Julio Frenk
Chancellor
Miami Connection
Under Frenk's leadership, UHealth achieved a dramatic turnaround, with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center earning NCI designation as one of only two in Florida and South Florida's sole NCI-designated center. His 'Ever Brighter' campaign raised over $2 billion toward a $2.5 billion goal, funding Frost Institutes for chemistry, molecular science, and data science via a $100 million gift, plus new facilities like Lakeside Village. UM joined the elite Association of American Universities, boosting its research profile and local economic impact through advanced cancer research and student housing.
About
Julio Frenk is a Mexican-American public health scholar who served as Mexico's Secretary of Health from 2000 to 2006 and dean of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2009 to 2015. He became the sixth president of the University of Miami in August 2015, succeeding Donna Shalala, and led the university for nearly nine years until June 2024. During his tenure, he oversaw major expansions in research and health care, including UHealth's growth as South Florida's only academic health system. Frenk guided the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging his experience from four prior pandemics to enable in-person instruction. He departed UM in 2024 for a sabbatical before becoming chancellor of UCLA on January 1, 2025.