ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Rutgers bestows top public health honor on Vin Gupta
Gupta will also serve as the commencement speaker at the school’s May 2026 graduation ceremony, Rutgers said.
-
Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 16, Jan 2026
- 10:47 EST
- 29
Vin Gupta / Wikipedia
Rutgers University’s School of Public Health named physician and public health policy expert Vin Gupta as the 2026 recipient of the Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award in Public Health, the school’s highest honor.
Gupta will receive the award at the school’s May 2026 graduation ceremony, where he will also serve as the commencement speaker.
Also Read: Ritesh Shah named among 50 most influential people in pharmacy
The award, established in 2001, is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to public health through advocacy, program development and public service.
The university said Gupta was selected for his work at the intersection of medicine, policy and public communication, particularly his efforts to explain public health guidance to broad audiences during periods of crisis and uncertainty.
“Dr. Gupta joins a distinguished lineage of Lautenberg Award honorees and speakers who exemplify a bold and forward-looking vision of academic public health,” Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, said in a statement.
“I am deeply honored to be named the 2026 Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award recipient and to serve as graduation speaker for the Rutgers School of Public Health,” Gupta said.
“Advancing health equity, strengthening systems, and restoring trust through clear, compassionate communication are among the most urgent challenges of our time,” he added.
A pulmonologist and public health physician, Gupta currently serves as a managing director in Manatt’s Health Care group, where he works on health system transformation and health care innovation. He is also a medical analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, where he has been a frequent on-air commentator on public health and health policy issues since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gupta,previously served as chief medical officer at Amazon, where he worked on the company’s COVID-19 response and later on its health and devices and services divisions.
He continues to serve as an affiliate professor at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an attending physician at Virginia Mason Medical Center, and a lead officer in the Critical Care Air Transport Team of the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Reserves at Joint Base Lewis–McChord.
He serves on the boards of the American Lung Association, the Center for Environmental Health and Climate Solutions, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
In 2022, Gupta was a leading candidate for a senior advisory role at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a position he later declined for family reasons. He was also previously reported to be under consideration for the post of U.S. surgeon general.
His address at the commencement ceremony will focus on the role of leadership, communication and public service in public health, Rutgers said.
Related
.jpeg)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login