Dr. Patience Afulani, professor at the University of California, San Francisco, recognized as distinguished alum by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Dr. Patience Afulani, associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has been inducted into the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s “Alumni Hall of Fame” for 2025.

“The UCLA School of Public Health is where I learned about the social determinants of health, public health theories, program planning and evaluation, and constructs and their measurement - foundations that remain central to my work today,” said Afulani, a physician who earned her master of public health (MPH) and doctorate (Ph.D) at UCLA Fielding and teaches in the Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences and Epidemiology & Biostatistics departments at UCSF. “Most importantly, it is where I dared to dream that I could make meaningful contributions to the field and was made to believe that it was possible.”

In December, seven distinguished graduates of UCLA Fielding were recognized for their work since graduation as having a major impact on public health, in Los Angeles and globally. Afulani’s work at UCSF includes serving as principal investigator of the Person-Centered Equity Lab, where she leads research projects across Africa, including her native Ghana.

Those elements of her work were cited by Dr. Goleen Samari, associate professor at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine and a UCLA Fielding classmate (Ph.D, ’15) who nominated Afulani for the Hall of Fame’s “Emerging Professional Award.”

“Her work bridges research and practice, as seen in her development of validated tools now used by governments, NGOs, and international agencies to improve the quality of care globally,” Samari said. “From local evaluations in California to large-scale interventions in Ghana and Kenya, Dr. Afulani applies research to real-world challenges, directly improving public health outcomes.”

The latest honorees join a list of more than 90 UCLA Fielding School of Public Health alum, ranging from the classes of 1963 to 2019. Nominees are considered by a committee made up of the UCLA Fielding Public Health Alumni Association Board and serving faculty members.

That legacy, of all UCLA Fielding Hall of Fame inductees, is key to the enduring impact of the school on public health around the globe, said Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a distinguished professor of biostatistics.

“We are living in a time of unprecedented challenges and uncertainties for universities and for public health, and organizations like the Public Health Alumni Association are more important now than ever,” Brookmeyer said. “Whether your career is well-established or if you’re just starting out - your presence here today strengthens our collective resolve to improve public health in Los Angeles, in California, and beyond."