HSPH Commencement 2007

Speaker Bio: Dr. Julio Frenk

JULIO FRENK is the former Minister of Health of Mexico. He was assigned this responsibility on December 1st, 2000, when Vicente Fox became President after a historical election that was part of a complex process of economic, social, and political transition.

In response to such a transition, Dr. Frenk led the design of an innovative plan aimed at meeting three challenges: equity, quality, and financial protection. Over the past five years, this plan has been implemented through several programs addressing the double burden of disease: on the one hand, the persistence of common infections and reproductive health problems that predominantly affect the poor; on the other, the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases and injury that affect the general population. He also launched a major initiative to improve the quality of health care. His administration was involved in an ambitious effort to provide universal health insurance including those working in the informal sector of the economy. This program worked to provide regular access to quality care and financial protection to almost 50 million Mexicans who were uninsured.

Prior to his position as Minister of Health, in 1998 he was appointed Executive Director in charge of Evidence and Information for Policy at the World Health Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, and was a member of the Cabinet of Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland during the first half of her tenure as Director-General of WHO. In this role, Dr. Frenk contributed to the design and implementation of a process of change that, among other steps forward, has placed health more firmly at the center of the development agenda, has established partnerships with other actors, has produced and disseminated an evidence base to inform policies, and has strengthened capacities in countries to improve the performance of their health systems.

Between 1995 and 1998 he was the Executive Vice President of the Mexican Health Foundation, a private non-profit organization, and the Director of its Center for Health and the Economy. Here he strengthened the policy dialogue among all relevant actors and produced a critical analysis of the Mexican health system that offered comprehensive reform options.

From 1987 to 1992 he was the founding Director-General of the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico, which has become one of the leading teaching and research centers in the developing world.

In addition to his executive positions, Dr. Frenk has had an extensive academic career. He was a senior researcher at the National Institute of Public Health and an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the National University of Mexico. He was also awarded the position of National Researcher. During 1993 he was Visiting Professor at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.

His writings include 29 books and monographs, 47 book chapters, 89 articles in academic journals, and 106 articles in cultural periodicals and newspapers. Two of his books are best-selling novels for youngsters explaining the functions of the human body.

His research has focused on health systems, an area in which he has made several contributions. He has carried out studies on human resources, including the education and employment of physicians. He has also worked on the relationship between globalization and health. As part of his extensive research on the health transition, he has examined the policy implications of shifts in the dominant patterns of health and disease.

He serves on the editorial boards of 10 journals and is a member of 12 scientific and professional associations, including the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico and the U.S. Institute of Medicine. He was President of the Mexican Society for Quality in Health Care and is currently Vice President for Latin America of the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Frenk received his medical degree in 1979 from the National University of Mexico. At the University of Michigan he obtained three advanced degrees: Master of Public Health (1981), Master of Arts in Sociology (1982), and joint Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Care Organization and in Sociology (1983).

He was born in Mexico City on December 20, 1953. He is married to Dr. Felicia Knaul, a social-sector economist, and has four children.

In summary, Dr. Julio Frenk has gained substantial experience over a 25-year career covering leadership positions in all major aspects of public health: research, teaching, independent policy analysis, institution building, international cooperation, and national public service.

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