Distinguished Alumni Award

Martin J. Sepulveda, 85F, is highly respected as one of the leading occupational health physicians in the country. As vice president of global occupational health services and health benefits at IBM, he has helped IBM achieve national distinction as the only corporation to twice receive a national award given to the company with the most outstanding occupational health and safety program.

Sepulveda graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1974 and attended both Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, graduating with an M.D. degree and an M.P.H. degree in 1978. His residencies brought him to Moffitt Hospitals at the University of California in San Francisco and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Morgantown, West Virginia. From 1984 to 1985, he was a fellow in internal medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Upon completion of his training at the UI, Sepulveda began a career with IBM, where he served in a variety of capacities, both as a physician delivering clinical care and a manager solving the occupational health problems of a large workforce.

Whether he is designing multicultural AIDS education modules for IBM's diverse international workforce or elevating the level of occupational clinical practice at IBM's worldwide facilities, Sepulveda brings quality to all he does. His personal commitment, passion for excellence, and strategic vision have led to safety standards that have become a model for the advancement of occupational health services not only for more than 300,000 IBM employees around the world, but for other international employers and communities.

Two examples of the impact of his thoughtful work include the radical enhancement of the safety standards of buses used to transport more than 6,000 employees in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the implementation of world-class food, water, and fire safety standards in employee dormitories in Asia Pacific.

Beyond his work at IBM, Sepulveda is an indefatigable leader who participates in many prestigious boards and associations, generously lending his time and expertise to protect the nation's public health. He has been a scientific advisor to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and a board member for the American Board of Occupational Health Nurses.

His work as a member of the board of directors of the National AIDS Fund exemplifies the strength of his commitment to the causes he embraces. When the National AIDS Fund was faced with serious financial problems, he personally orchestrated an effort to revitalize the organization and succeeded in saving the fund from disaster.

Sepulveda has generously given back to the UI as a member, since its inception, of the Board of Advisors of the UI College of Public Health, and he is an active and insightful presenter and contributor at meetings.

The UIAA is honored to count Sepulveda-who inspires others to set the highest possible professional standards and goals and pursue them with integrity and compassion-among Iowa's most distinguished alumni.