A Look at 20 Years of Public Health Milestones
Faculty and staff take their first tour of Roy P. Drachman Hall in 2005, the future home of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2020. The college’s creation helped bring all of the University of Arizona’s existing public health studies together in one place.
“Today we stand as a recognized leader in public health. We have grown the college into an ecosystem of centers and programs, research and education, promotion and outreach that has improved health and wellness for millions of people,” said college Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH.
Looking back at that history provides a sense of accomplishment Dr. Hakim said.
“Our public health expertise and education has had measurable benefits for our communities in the region, for the University of Arizona and Health Sciences, for the City of Tucson, for Pima County and for the State of Arizona. And our role is now more vital and visible than ever,” said Dr. Hakim.
Explore this gallery for a look back at some of those milestones through the years, and join the college’s “20 Days for 20 Years” virtual celebration of storytelling, memories and milestones.
The Arizona Board of Regents votes in January 2000 to establish the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.
G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH, is appointed the first permanent dean of the college in 2001.
In March 2002, President George W. Bush nominates professor Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, to become the 17th Surgeon General of the United States.
The college is officially named the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health in 2002. Pictured from left: Dean G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH; Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup; University of Arizona President Peter Likins, PhD; Enid Zuckerman; Mel Zuckerman.
In November 2003, the university celebrates the groundbreaking of Roy P. Drachman Hall, the college’s future home.
The November 2003 groundbreaking for the construction of Roy P. Drachman Hall.
Roy P. Drachman Hall under construction in 2005.
Faculty and staff take their first tour of Roy P. Drachman Hall in 2005, the future home of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
Faculty and staff inspect blueprints on their tour of Roy P. Drachman Hall, 2005. Pictured from left: Chris Tisch; Denise Roe, DrPH; Linda Temellie; Jim Ranger-Moore.
Chris Tisch stands in what will become the student lounge during a 2005 construction tour of Roy P. Drachman Hall.
Faculty and staff tour Roy P. Drachman Hall in 2005. From left: Kim Bourn; Tony Vurturo; Jerry Cohen; Mel Zuckerman; Enid Zuckerman; Dean G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH.
The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health celebrates the grand opening and dedication of Roy P. Drachman Hall in 2006.
University of Arizona President Peter Likins, PhD, and Dean G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH, speak at the 2006 grand opening of Roy P. Drachman Hall.
Attendees at the 2006 Roy P. Drachman Hall dedication.
Students and faculty pose for a photo on the first day of class January 11, 2006. Pictured from left: Denise Roe, DrPH; Darlene Lopez; a student; Dean G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH; Chris Tisch.
First day of class in Roy P. Drachman Hall, 2006. Jordana Choucair, left, poses with Dean G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH; Joel Meister; Jill deZapien; Chris Tisch; Denise Roe, DrPH.
Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH, is named dean of the college in 2008.
The Global Health Institute is founded in 2009 by Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH. The Institute’s mission is to address global health disparities and offer solutions through education, research, and health diplomacy by training a strong and culturally competent workforce.
2009 Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health convocation.
Members of the Tucson business, academic, and philanthropic community celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health on April 9, 2010. Nearly 450 guests generated more than $264,000 for the college’s student scholarship endowment.
The 10th Anniversary Gala of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health on April 9, 2010. Pictured from left: Chris Tisch; Kent Campbell, MD, MPH; Zhao Chen, PhD, MPH; Kacey Ernst, PhD, MPH; Liz Campbell.
In 2010, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health opened a presence on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.
Faculty and students participate in the first public health student orientation at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in 2010. The first Phoenix class consisted of 13 students enrolled in the Master of Public Health program in public health practice.
Professor Kelly Reynolds, PhD, MSPH, and two graduate students are presented with the Tucson Fire Department’s Award of Service at a ceremony in the Tucson Convention Center on Feb. 19, 2010. Pictured from left: Tucson City Councilwoman Shirley Scott; Jonathan Sexton, PhD; Dr. Reynolds; student Kelly Hager; Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup; Tucson Fire Chief Patrick Kelly.
The Arizona Training Center holds a public health training event in 2012. The center would later be renamed as the Western Region Public Health Training Center. It serves numerous western states and is part of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
Students celebrate at the 2013 convocation.
Members of the Arizona Prevention Research Center in 2014. The center’s mission is to address chronic disease health disparities in underserved populations in Southern Arizona.
Kacey Ernst, PhD, MPH, poses with students at the 2014 convocation.
The team at the Environment, Exposure Science and Risk Assessment Center help test new laboratory procedures during a simulated emergency water contamination scenario in June 2016.
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health 2016 convocation.
The Primary Prevention Mobile Health Unit launches in Maricopa and Pima counties in 2017.
The Primary Prevention Mobile Health Unit launches in Maricopa and Pima counties in 2017.
Doug Taren, PhD, Christina Harris and Stephanie Springer, MPH, at the 2017 convocation.
Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH, speaks at Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates, in 2018.
A visit to Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates, in 2018. Pictured from left: Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH; Gulf Medical University Chancellor Hossam Hamdy; UArizona President Robert C. Robbins, MD; Brent White, JD, dean of UArizona Global Campus and vice provost for Global Affairs.
A visit from representatives of Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology to the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health in 2018.
A scholarship luncheon recognizes 2018 recipients.
2018 scholarship recipients pose with professor Cecilia Rosales, MD, David Adame, president and chief executive officer of Chicanos Por la Causa and Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH.
Members of the Global Health Institute attend a 2019 signing ceremony for a partnership between the University of Arizona and Amrita University in Amritapuri, India.
Students from Beijing Normal University attend a semester-long program called the International Graduate Mentoring Program in 2019.
Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH, is filmed for the Mel and Enid College of Public Health 2020 convocation, which was presented virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a new awareness to public health prevention measures, including wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of the virus. Pictured from left: College of Pharmacy communicator Ali Bridges; Pharmacy Dean Rick G. Schnellmann, PhD; Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health communicator Shipherd Reed; Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health Dean Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH. Each shares why they wear a mask as part of a UArizona Health Sciences “I Wear A Mask” campaign.
Cecilia Rosales, MD, MS, associate dean, Phoenix Campus, shares that she wears a mask to protect her first newborn grandchild during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.