UC San Diego announced Wednesday that it received approval from the a UC Board of Regents‘ committee to establish a School of Public Health.
The university announced its intent to launch the school last year. At that time, the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Foundation made a $25 million donation to kickstart the effort.
Herbert, a scientist and clinician, invented eyeglass tints to block ultraviolet light. The Wertheims made the donation for their 48th wedding anniversary.
UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla and Health Sciences Vice Chancellor David Brenner committed $7 million in funding for the school. It will support five $1 million faculty chairs and reserve $500,000 over four years to recruit faculty and cover startup costs.
According to the university, most of the additional money will come from existing resources, not new state funding.
The full Board of Regents is expected to vote on the proposal Thursday.
“UC San Diego’s new School of Public Health is the next logical step in the evolution of our public health programs, initiatives, clinics, undergraduate degree program and existing faculty expertise,” Khosla said.
He continued: “With a focus on public health, we can define the future where medicine, biology, engineering and public policy come together.”
The school will include classes for those pursuing bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees.
Two UC campuses, Berkeley and UCLA, have schools of public health. Other UCs – Irvine, Merced, Davis and San Francisco, may establish similar schools.
– City News Service