Early Career
Michael V. Drake, M.D., was born in New York City and raised in Englewood, New Jersey and Sacramento, California. He received his bachelor's degree from Stanford in African and African American Studies in 1974, and then an additional bachelor's degree in medical sciences and his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco.
Drake's professional career began at UCSF, his alma mater, and he has been with the University of California ever since. His first academic position was a dual appointment as assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Chief of the University Eye Clinic at UCSF in 1979.
Between 1991 and 1993 he held the position of Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Chief of Vision Care and Research Unit at the Beckman Vision Center at UCSF. In 1993 he was appointed Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Programs, and in 1998 he became Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Extramural Academic Programs. In 2001 he was named the University of California's Vice President for Health Affairs.
Drake's commitment to public service is evident in the extent to which he has dedicated himself to service, both nationally and in California, to the field of Ophthalmology and to medical education in general. Drake has been honored by various universities and organizations, most notably in 2004 when he was presented with the Herbert W. Nickens, M.D. Award, the Association of American Medical Colleges' highest honor.
UCI Chancellor
Drake became UCI's fifth Chancellor and an official Anteater on July 1, 2005. During his nine-year tenure the campus added new programs in law, education, public health, nursing science, and pharmaceutical science, increased the four-year graduation rate by over 18 percent, and was named the number one university in the United States under 50 years of age.
Post-UCI Career
In 2014, Drake was named as president of Ohio State University, a position that he still holds as of 2017.
University of California, Irvine, Chancellor Michael V. Drake records. AS-140. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Accessed Oct. 30, 2017.
https://chancellor.uci.edu/campus-climate/wmmw/2013-14/2013-14-drake.php