Class of 2001 elects Alejandra Casillas as chief marshal of alumni

Alejandra Casillas ’01, M.D. ’05, has been elected by her classmates to serve as chief marshal at this spring’s Harvard Alumni Day celebration. As chief marshal, she will carry on a more than 125-year-old tradition, leading the alumni parade through Tercentenary Theatre and hosting a luncheon for University and alumni leaders, dignitaries, and this year’s Harvard Medalists.

Casillas is associate professor of medicine and associate vice chair for community impact at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where she focuses on healthcare quality and broadening access to health services.

“Alejandra’s unwavering commitment to serving others is deeply inspiring, from her efforts to expand access to high-quality healthcare in historically underserved communities to her tireless advocacy for first-generation students,” says HAA President William Makris Ed.M. ’00. “It’s an honor to have her represent the alumni community as chief marshal on Harvard Alumni Day.”

After graduating from Harvard Medical School (HMS) and completing her residency at UCSF, Casillas became a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at UCLA, earning a master’s degree from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Casillas later practiced at university hospitals in Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland, collaborating with the Swiss Office of Public Health to create culturally sensitive care for refugees. She has led studies on reproductive health, depression, and cognitive decline in minority populations.

“I am humbled and overwhelmed to be chosen as chief marshal. Harvard was a life changer — not because of its courses or famous professors but because of my village of classmates and their everyday moments of compassion. They were the true life-changers,” Casillas says. “It feels very fitting to celebrate that message as a class in such a disorienting time, when humanity, connection, and empathy are as important as ever to see us through.”

Casillas received the HMS Dean’s Community Service Award in 2003 and has volunteered as a physician with Global Health Force. A first-generation college graduate, Casillas has been an advocate for first-generation students in medicine, advised her childhood school district on student health and wellness, and mentored countless first-generation students. In 2021, Casillas was recognized by the National Academy of Medicine as one of 10 Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine nationwide.

As an undergraduate, Casillas concentrated in neurobiology and served on the Biology Undergraduate Advisory Committee and as a prefect in Greenough Hall. At HMS, she was on the Admissions and Multicultural Committees and held leadership roles in the Aesculapian Club and the Harvard Graduate Council and served as vice president of the Harvard American Medical Student Association.

Casillas has served on the Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance board, co-chaired her 20th HMS reunion, and joined her 20th College reunion committee.

An annual University-wide celebration of alumni impact, citizenship, and community, Alumni Day is held alongside the Harvard and Radcliffe College Reunions. All alumni are invited to a full day of festivities — symposia, open houses, a speaking program, and the alumni parade among them.