Vin Gupta Named 2026 Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award Recipient by the Rutgers School of Public Health

The Rutgers School of Public Health is proud to announce that Vin Gupta, M.D., M.P.A., has been named the 2026 recipient of the Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award in Public Health, the school’s highest honor. Gupta will also serve as the school’s 40th graduation speaker, addressing graduates, faculty, staff, and guests at the May 2026 ceremony.

Established in 2001, the Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to public health through advocacy, program development, and sustained public service, strengthening the profession’s capacity to advance research, education, and community impact. Gupta’s career reflects these values in action—bridging science, policy, and public understanding to improve population health outcomes nationwide.

A nationally recognized health communicator, advocate, and systems leader, Gupta has dedicated his career to translating complex public health and health policy issues into clear and actionable information. At a time when misinformation threatens public trust and health equity, his work has been instrumental in helping diverse audiences understand evidence-based guidance and make informed decisions that protect individual and community health. 

“Dr. Gupta joins a distinguished lineage of Lautenberg Award honorees and speakers who exemplify a bold and forward-looking vision of academic public health,” says Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health. “This vision moves decisively beyond antiquated frameworks that have failed us in recent decades, embracing instead a holistic, humanistic, and multidisciplinary understanding of what public health truly is today, what it must be for the future, and how our school is defined.”

Gupta currently serves as a managing director in Manatt’s Health Care group, focusing on healthcare innovation and health system transformation. He advances strategies that strengthen care delivery, improve access, and promote accountability across the healthcare sector. In parallel, he has become one of the country’s most trusted public voices on public health, regularly serving as a health analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, where he provides timely, thoughtful analysis grounded in science and public service.

Through his media engagement and policy leadership, Gupta exemplifies the spirit of the Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award: a commitment to meeting the public where they are, countering misinformation with clarity and compassion, and ensuring that public health knowledge is not confined to academic or clinical spaces but shared in ways that empower communities and inform policy. His ability to communicate across sectors—government, health systems, media, and the public—has helped move public health forward during moments of profound challenge and change.

“I am deeply honored to be named the 2026 Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award recipient and to serve as graduation speaker for the Rutgers School of Public Health,” said Gupta. “Advancing health equity, strengthening systems, and restoring trust through clear, compassionate communication are among the most urgent challenges of our time as public health must evolve to meet the realities of a changing world. I am honored to celebrate the next generation of public health leaders as they step into this work.”

Gupta will be honored with the Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Award during the Rutgers School of Public Health’s 2026 graduation ceremony, where his address will celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class and underscore the essential role of public health leadership, communication, and service in shaping a healthier, more informed society.

Prior recipients of the award include Jim McGreevey, former governor of New Jersey; Khiara Bridges, professor of law at UC Berkley; Dionne Warwick, Grammy Award-winning vocalist, humanitarian, actress, and television host; Laurie Garret, author and journalist; Tammy Snyder Murphy, First Lady of New Jersey; Mark Wade, Director of the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness; and Abdul El-Sayed, doctor and civil servant.