Tops of the Class | UCLA Fielding

The most recent inductees into the UCLA Fielding Hall of Fame exemplify the school’s commitment to research, education, and service at home and around the globe.

The seven newest members of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Hall of Fame have made a tremendous impact on public health in settings ranging from academic and policymaking to diverse communities across Southern California, the U.S., and abroad. The latest inductees, joining a list of more than 90 UCLA Fielding alums who have been named to the school's Hall of Fame since it was established in 2002, were honored at a Dec. 8, 2025, event on campus, co-sponsored by the UCLA Fielding Public Health Alumni Association.

Dr. Patience Afulani

"The UCLA Fielding 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," says Dr. Patience Afulani (MPH '11, PhD '15), who was recognized with the Emerging Professional Award. "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."

A physician who earned her MPH and PhD from UCLA Fielding's Department of Community Health Sciences, Afulani is an associate professor in the Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and Epidemiology & Biostatistics departments at UC San Francisco. Her research in the U.S., Kenya, and her native Ghana has examined sources of disparities in the use and quality of maternal health services. Among other contributions, she has developed tools to measure person-centered reproductive healthcare; examined health workforce well-being; and designed and evaluated interventions to improve maternal and neonatal health. Afulani developed the person-centered maternity care scale now used around the globe.

"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," noted Dr. Goleen Samari (PhD '15), a 2019 FSPH Hall of Fame inductee and associate professor at USC's Keck School of Medicine, in nominating her former UCLA Fielding classmate for the award.

Dr. Manuel Roberto Calderón Pinzón

As a visionary physician, public health leader, and global development strategist with over 30 years of service around the world, 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Manuel Roberto Calderón Pinzón (MPH '84) has introduced initiatives that have transformed health systems, advanced maternal and child health, strengthened HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and improved food and nutrition security for vulnerable populations. A graduate of the school's Department of Health Policy and Management, Calderón Pinzón has served as vice minister of public health in Guatemala and as a senior adviser for HIV/AIDS in Central America and the Caribbean for the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization. He has led humanitarian and emergency responses with the UN World Food Programme, World Vision International, Medical Teams International, and Living Water International.

In nominating his brother for the honor, Dr. Mario Ricardo Calderón (MPH '84), himself a 2015 FSPH Hall of Fame inductee, noted that Calderón Pinzón's service as a public health official in Guatemala ended because he refused to turn a blind eye to financial corruption. "Integrity has a cost, but it also builds a legacy," Mario Ricardo Calderón wrote.

"Public health took me across more than 33 nations, serving with international organizations, NGOs, and the World Health Organization in Central America and the Caribbean," says Calderón Pinzón. "But beyond titles and borders, what I treasure most are the thousands of lives touched — the children, mothers, families, and communities whose health and dignity were strengthened through programs created with compassion, innovation, and hope."

Mary Anne Foo

For Hall of Fame inductee Mary Anne Foo (MPH '93), personal experiences with racism as a fourth-generation Chinese/Japanese Californian, along with her parents' civil rights activism, inspired her to pursue a career advancing health equity and social justice at the national, state, and local levels. Foo is executive director and founder of the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA). Established in 1997, OCAPICA annually reaches more than 80,000 individuals through services across health, education, housing, workforce development, and civic engagement, with a diverse staff of more than 120 who collectively speak over 20 languages.

After receiving her MPH from UCLA Fielding's Department of Community Health Sciences, Foo formed a lifelong partnership in community-based participatory research with several UCLA colleagues, professors, and peers addressing health disparities. Together, they published first-of-its-kind data, developed interventions, and informed policies and systems with underserved populations. Dr. Jacqueline "Jackie" Tran (MPH '04, DrPH '13), who submitted the nomination, noted that Foo's work has provided desperately needed services to immigrants and refugees in Southern California and nationally. "She reminds us all of the importance of community, collaboration, and social justice," Tran wrote.

"The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health transformed my knowledge and skills to address beyond individual behavioral change, to systems and policy change approaches to improving healthcare access for the most underserved communities," Foo says. "I am so honored to still be working with so many of the faculty, researchers, and UCLA alumni who are addressing the highest needs in public health today."

Dr. Na He

Through extensive research and implementation experience in HIV epidemiology, prevention, and intervention, along with his service as a consultant for China's nationwide HIV/AIDS campaigns since 2004, Dr. Na He (PhD '03) has had a major influence on the health of China's population. "His extensive collaborations with institutions like the UCLA Department of Epidemiology, China's National Health Commission, and the China CDC highlight his commitment to collaboration in public health," stated Dr. Roger Detels, FSPH distinguished research professor of epidemiology, and one of two who nominated Detels' former student, along with Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, professor and chair of the department. "He has shown courage in tackling socially sensitive health issues, advocating for vulnerable populations."

A professor of epidemiology and dean of the School of Public Health at Fudan University in Shanghai, He has led or co-led more than 30 research grants, including large National Institutes of Health projects. He currently heads the multicenter HIV and Aging-related Noncommunicable Diseases Study (HANDS) in China, which employs epidemiological and multi-omics approaches to investigate risk factors and mechanisms of aging and aging-related noncommunicable diseases in the HIV population. He has more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and has made significant contributions to public health education and policy in China.

"The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health's globalized vision and mission of protecting and promoting the health and well-being of vulnerable populations are deeply rooted in the graduates," He says. "No matter where we are and no matter how challenging it is, we take collaborative action for public health."

Dr. Cozzette Lyons-Jones

As chief medical officer at Watts Healthcare Corporation, a historic Federally Qualified Health Center in Los Angeles, Dr. Cozzette Lyons-Jones (MPH '18) has driven innovations that have included expanded remote patient monitoring, AI-enabled diabetic retinopathy screening, and enhanced clinical documentation tools, as well as forging a key partnership with Charles R. Drew University that led to the launch of Internal Medicine and Pediatric Sports residency clinics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee provided clinical leadership supporting the design and launch of drive-through testing, training of providers in telehealth adoption, and development of infection-control protocols aligned with public health guidance.

A physician who earned her MPH from FSPH's Department of Health Policy and Management, Lyons-Jones has served as president of the Association of Black Women Physicians. Her contributions have earned her the Physicians for a Healthy California Leadership Award and recognition as an NAACP Image Awards Community Health Hero. "Cozzette sets the highest bar for community medicine, particularly in advancing health and wellness in historically underserved areas," stated Avram Kaplan, who teaches in the department and, with 2002 FSPH Hall of Fame inductee Jessie Lee Sherrod (MPH '80), was one of two individuals to nominate Lyons-Jones. "Her energy and dedication are a constant."

Lyons-Jones describes her career path this way: "A sense of community guided me into the safety-net space in Watts. There, I have had the privilege of serving communities that look like the one that raised me. We have worked to elevate quality, build training programs, launch telehealth during the pandemic, and strengthen systems worthy of the people we serve. Community health centers should never be clinics of last resort — they should be centers of excellence: equitable, dignified, and culturally attuned."

Dr. Anne Rimoin

An internationally recognized expert in emerging infections, global health, surveillance systems, and vaccinations, Dr. Anne Rimoin (MPH '97) holds the Gordon-Levin Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases and Public Health, has made a powerful impact both at home and abroad. Among her many contributions, Rimoin, a graduate of the school's Department of Community Health Sciences who serves as director of the UCLA Center for Global Health Security, has conducted studies leading to fundamental understandings of the epidemiology of mpox in the post-eradication of smallpox; long-term immunity to Ebola virus in survivors; and durability of immune response to the Ebola virus vaccine in health workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

She has worked in the DRC since 2002, having founded the UCLA-DRC Health Research and Training program. The program has strengthened health infrastructure and transformed the field's understanding of emerging pathogens through the training of U.S. and Congolese epidemiologists to conduct high-impact infectious disease research. "Her courage is evident in her willingness to lead fieldwork in complex and high-risk settings, and to speak publicly and frequently — often at personal risk — during major outbreaks, including COVID-19 and mpox," stated Dr. Sudipto Banerjee, FSPH senior associate dean and professor in FSPH's Department of Biostatistics, who nominated Rimoin along with Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, professor and chair of FSPH's Department of Epidemiology. "As both an alumna and faculty member, Dr. Rimoin is a source of pride for the school."

Says Rimoin: "As a native Angeleno, there is nothing more meaningful than building a global career rooted in my hometown. UCLA has given me the greatest gifts: great mentorship, great methods, great colleagues, great students — and a great purpose."

Dr. Ritu Sadana

A global public health leader who has shaped World Health Organization (WHO) strategies on aging and equity, Dr. Ritu Sadana (MS '87), who was inducted into the 2025 FSPH Hall of Fame with the Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award, says it was UCLA Fielding that laid the foundation for her impactful career. "UCLA taught me early on that health is created where people live, learn, work, and age — and that students, communities, civil society, and governments all have a role," Sadana says. "I am especially honored that my induction is for the Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award; Professor Breslow's focus on health, not only disease, continues to inspire my work with partners around the world."

Sadana led the first WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health, conceived the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 — endorsed by the UN General Assembly — and led development of the "Decade of Healthy Ageing: Baseline Report," documenting strategies to accelerate country-level progress. She currently heads WHO's efforts to align services and systems to optimize health and well-being at every stage of life. Sadana is lead author of the "WHO Framework to Implement a Life Course Approach in Practice," a forward-looking initiative that bridges child, adolescent, adult, and older people's health to improve health trajectories and reduce inequalities.

"Her work has substantially impacted global health policies and practices, contributing to meaningful improvements in health outcomes for older adults worldwide," stated Dr. Ninez Ponce (PhD '98), a 2023 FSPH Hall of Fame inductee and professor and chair of FSPH's Department of Health Policy and Management, in nominating Sadana for the award.

Nominations to the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Hall of Fame can be made for any of three awards: the Hall of Fame Award, the Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Emerging Professional Award. Nominees are considered by a committee made up of the UCLA Fielding Public Health Alumni Association Board and faculty members. For more information on how to submit a nomination, contact the FSPH Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at (310) 825-6464 or publichealth@support.ucla.edu.