From HSPH to the U.S. Congress: Leadership Lessons from an Alum
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/169204744″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
The son of California farmworkers, United States Representative Raul Ruiz, MPH ’07 (D-CA), holds graduate degrees from Harvard in medicine, public policy and public health. Dr. Ruiz completed a residency in emergency medicine and a fellowship in international emergency medicine, during which he served as a consultant to the Ministries of Health of both Serbia and El Salvador. For his humanitarian work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, Dr. Ruiz was awarded the Commander’s Award for Public Service by the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Dr. Ruiz served as an emergency room doctor until 2012 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent California’s 36th District, which includes the desert communities of Palm Desert and Palm Springs. Dr. Ruiz is a freshmen member of Congress and defeated a 14-year incumbent in 2012. Currently, he serves on the Veteran’s Affairs and Natural Resources Committees.
