MSU College of Human Medicine Flint Building with Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health signature logo on top

For years, MSU College of Human Medicine researchers in the Division of Public Health have been working with Flint community partners to improve the health of the community, improve access to health care, reduce health disparities and advance policies and interventions that eliminate structural racism in health care.

After graduating from MSU with her bachelor’s degree in microbiology, Lillian Jensen took some time away from starting her career to serve as a medical caregiver for her ailing grandmother. During this time she began to experience flaws in the health care system firsthand. 

“I witnessed flaws in the health care system which directly lowered her quality of life. She had many medical specialists, but my grandmother experienced very little continuity of care. I was frustrated by the sense that I could see her whole medical picture better than her doctors could,” she said.

Research to Reduce Disparities in Disease Student Scholars

Research to Reduce Disparities in Disease Program (R2D2) is seeking first-year College of Human Medicine student scholars. Opportunity to earn $10,000 and satisfy the College of Human Medicine’s 3rd-year research requirement. Scholars will create a strong transdisciplinary bridge between medicine and public health while investigating the role of race, ethnicity, gender, and implicit/explicit bias in medicine.

APPLY BY DECEMBER 12, 2022.

November 14 is World Diabetes Day, and November is American Diabetes Month.

During the global coronavirus pandemic, racial and ethnic minorities with diabetes and multiple chronic conditions had a difficult time accessing routine care. John M. Clements, assistant professor of public health in the College of Human Medicine, looks at three time periods during the pandemic to better understand trends in care, inform an equitable public health response, and improve access to care.

Studying public health reinforced Donovan Dennis' decision to apply for medical school in hopes of becoming a physician. Inspired by the work of advocates and public health professionals in Flint during the water crisis, he sought out Michigan State University's unique MD and MPH programs. Connecting with community members and fellow students and professors fuels his motivation for becoming a future doctor. 

Learn more about Donovan's journey as a dual enrolled MPH/MD student in this Q&A. 

Content warning: This story talks about intimate partner violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233). You matter. You are important. 

Michigan State University is excited to congratulate Vorice Patterson as the second recipient of the Flint Spartan Master of Public Health Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to an incoming Master of Public Health student.

Patterson has demonstrated a commitment to implementing the knowledge obtained by completing the Master of Public Health program.

Crime. Trauma. Drugs. Intimate partner violence. Sex trafficking. Child abuse and neglect.

That may sound like a lineup of topics from episodes of Law and Order: SVU, but it’s not. These are the real-life issues that concern Rebecca Stone on a daily basis.

Stone is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Education at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with earning her B.A. (2007), M.S. (2009), and Ph.D. (2014) degrees in criminal justice, Stone added on a Master of Public Health degree (2012) from Michigan State University.

Holly Campbell, MPH, RN

The best way to create a fulfilling career is to move forward. From pre-med to public health to nursing school, Holly Campbell may think that she “did things backward.” It turns out she was charting a path to do what she loves in a public health career where she combines her nursing background with health promotion and disease prevention. 

Learn more about Holly's public health work in northern Michigan. 

Dr. Jennifer Johnson

Maternal mental health is a critical public health component of perinatal care and maternal safety. Postpartum depression can have lasting consequences for the mother, child, and family. After each birth, 1 in 7 women will experience postpartum depression.

Viviana Quintino-Zavala finds joy in contributing to public health initiatives as a leader within her community in Kent County, Michigan. Her desire to promote health equity in underserved communities inspired her to pursue a career in public health. As she enters the final semester of her degree, Viviana reflects on working in public health and what motivates her.

Learn more about Viviana's experience as an MPH student in this Q&A.