Two Former Board of Trustees Members Pass Away
Robert E. Tranquada, MD, trustee emeritus and a member of the founding board of CDU, passed away on December 4, 2022 at the age of 92. Dr. Tranquada was a distinguished leader in higher education, diabetes research, public health advocacy, and philanthropy.
He served as Assistant Professor to Professor of Medicine at the USC School of Medicine and as Chair of the Department of Community Medicine and Public Health. He was Associate Dean and Medical Director of the Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center and Regional Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services.
His career included serving as Associate Dean of the UCLA School of Medicine and also as Chancellor and Dean of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He additionally held an endowed chair in Health Policy and chaired the Health Administration program in the then School of Public Administration, prior to becoming Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Public Policy at USC.
Dr. Tranquada played an instrumental role in increasing access to healthcare for underserved communities across Los Angeles County having also established and directed the Watts Health Center (now the Watts Healthcare Corporation). He was a member of the Christopher Commission (an independent commission on the Los Angeles Police Department) and chaired the Los Angeles County Task Force on Health Care Access.
He was also a member of the Board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. Dr. Tranquada received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in 2015.
“I knew him well over the years. We served on a number of committees together on health reform,” said Sylvia Drew Ivie, Senior Special Assistant to the President for Community Affairs. “He was a dear person and a dedicated supporter of expanding health care for the poor.”
CDU also learned of the passing of another former board member. Marvin Jubas passed away recently at the age of 93. Jubas was a pillar in Jewish and community life in Los Angeles. Jubas was a true health advocate and his concern for advancement in health was demonstrated by his active participation at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, and his twenty years as a member of the Board of D.A.R.E.
His leadership involvement included a role as past president of the Guardians, chair of the Legal Division of Israel Bonds, past board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, past president of Brentwood Country Club, a Trustee of the UCLA Foundation, Friends of Hebrew University, and the Los Angeles Jewish Community Foundation.