Professor Yifang Zhu will deliver the 51st Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture
Dr. Yifang Zhu, professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, will deliver the 51st Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture on February 24, 2026. The lecture will be held virtually from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm and hosted by Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, dean of UCLA Fielding.
Zhu, who earned her PhD from UCLA Fielding, will deliver her lecture, “From Invisible to Visible: How air pollution research informs action in a changing climate.”
Zhu’s research interest is primarily in the field of air pollution, climate change, environmental exposure assessment, and aerosol science and technology. Her current work focuses on measuring and modeling air pollutant emissions, transport, and transformation as well assessing and mitigating the associated health effects. Her most recent work examines indoor and outdoor air quality and community exposures following the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, with the goal of informing post-fire recovery and public health protection.
"I am thrilled that Dr. Yifang Zhu will deliver the 51st Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture,” said Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a distinguished professor of biostatistics. "An alum and longtime faculty member at UCLA Fielding, Dr. Zhu has also held leadership roles at our school and continues to set an example of true excellence through her impactful research, teaching, and mentorship."
Zhu is a faculty associate at UCLA’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and the Center for Healthy Climate Solutions. She also serves as a member of the research teams for the on-going Los Angeles Fire Human Exposure and Long-Term Health Study (L.A. Fire HEALTH Study) and the Community Action Project Los Angeles (CAP.LA).
Zhu's scholarship has been recognized by several national awards, including the Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award from the Health Effects Institute in 2007, the Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation in 2009, and the Haagen-Smit Prize from Atmosphere Environment in 2011.
The Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture was established in honor of Dr. Lester Breslow, former dean (1972-80) and professor emeritus at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Breslow also served as president of the American Public Health Association and director of the California Public Health Department.
Breslow was widely known for his early advocacy and research into health promotion and disease prevention. Breslow’s pioneering studies beginning in the early 1960s were among the first to show that simple health practices - getting regular exercise and sleep, not drinking excessively, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight — add both years and quality to life.
"As a UCLA Fielding alum and faculty member, I am deeply honored to serve as the Breslow speaker this year," said Zhu. "Dr. Breslow’s legacy reminds us that prevention begins with making risks visible where people live, work, and recover. Through my lecture, I hope to show how air pollution science can move beyond measurement to inform action that protects public health.”
