It’s often said that next to every distinguished leader is an equally extraordinary partner who helps to chart the course forward. As Dr. Julio Frenk steps into his role as UCLA’s chancellor, his longstanding professional collaborator and spouse, Felicia Marie Knaul, is also embarking on a new chapter here in Los Angeles — and bringing her exceptional talents, knowledge and leadership to Westwood.
A Harvard-trained health economist and renowned global health researcher and advocate, Knaul has spent the past three decades conducting groundbreaking work on women’s health, access to cancer care and palliative care, and the devastating impacts of violence against women and children. As a professor at both Harvard and the University of Miami, she led initiatives promoting global equity, human development and poverty alleviation, and helped craft innovative models for health reform and financing, and for improving access to cancer control in low- and middle-income countries. She’s also the author of hundreds of academic and policy papers, as well as several books, including one that charts her own journey with cancer. As a result of her breast cancer experience, she founded and leads a nonprofit in Mexico, Tómatelo a Pecho, dedicated to improving access to health care in Latin America.
In addition to being Frenk’s partner in life, she has worked alongside him on a number of major programs, including in developing the financial model for Seguro Popular, the ambitious plan that expanded access to health care for more than 55 million uninsured people during Frenk’s tenure as Mexico’s secretary of health. Together they have published several landmark papers on the Mexican health system in the leading academic journal The Lancet.
UCLA Magazine spoke to Knaul about her personal and professional journeys, the future she envisions, the opportunities she’s eager to explore in her new city — and why everyone should adopt a special needs dog.
After nine years in Miami, you’re building a whole new life in Los Angeles. What are you most looking forward to?
I’m incredibly excited about getting to know the people who make up UCLA — students, faculty, staff — and becoming part of this incredible community. Moving to Los Angeles also opens up so many new possibilities, especially through UCLA Health and its partnerships with local communities. UCLA Health’s vision, its commitment to Los Angeles, and the possibility of bringing top-quality health care and preventive medicine to underserved communities are very exciting to me. Programs like the mobile health care vans that serve unhoused communities or the use of therapy animals — support canines and even mini-horses — are impressive. They are a window into the heart of a visionary and exemplary health care system of the highest scientific caliber.
You bring a wealth of experience in health care to the table. Could you tell us a bit about your current work in global health, and what’s driving your passion right now?
One of my primary focuses right now is on global access to palliative care, particularly end-of-life care and pain relief. The solutions to these issues are very tractable and not expensive, so it’s one of those unusual opportunities in global health that doesn’t require a lot of money to solve. Rather, it requires much better policymaking and thoughtfulness, particularly caring about the poor and the pain of the poor, which is typically forgotten or ignored. Continuing my work on gender equity, particularly in the areas of access to health and mitigating violence, and advancing early detection and treatment of breast cancer in underserved regions also remain close to my heart.
How do you think this move may benefit your work?
I’m eager to tap into the university’s innovative health care programs and see how my own work in public health can grow here. I hope to strengthen behavioral health initiatives, especially around violence prevention and women’s health, by working closely with community partners. UCLA’s global ties and commitment to public health make it the perfect place to continue to expand this work.
You and Julio have a compassion that informs your professional work and beyond. What’s it like working closely with him on transformative health-related projects?
Working on Mexico’s Seguro Popular health program with him was amazing. It was inspiring to witness how a well-designed public health initiative could transform lives by giving millions access to essential services they previously couldn’t reach. Scaling this initiative across Mexico was incredibly challenging, but the impact made it deeply rewarding.
I love that our work is rooted in shared values: equity, access and improving the lives of the most vulnerable. We challenge and inspire each other, and it’s fulfilling to see the lasting impact of our collaboration.
What can we expect from the man who is our new leader? Read “A New Chancellor, A New Era.”
You collaborate with researchers and scholars from around the world in your day-to-day work and through several global projects launched by the medical journal The Lancet. Tell us about that.
I’m currently involved with two Lancet commissions: One focuses on violence against women and children, which has seldom been recognized as a major global health issue but should be. Violence is a huge risk factor for numerous health outcomes and affects education, poverty and overall well-being. The other commission is on cancer and health systems, building on 15 years of work aimed at strengthening health systems to better manage all cancers. Both commissions are set to publish their findings in the 2025–26 academic year. I’m looking forward to partnering with UCLA Health to push those findings and the policy recommendations out to the L.A. community and globally.
Could you share a moment in your career that’s been particularly meaningful to you?
I have been incredibly fortunate to have had many meaningful moments. But some of the most impactful have always come from being on the ground, working directly with people and communities, whether it was engaging with children in Bogotá for my thesis research or talking with women undergoing cancer treatment in Mexico. These direct experiences are where real learning happens.
It’s clear that your dedication to this work is deeply personal. What’s behind that?
Growing up as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, my worldview was shaped early on by my father’s experiences. When you grow up as the child of someone who suffered and survived genocide, the world is a very scary place. I quickly realized that many groups were enduring serious abuse and poverty, and I felt a responsibility to do something about it. It’s not only about bearing witness to your own suffering or that of your own family or community, but also that of others.
You’ve mentioned that your mother, Marie, also had a significant influence on your life. How have her values shaped who you are today?
My mother was always there. She was my rock. She grew up poor in London during World War II, lived through the bombings and started working as a teenager. She managed to complete secretarial college, which was a huge accomplishment given the challenges she faced. After my father passed when I was 18, she supported my brother and me through higher education, being there for us every step of the way. She was an incredible grandmother to my daughters and traveled all over the world to see us. She taught me the value of family and how to stay close while still allowing your children to grow. I use her first name in my professional life to honor her legacy.
Can you tell us about your work in Mexico, particularly the education program you led for hospitalized children?
That project was incredibly rewarding. I designed and implemented an education program for hospitalized children called Sigamos Aprendiendo en el Hospital [Let’s Keep Learning in the Hospital]. Between 2004 and 2006, I helped establish schools in every tertiary hospital across all states of Mexico, by law, providing a space for children and their parents, many of whom were functionally illiterate, to continue their education. This initiative made a huge difference, and continues to do so to this day, two decades later. I’m incredibly proud of it.
You’ve certainly made a lasting impact in many areas, big and small. And you’ve recently adopted a special needs dog. How did that come about?
Yes, we did! Her name is Petunia, and she’s an older, black German shepherd with a heartbreaking past. She was severely abused and mutilated, and is missing an ear and a part of her tongue. Despite everything she’s been through, she has a wonderful, incredibly sweet character, but is still frightened of people, particularly men. We found her at a local Miami shelter. Actually, she found us. She’s definitely got a forever home, but she needs a lot of extra care. Animals like Petunia often get overlooked, but they have so much love to offer. She’s become a beloved member of the family, joining our other pets — Bingo, a West Highland white terrier; Shimon, or “Shimmy,” who’s a shih tzu–poodle mix; and Ziggy, who might just be the smartest cat ever and a talented escape artist. They’re all very sweet. I hope many students will get to meet them. We also have one very recent addition to the family: Poseidon. He is a 6-year-old Lusitano. Riding is the one way I have of clearing my mind and being in touch with myself. He is moving from Wellington to Los Angeles with me, and I am really looking forward to riding Poseidon with our UCLA equestrian team, since he will be living at their barn!
As you look ahead to your time at UCLA, what excites you most about this moment?
I am excited to continue to explore this incredible campus. And I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with the many talented people who make up the UCLA community to make L.A. and our world a more equitable, healthy and safe place for all.
Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Winter 2025 issue.
