Our Mission
The mission of the Joel I. Ward Charitable Foundation is to advance a more just, healthy, and sustainable world by promoting optimal child development, enhancing support for individuals with developmental disabilities, driving breakthroughs in global health, expanding equitable opportunity, protecting and advancing civil rights and democratic freedoms, empowering Indigenous communities, and restoring and preserving the ecological balance of our planet.
OUR VISION
A future where advances in global health, human rights, and environmental stewardship promote well-being, equity, and resilience for all.
AREAS OF FOCUS
Global Health
Civil Rights
Democracy
Child
Development
Equitable
Opportunity
Health
Environment
Developmental
Disabilities
Indigenous
Communities
Honoring Our Founder
The Joel I. Ward Charitable Foundation celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Joel Ira Ward, a world-renowned pediatric infectious disease specialist whose work and worldview were rooted in a profound devotion to children’s health, social justice, and the well-being of our planet.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Dr. Ward attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He later completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and a fellowship in infectious disease at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. It was during his time in Boston that he met Dr. Paul H. Dworkin, his lifelong friend who proudly serves as President of the Joel I. Ward Charitable Foundation.
Over the course of his distinguished career, Dr. Ward became an influential professor, consultant, lecturer, and pediatric infectious disease specialist whose contributions to vaccine research were extraordinary.
He taught future pediatricians at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital in Nigeria before joining the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. There, he began a long-standing consultancy with the Alaska Area Native Health Service and the Arctic Investigations Laboratory in Anchorage, Alaska.
Upon returning to California, Dr. Ward held numerous leadership roles at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, including Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He founded the UCLA Center for Vaccine Research at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and served as its director for nearly two decades. Dr. Ward also served as a Research Scientist with the World Health Organization and played a pivotal role in supporting the Liu Research Building at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and establishing the International Vaccine Institute in South Korea.
Among his many achievements in infectious disease medicine, Dr. Ward was a key researcher in the CDC’s National Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance Study and played a critical role in the development of vaccines against diseases including Haemophilus influenzae type b and pertussis. In addition to his scientific leadership, he served on the Board of Goodwill Southern California, giving back to the community that shaped him.
Dr. Ward was endlessly curious about the world — an avid traveler, a lover of nature, and an athlete who embraced challenges as both a swimmer and triathlete. He was equally passionate about advancing social justice at home and abroad.
Inspired by Dr. Ward's cherished gardens and appreciation for the environment, the Foundation's logo features a kumquat branch. It serves as a lasting reminder of the values of stewardship, growth, and enduring impact that continue to guide the Foundation's work.
Before his passing, Dr. Ward thoughtfully articulated the Foundation’s core pillars, ensuring that his values and vision would guide our work. The Joel I. Ward Charitable Foundation is honored to steward that vision and to carry forward Dr. Ward’s commitment to building a more just, healthy, and sustainable world.