Sandra Daley, MD Lecture Series
The Sandra Daley, MD Lecture Series honors health equity practice, research and advocacy of UC San Diego faculty and community leaders. Established by PRIME-Health Equity alumnus Daniel Woodridge, MD ’14, the lectureship showcases research and scholarly work focused on issues of health disparities impacting the patient communities we serve.
Upcoming Event
Sayone Thihalolipavan, MD, MPH, public health officer for the County of San Diego, will be the guest speaker at the 2026 Sandra Daley, MD Lecture. Board-certified in public health and preventative medicine, Thihalolipavan has advanced health initiatives for justice-involved populations across San Diego through his work on the Street Medicine Initiative, the Tijuana River Valley sewage and pollution crisis, Tuberculosis control, refugee health, emergency medical services and epidemic mitigation for COVID-19, Hepatitis A, Zika virus and the opioid crisis.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Ong Family Auditorium, Medical Education and Telemedicine (MET) Building, UC San Diego School of Medicine
RSVP for the Sandra Daley, MD Lecture
About Sandra Daley, MD
Sandra Daley, MD, ‘75, is professor emeritus of pediatrics and the former associate vice chancellor and chief diversity officer at UC San Diego School of Medicine. During her tenure at the School of Medicine, Daley established UC San Diego’s first Program in Medical Education, PRIME-Health Equity, and the Conditional Acceptance Program.
Daley has a 30-year history of clinical work, teaching and program development in the San Diego community. She practiced in a community clinic in San Diego for more than 13 years and taught pediatric residents at a Tijuana hospital before joining the School of Medicine faculty in 1991.
Since 1996, she has been the principal investigator (PI) of grants funded by The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and two grant initiatives funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration — the UC San Diego Hispanic Center of Excellence and the Health Careers Opportunity Program. These grants supported the design and implementation of academic enrichment and research training programs for students in K-12, community college, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and health professions schools, which continue today.
Daley is the previous medical director and executive director of the Comprehensive Health Center, an inner-city community health center serving the African American and Latino communities in San Diego. She is also the recipient of a Kellogg Foundation National Fellowship Program leadership development award.
Among her many community service activities, Daley also served as a consultant to the San Diego Unified School District, directed the local Area Health Education Center Program, served as medical director of the New Beginnings Project and worked with the Hispanic Center of Excellence Project to enhance the academic excellence of minority graduate students.
Past Speakers
UC San Diego alumni and national and regional leaders are invited to speak to our community. Previous speakers include:
- Peter Bretan, MD, president of the California Medical Association
- John Carethers, MD, vice chancellor for health sciences and professor of medicine
- Jeff Henderson, MD, MPH, UC San Diego alumnus, president of Black Hills Center for American Indian Health
- Eliseo Perez-Stable, MD, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes for Health
- David Pride, MD, PhD, associate professor of pathology at UC San Diego
- Natalie Rodriguez, MD, medical director of health equity at UC San Diego Health, Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.