The UCLA Depression Grand Challenge celebrated its 10th year at its annual Leadership Council meeting on Nov. 17, 2025, convening UCLA leaders, faculty, staff, and external advisors to reflect on the DGC’s progress and future priorities.
The Leadership Council meeting was UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk’s first following his inauguration in June, and he embraced his role as Council co-chair.
Frenk delivered the meeting’s opening remarks, affirming his confidence in the Depression Grand Challenge’s mission and underscoring the importance of sustaining ambitious, public-impact research amid recent disruptions to federal funding. He pointed to the DGC as an example of work that depends on long-term continuity and sustained investment to achieve transformative impact.
As the DGC enters its second decade, Frenk’s engagement provides assurance that, amid a change in institutional leadership, UCLA remains committed to leading the effort to cut the global burden of depression on mental health — and, further, that the DGC’s contributions to advancing the university’s mission of knowledge discovery remain a recognized and valued university priority.
