from Dr. Pan, who is at the forefront of shaping and implementing our state's public health policies, and it's our hope that this will provide opportunities for new conversations and collaborations to address some of the critical public health challenges that we face today."
The event, which was first held in 2023, included faculty experts sharing their research and practice innovations; a Student Impact Poster Showcase, which highlights work led by master’s and doctoral students; and dedicated time throughout the day for colleagues to connect. In addition to Dr. Pan’s keynote, four moderated panels covered topics including:
- Panel 1 | Artificial Intelligence & Data Science Powering Public Health; moderator: Philip Massey. presenters: W. Scott Comulada, Joann Elmore, and Sijia Li.
- Panel 2 | Combating Chronic & Infectious Diseases; moderator: Kristen Choi. presenters: Susan Babey, Roch Nianogo, and Jason Xu.
- Panel 3 | Championing Health Equity; moderator: Beth Glenn. presenters: Alison Gemmill, Yoshira “Yoshi” Ornelas van Horne, and Whitney Pirtle.
- Panel 4 | Protecting Health in a Changing Physical Environment; moderator: Rachael Jones; presenters: Falco Bargagli Stoffi, Kate Leifheit, and Yifang Zhu.
For more information, see:
2026 Research, Innovation & Impact Day
The event agenda is linked here.
A photo album from the event, including students presenting their research project posters, and a video of the conference will follow, as well.
Event Agenda
