Commencement 2026

Commencement

Tuesday, June 2, 2026  |  2pm – 5pm  |  Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall

Georges C. Benjamin, MD

Chief Executive Officer
American Public Health Association

Georges C. Benjamin, MD, is a nationally recognized physician leader and health advocate. Since 2002, he has served as CEO of the American Public Health Association (APHA), leading its effort to make America the healthiest nation.

Prior to his position at APHA, Benjamin was secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He is board-certified in internal medicine and a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.

An established administrator, author, and orator, Benjamin started his medical career as a military physician in 1978 when he trained in internal medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center. After leaving the Army, he chaired the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the District of Columbia General Hospital. He was promoted to acting commissioner for public health for the District of Columbia and later directed one of the busiest ambulance services in the nation.

Benjamin’s academic career spans teaching, policy research, and academic program development and management. He has combined his practice and academic experience as an emergency physician with public health to become one of the nation’s experts in public health emergency preparedness.

In 2008, 2014, and 2016, Benjamin was named one of the top 25 minority executives in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine, voted among the 100 most influential people in health care for 15 years (2007-2018 and 2021-2025), and in 2023 and 2024, Washingtonian Magazine voted Dr. Benjamin one of the 500 most influential people shaping health policy.

Susan Klitzman, MPH, DrPH, CPH 

Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Professor
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy 

A New York City native and graduate of the New York City public school and State University systems, Susan Klitzman has dedicated her career to public service. She brings over 40 years of experience leading public health programs in academic and government settings, with expertise in urban health, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, leadership, and public health policy.

From 1987 – 1999, Klitzman directed programs in childhood lead poisoning prevention, occupational and environmental epidemiology, and employee health and safety at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Among her many accomplishments, she developed regulations for safe lead paint abatement in housing, which resulted in dramatic reductions in childhood lead poisoning.

In 1999, Klitzman joined the CUNY family as a faculty member in the Urban Public Health Program at Hunter College and has since played a central role in founding New York City’s first public school of public health. As inaugural associate dean for academic affairs, she led the school through its first accreditation in 2010. Since 2015, she has served as senior associate dean for administration, working with faculty, staff, students, and partners to build the top public school of public health in the tri-state area.

Klitzman has held leadership roles with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Public Health Association of New York City. From 2002 to 2021, she served as a mayoral appointee to the New York City Board of Health, advancing policies such as menu calorie labeling, sodium warnings, restaurant grading, and recognizing racism as a public health issue.