Congratulations to Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati for receiving the Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Baezconde was presented this exceptional award at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health 60th Anniversary Dinner and 2023 Hall of Fame Induction! The Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes UCLA Fielding alums who have shown exceptional dedication to advancing public health throughout their distinguished careers.
A former UCLA Fielding dean and professor, Dr. Lester Breslow was a visionary public health figure with a well-established track record for being ahead of his time. As early as the 1940s, he linked tobacco use to disease in three studies that were later cited in the U.S. Surgeon General’s landmark 1964 report. He is widely known for his early advocacy and research into health promotion and disease prevention. Dr. Breslow’s pioneering Alameda County studies beginning in the early 1960s were among the first to show that simple health practices — such as getting regular exercise and sleep, not drinking excessively, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight — add both years and quality to life.
