We are Spartans of Public Health

APHA 2023 BOOTH #1007

SPARTANS PARTNER FOR IMPACT When I think about Michigan State University Public Health, three words come to mind; community, collaboration, and change. All our research, teaching, interventions, and health delivery engage our communities as crucial partners. This collaboration allows for improved health outcomes and sustainable change in the communities we serve.

COMMUNITY ENGAGED RESEARCH AND INTERVENTION: Emphasizing the reduction of health disparities and promoting health equity solutions, faculty have been awarded over $145 million in externally sponsored grants. Funding success is the direct result of a strong relationship among community advocates.

CEPH ACCREDITED EDUCATION: We are educating the next generation of public health professionals. Over the past 15 years, our online Master of Public Health (MPH) and Graduate Certificate program has educated more than 750 Spartan alumni working in meaningful careers.

In 2022, our application for accreditation to the Council on Education for Public Health was approved. Thanks to our community partners, alumni, students, faculty, and staff that have been involved in our accreditation journey. We could not have gotten this far without your input.

In Spartan Spirit,

Wayne R. McCullough, PhD

Michigan State University Interim Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health Director Master of Public Health Director

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11.12.23 @6:30PM RSVP to attend MSU’s APHA networking event

Subscribe to Spartans In Public Health eNews

Schedule a time to meet with an academic advisor

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GET YOUR SPARTY ON AT APHA MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

1. STOP BY BOOTH #1007

Free gift for Spartan alumni, MSU students, and community partners. *While supplies last.

2. ATTEND MSU’S RECEPTION

Sunday, November 12, 6:30PM - 9:00PM Georgia World Congress Center, room B211 RSVP

3. FIND MSU RELATED WORK

Search “Michigan State University” in the APHA schedule.

4. JOIN MSU FOR APHA NIGHT AT GEORGIA AQUARIUM Monday, November 13 Meet in the lobby of the aquarium at 6:30PM

5. SCHEDULE A PROSPECTIVE FACULTY CAREER DISCUSSION

Meet with Dean Aron Sousa, Mona Hanna-Attisha, or Wayne McCullough by stopping by booth #1007 or email mccul161@msu.edu.

+$145 MILLION IN PUBLIC HEALTH EXTERNAL FUNDING

Emphasizing health disparities and health equity solutions, MSU faculty are leading community based public health research partnerships with the Flint community.

Research efforts focus on improving health in the areas of health disparities, chronic disease, and behavioral health.

From 2014 – 2023, public health researchers have been awarded over $145 million in externally sponsored grants for community research.

Funding success is the result of a strong relationship among community advocates.

Partners in the community help fuel the efforts with resources and a shared commitment to improving lives.

Pictured: Bishop Bernadel Jefferson (above), a Flint community leader, and Wayne McCullough (far right), interim director, MSU Public Health.

The Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health was established in March 2015 with the support of the Flint community, Hurley Medical Center, McLaren Flint, Ascension Genesys Hospital, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

HIRING FACULTY AT ALL LEVELS Emphasizing health disparities and health equity solutions, the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health focuses on population health from its home base – the College of Human Medicine’s Flint campus.

Being embedded in the Flint community allows our faculty and researchers to understand the assets and needs of the community while studying Flint’s most pressing public health issues.

We are committed to working side-by-side with community partners and health care providers in a community identified and community participatory public health model.

Learn more about pursuing your public health passions on a highly successful research and instructional team.

Come see us at the APHA annual conference, booth #1007.

QUESTIONS? EMAIL THE TEAM TO SET UP AN INFORMAL INTERVIEW.

Todd Lucas, lucastod@msu.edu Wayne R. McCullough, mccul161@msu.edu

View open positions at careers.msu.edu. * Endowed positions available.

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Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP

Dr. Hanna-Attisha is the Associate Dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health. She is the founding director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative partnership of MSU and Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, Michigan. A pediatrician, scientist, activist, and author, Hanna-Attisha was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. She is reimaging how society can come together to eliminate infant poverty with a firstin-the-nation mother and baby universal cash allowance program, Rx Kids. She has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress, lectures at dozens of colleges and universities, and contributes to national media outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond. She is the author of the New York Times 100 most notable book, What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City.

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A model health equity program, the mission of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative is to improve outcomes for Flint kids and kids everywhere.

Helping Children Grow Up Healthy and Strong A multidisciplinary team of experts work in partnership with a parent and youth advisory on the following issues: - Child Health and Development - Nutrition - Exposure Assessment - Health Informatics - Child Health Policy and Advocacy +$50 million in funding > 60 staff; economic & employment engine in city Post-residency training with two Alice Hamilton Scholars City-wide State of Flint Kids dashboard Successful translation of practice to policy +5,000 Born to Read bundles distributed +60,000 books distributed to 14 medical offices with Reach Out and Read 11

Rx Kids: First Citywide Cash Allowance Program for Mothers and Infants FlintRxKids.com

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More potent than any prescribed pill, Rx Kids aims to disrupt the pathogen of poverty with a first-in-the-nation program of prenatal and infant cash allowances for the city of Flint. Rx Kids positions Flint and Michigan as a national leader – sparking a powerful vehicle for equity and opportunity. The innovative design and public-private partnership of Rx Kids are already informing state and federal policy – guaranteeing impact beyond one city.

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Amy Saxe-Custack, PhD, MPH, RDN

Dr. Saxe-Custack is a registered dietitian and serves as the Nutrition Director for the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a joint effort between Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital, to address the impact of Flint’s lead exposure on children. Dr. Saxe-Custack is dedicated to the evaluation and expansion of nutrition programs for children and families living in Flint, with a particular focus on improving access to fresh foods. Her work examines the impact of an innovative fruit and vegetable prescription program for pediatric patients. She works with community partners on an experiential nutrition and cooking program for Flint children called Flint Kids Cook.

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Flint Kids Cook is a free, healthy cooking program for youth created by a team of registered dietitians, public health professionals and chefs. Grounded in social cognitive theory, Flint Kids Cook is designed to improve self-efficacy for healthy cooking through interactive nutrition and food preparation activities. Flint Families Cook is a 5-week virtual cooking class offered to the whole family.

Over 500 children have participated in Flint Kids Cook and Flint Families Cook

Improving Access to Fresh Food Pediatric Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program Similar to medical prescriptions, fresh fruit and vegetable prescriptions are ordered by pediatricians and given to patients ages 0 to 18 during office visits.

Vendors treat prescriptions ($15 each) as vouchers that may redeemed for fresh produce. +100,00 prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables have been distributed in Flint, MI From practice to policy: U.S. Farm Bill national adoption of produce prescription program in 2018 15

Nicole Jones, PhD, MS

Dr. Jones is a T-32 trained perinatal epidemiologist, faculty member in the MSU Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, and Director of the Flint Registry. With a career focused on applying epidemiologic methods to establish cohorts for evaluating racial disparities in health, she has over 20 years of experience on research teams centered on maternal and child health projects. Dr. Jones leads the dynamic Flint Registry staff in collaboration with broad community-based partners. As the Director of the Flint Registry, she strives to elevate the voices of the Flint community in the way that the Flint Registry is designed, implemented, and shared with others. A lifelong resident of Genesee County, she is inspired by the resiliency and spirit of the Flint community. With over 20,000 enrollees who have received over 30,000 referrals to health and development services, the Flint Registry is playing a critical role in Flint’s recovery from the water crisis.

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Flint Water Crisis Recovery Efforts The Flint Registry The Flint Registry is a resource to see how the people of Flint are doing and provide support for those impacted by the water crisis. After completing a survey, individuals are referred to services that promote health and development such as education, health and nutrition programs. Support, especially for children, includes referral to Genesee Health System Neurodevelopment Center of Excellence – a new, no-cost child development assessment center.

The Flint Registry is modeled after other public health registries, like the World Trade Center Disaster Registry. The Flint Registry is for anyone who was exposed to lead-contaminated water because they worked, lived, went to school, or daycare identified as an address on the Flint water system from April 25, 2014 – October 15, 2015, including children who were prenatally exposed. The Flint Registry is for all ages. +20,000 people enrolled 30,000 referrals to services

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Kenyetta Dotson, DMIN, MSW

Dr. Dotson serves as the Director of Community-based Implementation and Engagement in the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative/Flint Registry. Kenyetta is a lifelong resident of Flint, MI. She works to encourage positive systemic change throughout the City of Flint and Genesee County. Dotson has more than 30 years of community development experience, serving as an advocate for youth, families, and those susceptible to the culture of violence. Kenyetta is Co-Chair of the Community Advisory Board for the Flint Registry, leads the Pediatric Public Health Youth Advisory Council, is an active member of a nationwide and local Violence Prevention Network, and serves on many non-profit and community boards. She completed her doctoral degree at Ashland University, in Black Church and African American Studies.

“As a longtime Flint resident, I remain heavily involved in the issues of fairness, equality, social justice, violence prevention, and longevity for today’s youth and families. Instilling hope and bringing about transformative change is how I can help break generational cycles of violence.”

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Gayle Shipp, PhD

Dr. Shipp is a registered dietitian nutritionist. She is engaged in several research projects with the overarching goal of improving maternal and child health equity, specifically breastfeeding related disparities. Her research interests also spans diet and nutrition-related health disparities impacting vulnerable populations, food access and food choice in underserved areas, and community nutrition.

Dr. Shipp recently completed an NIH funded postdoctoral fellowship funded through Environmental Influences and Child Health Outcomes, ECHO program, 2020-2022. Under her supplement she received training at MSU, focused on perinatal epidemiology and design of intervention studies.

She is passionate about reducing breastfeeding disparities, especially within the African American community.

Dr. Shipp served as the chair of the statewide breastfeeding coalition (2019-2022) and continues to serve as a board member with Michigan Breastfeeding Network to support breastfeeding families within Michigan.

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Eric Finegood, PhD Maji Hailemariam Debena, PhD

Dr. Finegood is a developmental scientist whose research investigates how early life experience and psychological stress influence health and human development.

His research is rooted in and intersects the science of child development and developmental psychology, health psychology, and public health and seeks to identify biopsychosocial factors that contribute to risk and resilience among young people exposed to social adversities and environmental stressors.

A primary focus of this work is to study connections between life experience and the development of biological systems that regulate mental and physical health processes – the broader goal of which is to better understand and address stress-related disparities in health that may begin in the early years of life. His work has been published in leading scientific journals and edited volumes.

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Robert Wahl, DVM, MS

Dr. Wahl is an environmental epidemiologist with research interests focusing on asthma surveillance, air pollutants’ effects on asthma and adverse birth outcomes, and the health effects of climate change. He is a Co-PI on a federal Housing and Urban Development grant looking at using portable air filtration devices to reduce indoor exposure to lead dust in contaminated homes. He has extensive experience in grant authoring and management, serving as the PI on four cooperative agreements funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and one funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. He previously managed the Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance and Program Evaluation Sections at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services where he collaborated on a home-based environmental intervention and education program for families of children with asthma. He teaches in the MPH program where he introduces students to “real world” connections between research and policy implications. Courses taught include Epidemiology and Public Health and Study Design and Research Methods for Public Health Practice.

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Jennifer E. Johnson, PhD

Dr. Johnson is the first C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University. She is a licensed clinical psychologist who conducts implementation and nnifer om L to R: Je effectiveness trials addressing mental Picturednfran oney. eL D d E. Hill Johnso healthcare access as a social justice issue. She focuses on policy, prevention, and access for pregnant/postpartum people and individuals involved in the criminal legal system. Dr. Johnson uses participatory research, leadership, and governance processes to promote equity, expand impact, and elevate community solutions.

“Postpartum depression causes suffering for mothers and can slow child development. Utilizing a universal prevention model will help remove barriers to help, and make maternal mental health support available to every mom.”

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Scaling Mental Health Solutions Nationally Funded Projects

Healing After Loss (R01 HD110471)

Pregnancy and early infant loss counseling research project for women 18-50 years old living in Michigan.

Implementation Mechanisms of Stepping Up (R01 MH118680)

National initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails through a better connection to mental health services in the community.

Flint Women’s Study Community Action Network Action council that meets to address needs and to support initiative and action items identified from women in Flint.

Maternal Health Multilevel Intervention for Racial Equity (U54 HD113291 & R01 MD016003) Project that partners with community organizations and health systems in Genesee and Kent Counties in Michigan to address maternal health inequities.

The ROSE Program (R01 MH130948 & R01 MH118680) Prevention intervention for postpartum depression; educational class during pregnancy for low-income pregnant women.

Suicide Prevention Intervention for at-Risk Individuals in Transition (U01MH106660) Intervention for people held in pretrial jail detention who are at-risk for suicide; aims to reduce suicide risk in year after jail release.

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$19M NIH-funded Maternal Health Research Center A new state of Michigan center led by researchers at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences and Corewell Health will study ways to reduce an alarming number of pregnancy associated deaths and complications, particularly among African Americans, Hispanics, and rural residents.

The Multilevel Interventions to Advance Maternal Health Equity Center, or MIRACLE, is one of 10 funded by NIH. The center will test multiple, community-informed interventions to eliminate the disparities in illness and death during pregnancy and postpartum.

African American women are three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy related causes than white women and three times more likely to suffer severe complications, such as stroke or hemorrhaging.

Bringing real-world changes to improve the health of pregnant and post-postpartum people.

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National Center for Health and Justice Integration for Suicide Prevention NCHATS is helping to identify individuals at risk for suicide and connect them to community care by harnessing the power of information.

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evidence-based treatment for major depression in an incarcerated population

Michigan State University, Henry Ford Health, and Brown University are leading an innovative effort utilizing contact with the justice system to indicate suicide risk. By connecting fragmented information between health care organizations and justice systems, the center aims to improve care coordination and change national policy for better mental health support in the United States.

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A team of clinician researchers and community members work closely to improve mental and maternal health: - Mental Health - Suicide Prevention - Maternal Health - Postpartum Depression The I.M. Stepping Up Initiative won the inaugural 2022 Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Mission Award

2022 top-funded OB/GYN researcher with two NIH Centers, five NIH R01’s, and the Flint Women’s Study *Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research Rankings ‘22

> $53 million in NIH funding

Ride for Equity: Dr. Johnson biked over 60 miles with Black Leaders of Detroit to raise money for Black entrepreneurs and bring awareness to equitable funding practices.

100’s of providers trained in evidence-based practices to reduce maternal mortality disparities in two counties, affecting 8,100 births to African American mothers 98 agencies trained to provide prenatal services in evidence-based postpartum depression prevention 100’s of cases of postpartum depression prevented +3000 individuals in pretrial jail detention provided with suicide assessment and triage

1st

1st evidence-based treatment for major depressive disorder following a miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death 1st evidence-based suicide prevention intervention for the 10+ million individuals passing through pretrial jail detention each year

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Maji Hailemariam Debena, PhD

Dr. Hailemariam is a Mental Health Epidemiologist, a researcher and advocate for equitable mental health care globally. Her research interests include mental health care for underserved populations in low-resource settings including within high-income countries. Her research focuses on developing lay provider or peer provider-delivered mental health interventions to improve access to mental health services, improve functioning and reduce mental health symptoms. Her research is guided by understanding barriers to mental health care that are disproportionately experienced by underserved populations including perinatal women, rural residents, and justice-involved individuals in low-resource settings.

Developing peer-provider-delivered behavioral health interventions: •

Peer Navigation for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness Leaving Jail (R34 MH118402)

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MOSAIC (MOthers’ AdvocateS In the Community) for Perinatal Women with Experience of Intimate Partner Violence (R34 MH127061)

Both studies are currently recruiting.

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Jonne McCoy White, DrPH, MPA

Dr. McCoy White is an academic research specialist coordinating community-partnered anti-racism interventions. She supports Flint community members on Dr. Jennifer Johnson’s and Dr. Steve Ondersma’s teams.

She works on the Maternal Health Multilevel Intervention for Racial Equity (MIRACLE) study, an NIH-funded multilevel intervention study on African American maternal morbidity and mortality in Genesee and Kent Counties.

Dr. McCoy White facilitates testing of vaccine promotion content in ongoing implementation contexts. She is developing a series of computer-delivered messages, videos, and micro-interventions designed to promote vaccination of pregnant patients for COVID-19, and newborn infants following CDC and AAP guidelines.

Using a community-level intervention expands access to and acceptability of enhanced prenatal and postnatal care services for African American women. This project raises awareness of potentially life-threatening warning signs during and after pregnancy.

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Wayne R. McCullough, PhD, MA

Dr. McCullough is the interim Chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health and Director of the Master Public Health Program. He is responsible for all departmental activities and curricular changes that are responsive to the evolving public health environment. He led the successful conversion of the Division into the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health and the application process for the Council on Education in Public Health accreditation. His research interests include: •

The identification and resolution of health and health delivery disparities for underserved populations

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Driving research findings into experienced community benefits

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How communications can help advance underserved communities and population health

Dr. McCullough is co-investigator on the Research to Reduce Disparities in Disease NIH grant, which trains students to conduct mentored research through their medical education. He conducts research on men’s health issues—especially those of Black men—centered on mental health, depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

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Steven Ondersma, PhD

Dr. Ondersma is a clinical psychologist and C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health. His research is focused on the promotion of maternal and child health and healthy birth outcomes using high-reach technology-delivered brief interventions. His primary interest is in populationlevel interventions promoting maternal and child health in underserved communities, particularly via technologybased brief interventions promoting behavioral health and connection with services in the perinatal period. He has led multiple NIH and CDC studies focusing on the development, validation, and implementation of novel screening techniques and electronic/mobile (mHealth) interventions in healthcare settings. He is currently leading a confirmatory trial testing an electronic intervention for alcohol use in pregnancy, as well as a new project using a multi-level technology-driven intervention to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

He is also the developer of the Computerized Intervention Authoring System, an NIH-funded, non-commercial research resource allowing the development of sophisticated digital interventions without coding.

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A team of researchers using technology-based interventions to provide healthcare in underserved communities: - Maternal and Child Health - Healthy Birth Outcomes - Substance Abuse - Mental Health

Digital Interventions for Maternal & Child Health Parent eHelp Pregnancy Lab Research focusing on using technology as a way to non-treatment-seeking persons with unhealthy substance use, particularly pregnant and postpartum women.

Computerized Intervention Authoring System Online resource that allows researchers to create and manage digital interventions with no coding experience required.

High Touch High Tech (HT2) Collaborative program pairing technology-based screening and brief intervention for pregnant women with access to counseling and care coordination.

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Kent Key, PhD

Dr. Key is a classically trained Health Disparities Researcher. He is an expert in building equitable relationships between community and academic partners for health research and elevating community-identified health priorities to the research enterprise. Dr. Key utilizes Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) approaches to research with a focus on marginalized populations across the lifespan. He has worked on national, regional, and local levels throughout his career to translate the resources of government, research partnerships, and foundations into practical support. He is a NIH funded researcher serving as PI on 4 studies and Co-I on numerous others. He is Past Chair of the Community Based Public Health Caucus of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Key is the Founder of the Community Ethics Review Board, a component of the Community Based Organization Partners (CBOP) where community members conduct ethical reviews of proposed research projects to ensure that no harm is done on a community level and to assess mutual benefit. Dr. Key is a 2016 Fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders Program and serves on the national landscape as a health equity scholar. In 2020, he authored a resolution, Declaring Racism as a Public Health Crisis, and has spearheaded initiatives locally, regionally, and nationally.

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“For the past three decades we have not seen a significant decrease in health disparities. To continue to conduct traditional research as is, will not yield the reduction of health disparities across health indicators.

It is time to equitably engage the communities we are trying to impact in the planning, design, and all phases of the research process.”

Working Directly with Flint Youth The Flint Public Health Youth Academy FPHYA is designed to provide early engagement and career exploration for Flint area youth, with a specific focused on underrepresented minorities. Since 2019, FPHYA youth have conducted annual Health Messaging Campaigns (COVID-19, Mental Health, and Environmental Health) with the emphasis on designing health messages “for youth by youth”! +2,000 have participated in the online virtual talk show, “A Youth Perspective” and the annual Youth Summer Camp

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Todd Lucas, PhD

Dr. Lucas, C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, is a social and health psychologist. His research considers the psychosocial causes of Lucas L to R: Todd racial health disparities. He is mainly Pictured from s. ne Jo r and Mothe focused on stress and preventive health behavior pathways, such as cancer screening. His research especially considers psychological justice - the causes and resulting health and social consequences of perceiving injustice for individuals and communities.

His research focuses on understanding stress reactivity responses to injustice to promoting better uptake of colorectal cancer screening. Dr. Lucas is also leading an NIH Serological Sciences Network for COVID-19 (SeroNet) funded project aimed at communicating effectively about the value of COVID-19 antibody testing and better understanding why COVID-19 causes a disproportionate number of African Americans to suffer severe cases and deaths.

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Over 500 Flint residents have learned about SARS-CoV-2 salivary antibody testing, with many choosing to have their own antibodies measured

Serological Sciences Network for COVID-19 In partnership with the Flint Community Based Organizations and Partners (CBOP), the research team produced video tutorials about the potential value of antibody testing in the fight against COVID-19. The study also collects saliva samples from willing study participants. In partnership with the Environmental Health, Microbiology, and Immunology Lab (EHMIL) at Johns Hopkins University, saliva samples are then analyzed to measure the presence of SARSCoV-2 antibodies.

Addressing Racial Health Disparities Educating and Communicating about Colorectal Cancer Screening With funding from the American Cancer Society, Dr. Lucas and his research team are working to improve colorectal cancer screening. They are partnering with two Federally Qualified Health Centers in Flint and Detroit.

Colorectal cancer mortality rates are 35 percent higher for African Americans than for non-Hispanic whites

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Heatherlun Uphold, PhD

Dr. Uphold is a communityengaged dissemination and implementation science researcher. She leads the National Network for COVID and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE), a CDC-funded project to build the evidence base of effective interventions to improve vaccine access and uptake and reduce racial disparities in vaccination coverage for African Americans and Latino adults. The NNICE partners with eight organizations across Michigan, Maryland, Illinois, and North Carolina to support a total of over 70 different projects. To date, the NNICE has reached nearly 8 million individuals and provide over 13,000 vaccines through eight promising intervention strategies to increase adult vaccination.

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Dissemination and Implementation Science Dr. Uphold also leads the Health Equity Report Card (HERC) for Flint and Genesee County. The HERC addresses a need for disaggregated health outcome and health disparity data that is accessible and understandable.

Additional research interests include the elimination of health disparities through community-engaged research, and normalizing data disaggregation to identify disparities.

Dr. Uphold is a previous Fellow with the NSF-funded Advancing Research Impact in Society initiative where her project focused on understanding researcher dissemination-as-usual. This work identified the barriers and facilitators that academic researchers face when sharing their research findings with non-academic audiences. It also fueled her interest in reducing the research-to-practice gap through audience-centered methods of message distribution.

Dissemination and implementation science could improve the use of evidence-based practices within community-based settings. However, there are preexisting barriers to effective dissemination which includes:

Bringing a local context to a global pandemic: +135 weeks of the Flint Community Webinar on Coronavirus +11,000 views live and +16,000 views on YouTube 37

FLINT AND GENESEE COUNTY, MI

HEALTH EQUITY REPORT CARD flintresearch.org

Fast Facts: By Location 74% of indicators that show disparity by location have Michigan residents facing better outcomes than Genesee County residents Unemployment affects a larger percentage of Flint residents (19.5%) compared to the overall rate in Genesee County (8.9%) 38

The Health Equity Report Card (HERC) supports the health and well-being of Genesee County and city of Flint residents by providing understandable, relevant, and actionable health outcome data. Data is categorized by race and location when available.

By understanding the current state of health disparities and outcomes in our community, we can better address their causes and support prevention efforts.

Information includes 50 public health indicators broken down by location (Flint, Genesee County, Michigan, and the U.S.) and by race (Black and White). Each indicator is organized into one of six categories: health services and access, socioeconomic status, physical health, mental health, maternal and child health, and health outcomes.

Fast Facts: By Race Black residents in Flint experience a higher rate of infant mortality (14.6 per 1,000 live births) compared to White residents (9.3 per 1,000) Black residents face significantly higher rates of homicides by firearm (42.5 per 100,000) compared to White residents (2.3 per 100,000).

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Dick Sadler, PhD, MPH

Dr. Sadler is an urban geographer with expertise in environmental science, GIS, food systems planning, and land use policy in legacy cities. In 2018, he was awarded a Bloomberg Fellowship to study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research interests include integrating urban planning and public health topics related to neighborhood/built environmental effects on health.

Recently, this has revolved around uncovering elements of structural racism in the housing environment and determinants of urban development that exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequality. Methodologically, Dr. Sadler combines spatial analysis and communitybased participatory research approaches to address challenges in the urban environment. Throughout his work, the overarching goal is to strengthen the understanding between the built environment and health behaviors/ outcomes with the objective of shaping land use policy to build healthier cities.

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“Urban planning approaches that recognize and address these underlying determinants are essential for building a more equitable society. Overlooking them created the conditions that caused the Flint Water Crisis, and this practice continues to exacerbate disadvantage for individuals— typically minoritized populations— who live in such communities.”

Urban Planning for an Equitable Society The Built Environment and Health Dr. Sadler’s work is highly multidisciplinary. He collaborates with a range of psychologists, physicians, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and geographers to explore linkages between health and the built environment. Dr. Sadler is always on the lookout for understudied linkages to the built environment—and any reason to make a map. Some of the topics he has worked to address include local food systems, urban agriculture, access to healthy food, crime, urban disorder, blight elimination, residential segregation, and active travel.

Sprawl and fragmentation are correlated to economic stagnation and decline; driving poorer health outcomes Urban decline is closely connected to poor mental health outcomes 41

Mieka Smart, DrPH, MS

Dr. Smart is director of Global Education for the College of Human Medicine. She also directs the College of Human Medicine Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved certificate program and teaches in the Master of Public Health Program. She is co-director of the Research to Reduce Disparities in Disease (R2D2) program, an NIHfunded, clinical research training program. Dr. Smart has designed or led experiential education abroad programs in Uganda, South Africa, Belize, and the United States. She does policy evaluation and monitoring work, providing the evidence needed to inform policy interventions, enforcement strategies, and campaigns for compliance uptake. In 2023, she was awarded a grant to study police use-of-force policies across the state of Michigan. +150 students and faculty participated in her global public health topics courses abroad In 2022-23, Dr. Smart helped faculty and students design and complete public health and medical electives in India, Ecuador, Argentina, Ghana, Costa Rica, Honduras and Canada.

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John M. Clements, PhD

Dr. Clements is a quantitative sociologist by training with an additional specialization in environmental science and policy. He has worked in the fields of environmental chemistry, environmental project management and engineering, grant writing and management, and undergraduate and graduate medical education. His recent research focuses on health outcomes and disparities in people with diabetes and multiple chronic conditions.

He is currently working to shed light on how COVID-19 influenced the course of disease for people with diabetes, focusing on disparities in outcomes that are related to race and combinations of chronic disease, as well as how rural experiences shape disease progression and access to care. He is also interested in how political and religious ideology inform attitudes about science, and while some of his early work focused on environmental issues, he is expanding this to explore how these ideologies affect attitudes about health care, and medical science. He regularly teaches the following courses in the MPH program: HM 802 (Introduction to Biostatistics), HM 807 (Practical Application and Critical Thinking Synthesis in Public Health), and HM 878 (Applied Biostatistics).

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Robey B. Shah, PhD, MS, MPH

Dr. Shah (Champine) is an assistant professor in the MPH program, where she teaches courses on social and behavioral aspects of public health and program evaluation. She also leads a free external-facing course called “Promoting Public Health in Michigan in the Face of COVID-19,” which aims to strengthen the MPH program’s ties to local communities and enhance understanding of public health and why it is important in the fight against the pandemic and beyond. She is the 2023 recipient of the Charles Stewart Mott Teacher-Scholar Award and a 20232024 Adams Academy Fellow in the MSU Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development.

Dr. Shah’s research is focused on partnering with communities to design, implement, and evaluate programs for children and families who are exposed to potentially traumatic events. In addition, she has published and presented strategies for infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching and learning. Dr. Shah earned her doctorate in Child Study and Human Development from Tufts University and completed her NIH T32 postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale School of Medicine. Prior to earning her doctorate, she worked as a psychological and behavioral analyst for the FBI. Dr. Shah currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Child and Family Studies and has been an active member of the Society for Research in Child Development.

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Amber Pearson, PhD, MPH

Dr. Pearson is an associate professor working in environment and spatial sciences. She is a health geographer with a focus on social justice and intersections between spatial and social features of neighborhoods. Her research relates to aspects of the built neighborhood, specifically looking at how the physical and social environment can bolster opportunities for a healthy life in the face of socioeconomic adversity. Her overall research goal is to understand the interactions between humans and their neighborhoods to improve health and wellbeing while paying careful attention to health inequalities and environmental justice.

Her work has been funded by NIH, NSF, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, American Association of Geographers, New Zealand (NZ) Ministry of Health, NZ Health Research Council, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, MSU’s Clinical and Translational Science Initiative, Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, Undergraduate Research Initiative, and the Water Science Network. In 2017, she was awarded Undergraduate Mentor of the Year from Michigan State University. In 2018, she was awarded the Emerging Scholar in Health/Medical Geography by the American Association of Geographers.

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RESEARCH

FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

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CULTIVATING A SUPPORTIVE BREASTFEEDING CULTURE Gayle Shipp, Assistant Professor Breastfeeding can be difficult. While women want to do the right thing (for themselves and their baby) and value the benefits received from breastfeeding, they are often left alone trying to navigate many obstacles related to and beyond simply breastfeeding.

Ideally, women would be supported throughout their pregnancy and postpartum – making their breastfeeding goals feasible. But this rarely occurs.

Some mothers struggle internally to meet all the demands associated with motherhood and other household-related concerns while trying to breastfeed. Determination slowly turns to desperation when breastfeeding isn’t working, making it an injustice to both women and babies.

Whether breastfeeding, struggling to, or finding that a mom can’t, far too many women experience a lack of support in all the moving parts that come with motherhood and feeding their baby. Let’s be real; it can be a lot to take on all at once!

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MOTT FOUNDATION GRANTS $25 MILLION TO MSU TO EXPAND PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES IN FLINT The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has granted $25 million to expand the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine’s public health presence in Flint. The grant will create an endowed fund to increase public health faculty, academic research and community health collaborations.

“Expanding MSU’s public health program in Flint is a great thing for the community, and it also will yield important lessons for our state and nation as we struggle with both emergent and chronic health challenges,” said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation. “MSU’s work in Flint is a wonderful example of what can happen when scientists, residents and community advocates work together to improve health.”

The new grant to MSU will build upon Mott’s initial support for the college’s presence in Flint. Between 2011 and 2013, Mott granted $12 million to MSU for the college’s expansion and relocation of its public health program from East Lansing to Flint, as well as $7.7 million to the Foundation for the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation to support renovation of the former Flint Journal building to house the program.

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Pictured above: Dean Aron Sousa, Flint community health advocate E. Yvonne Lewis, Director Wayne McCullough.

Pictured left: President and CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Ridgway White.

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WE AREA R E

S PA R OF

A DVA N C I N G

TA N S PUBLIC

H E A LT H .

Schedule a time to meet with an academic advisor

ONLINE TOGETHER

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM A public health degree customized to your interests within these electives: • • • • •

Nutrition Global and cultural public health Public health policy/ administration Epidemiology/ biostatistics/ surveillance Infectious disease

100% ONLINE. IN-

-STATE TUITION FOR ALL. NO GRE.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE Earn an Official Credential Online Like the Master of Public Health (MPH), this certificate is completely online. Gain competence in all of the core disciplines of public health for a fraction of the cost and time commitment.

This certificate is designed to provide students with a basis for understanding the breadth and scope of public health.

The core courses are also required of students who are pursuing a Master of Public Health degree. If you decide to pursue an MPH, credits from the Graduate Certificate do apply.

Core public health disciplines include: - Biostatistics - Epidemiology - Health policy and administration - Social and behavioral sciences - Environmental health sciences

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MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE

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STUDENT VIEW “When you’re in an online class it’s easy to step back and not include yourself in conversations, but you learn the most when you’re collaborating with other people.”

Liz McCormick, Student Advisory Board Since meeting virtually in their first class together, Liz McCormick and Olivia Thomas (MPH ‘23) navigated through the MPH program knowing they had each other’s back. Liz is a graduate intern at the Michigan Public Health Institute and Olivia is a Client Launch Lead at Wider Circle. READ MORE

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The Student Advisory Board (SAB) seeks to increase and facilitate student input on the development and direction of the MPH program.

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STUDENT VIEW “To me, public health naturally compliments medicine. As such, public health, prevention and equity will be the lens through which I study and apply medicine to my daily practice.”

Donovan Dennis, MPH Student Donovan Dennis is a dual enrolled medical student at Michigan State pursuing his MD and MPH simultaneously. Studying public health reinforced his 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 MSU’s unique MD and MPH programs.

Connecting with community members and fellow students and professors fuels his motivation for becoming a future doctor.

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STUDENT VIEW

“Being an MSU Spartan means making an impact.

To hold the Spartan name, I realize it means that I am paying it forward.”

Kendra Shannon, Student Advisory Board Kendra works for Trinity Health IHA Medical Group as a Clinical Support Assistant where she supports patients daily. As the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Black Americans and shed a light on the importance of public health, Kendra knew she had to act. Her commitment to creating lasting change in society led her to pursue her Master of Public Health degree. READ MORE 60

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AIR POLLUTION’S IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF MICHIGANDERS Robert Wahl, Assistant Professor Air pollutant exposures are associated with adverse birth outcomes and worsening symptoms of asthma, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.

Detroit air quality improved steadily over the last 20 years. However, the American Lung Association ranked Detroit in the top five percent of all the cities they measured in annual particle matter (PM) pollution, so there is more work to do. Southwest Detroit suffers from higher levels of air pollution, and this pollution affects the entire city. Sources include a heavy concentration of vehicles, an oil refinery, a steel mill, a wastewater treatment plant, two power plants (one coalfired, one gas-fired), three heavily-trafficked highways, and a six-lane bridge to Canada.

How can Michiganders track local forecasted air quality? Robert Wahl explains how.

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MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH

FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

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SCHOLARS

2022

FLINT SPARTAN MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLAR Vorice Patterson, BS

Patterson graduated with a bachelor of science in health sciences and has been working toward her goal of becoming an obstetrician and gynecologist. She plans to apply for the dual MPH/DO program at MSU. Patterson has volunteered for many Flint organizations including Carriage Town Ministries, YWCA of Greater Flint, and Boys and Girls Club. She recently finished a community garden project with Flint Urban Health and Safety Corps with the intent of lowering crime rates through environmental design. “I love the Flint community. I see a lot of creativity in the city, I see change makers, and people that band together to make changes - and you can see the impact of your work in the community as well.”

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2022-2024

ALICE HAMILTON SCHOLAR Brittany Tayler, MD

Dr. Tayler is the second Pediatric Public Health Initiative Alice Hamilton Scholar. Her research interests include asthma management, tobacco and vaping, health literacy, gender affirming care, improving access to sexual health care, and substance abuse treatment. She is interested in medical education and the cross section between improved resiliency and wellness particularly during residency and how this affects patient outcomes. Dr. Tayler has experience in advocacy and legislative policy work while living in New York which she hopes to extend in Michigan. Her previous work pertained to removing the religious exemption for vaccines for NY public schools, banning of flavored tobacco product sales to those under the age of 21, and improving transparency of public policy during the COVID19 pandemic. She is a member of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a board member of the Governmental Affairs and Advocacy committee.

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MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH

ALUMNI AT WORK

“I went into the job hunt with a very diverse set of experiences and skills. MSU’s MPH program provides opportunities for you to research new topics, develop new skills, and explore the day-to-day of other career paths.”

Catherine Washington

Public Health Informatician Michigan Public Health Institute Spartan in Public Health, 2022

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“I really want to encourage people to consider more interdisciplinary approaches, and I think the public health piece complements so many different areas of study.”

Rebecca Stone

Assistant Professor, Sociology & Criminal Justice Suffolk University Spartan in Public Health, 2012

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“I really want to encourage people to consider more interdisciplinary approaches, and I think the public health piece complements so many different areas of study.”

Michael Nyika Andrew

Resident in Training Harvard Medical School Spartan in Public Health, 2020

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“Nothing can compare to the convenience of having an online curriculum while also receiving high-quality education. I was able to continue my work in Central and South America, all while completing my MPH at MSU.” Terence Gipson

Assistant Professor of Public Health St. John Fisher University Spartan in Public Health, 2017

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH

ALUMNI AT WORK 69

MSU is advancing the public’s health through practice-infused instruction, research, and community partnerships that promote the attainment of health equity for all citizens.

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@msupubhealth @MSU Master of Public Health

#APHA2023 #MSUPublicHealth

@msupublichealth

publichealth.msu.edu