In May, the UCGHI Board of Directors welcomed Chancellor Howard Gillman of UC Irvine to its Executive Committee.

Comprised of a representative from each UC campus, the UCGHI Board of Directors oversees the business and affairs of the UC Global Health Institute (UCGHI) and provides guidance for overall policy and direction. An Executive Committee leads the Board.

“I am thrilled to welcome Chancellor Gillman to UCGHI’s board,” said Anil Deolalikar (UC Riverside), chair of the board. “His experience and insight will help UCGHI continue its mission of making a transformative difference to global health education, research and practice.”

“I’m very excited by this opportunity,” said Gillman.

“President Napolitano has famously said that at the University of California we ‘teach for California and research for the world.’ There is no better example of ‘research for the world’ than the work of UCGHI.  I’m honored to participate in this important effort,” said Gillman.

Gillman is an award-winning teacher and scholar with an expertise in the American Constitution and the Supreme Court.

“I will bring an outsider’s perspective, if you will, to the board. And part of that perspective is my experience as a chancellor in taking a ‘30,000 foot view’ instead of focusing only on the individual elements that make up an enterprise,” said Gillman.

In addition to his “outsider’s perspective,” Gillman brings his leadership and ability to foster cross-disciplinary initiatives to the Board.

“Some of the most important innovations in human health that we are undertaking on my campus are being made possible by the convergence of research across the life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, information and computer science, and the social and behavioral sciences.  Work across these disciplines is also yielding critical advances in fields such as energy, food, climate, and water,” said Gillman.

Gillman succeeds Chancellor Kim Wilcox of UC Riverside, who is stepping down after a five-year term on the Executive Committee of the Board.

“Chancellor Wilcox consistently offered valuable perspective to our Board,” said Tom Coates (UCLA), director of UCGHI.  “We are very grateful for his service and support of global health at UC.”

Wilcox said he tried to give his best advice whenever possible, “but I generally laughed at the regular question: ‘What do the other Chancellors think?’ I remain convinced that few can accurately guess what my nine talented and independent colleagues might say about most things!”

Laughs aside, Wilcox said he regularly holds UCGHI up as a model for organizing multi-campus collaborations.

“[UCGHI] is research-based, responsive to students’ needs and interests, focused on crucial pipeline issues for future faculty, and its programs are based on the best values of the University of California,” said Wilcox. “It is one of the best examples that I know of all ten campuses working together.”

Reflecting on his time on the UCGHI Board, Wilcox said he is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about global health. “But most importantly, it gave me a new set of friends and colleagues that I admire, and it reminded me of why the University of California is the jewel that we know it to be.”

Gillman also believes that UC has something special to offer.    

“We have a profound and positive impact when we educate undergraduates, prepare the next generation of scholars and professionals, explore the frontiers of science, address pressing social challenges, engage fundamental questions of morality and human value, devise new clinical practices, unleash new forms of creative expression, and forge partnerships with our communities,” said Gillman.

“The University of California, the finest and most consequential public university in the world, will continue to be the place that brings to the state, the nation, and the world the future of medicine and health promotion.”

Gillman will take his seat as a member of the Executive Committee when the UCGHI Board of Directors meets this fall.