For Mark and Jennie Malek, their commitment to public health runs deep and that dedication will now benefit one of many PhD students who have also chosen public health as their profession. The Maleks were among the first donors to establish a summer fellowship fund at the UCI Program in Public Health called the Malek Family Scholarship. Their gift will allow a PhD student to continue their research over the summer months by providing a fellowship fund that helps cover living expenses.
Mark understands the relief and opportunity that a scholarship or fellowship can provide. He received his bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine and went on to receive his MD degree from UCLA/Charles R. Drew. It was during this time that he received a scholarship to conduct research abroad where he was able to present his findings at a medical conference.
It is important to lead by example and I challenge people to support public health, which touches all of our lives.”
– Mark Malek, MD, MPH
Donor & UCI Public Health Community Advisory Board Member
“To be able to support a PhD student trying to help make the world a better place, there is a lot of satisfaction in that,” Mark said. “And I know what it feels like to have that encouragement and support – it changes a person’s entire perspective.”
The Maleks also saw the importance of giving back to their local community. The couple lives in Orange County with their three daughters and own and manage a family and primary care practice in Long Beach. Their practice focuses on prevention and getting to the root causes of a patient’s health problems. Mark also completed his residency in preventive medicine along with a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.
“We wanted to give back to an organization that is doing good work close to home,” said Jennie, who is a marriage and family therapist and is now a health and wellness coach. “Both Mark and I are incredibly impressed by the diversity and background of UCI Public Health’s student body. We see the drive that the students have to bring their public health training back to improve their home communities.”
The couple is excited to see how the future UCI School of Population and Public Health continues to grow. And they want to be a part of that growth. Mark is a member of the Program’s new Community Advisory Board, a group of community members who will advise and work with the dean to grow the Program’s community outreach endeavors.
“Investing in training future public health practitioners is an investment in the community and its benefits are far-reaching,” Mark emphasized. “As a medical and public health practitioner myself, I can say that prevention and public health can save valuable healthcare dollars and relieves the strain on the U.S. healthcare system.”
Their message to other donors who want to support UCI Public Health: “It is important to lead by example and I challenge people to support public health, which touches all of our lives.”
To support the Program in Public Health and explore similar giving opportunities, please contact Juliana Goswick, Director of Development, UCI Public Health, at jgoswick@uci.edu.
