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College of Human Medicine

December College News Headlines

December 31, 2024

Year in Review

MSUToday’s Year in Review touched on how the College of Human Medicine helped improve the health of the communities we serve. Highlights included the Remembrance Conference (shown above) where Aron Sousa, MD, dean, continued to push for public health responses to ending gun violence; the work of addiction specialist Cara Poland, MD, improving care for people with substance use disorders, and the launch of Rx Kids by Mona Hanna, MD, associate dean for public health. The MSU Grand Rapids Innovation Park was featured as the inaugural Spartan Bus Tour made a stop on the Medical Mile. Read the top headlines of 2024.

Student Success

  • Akash Rau, third-year medical student, reviewed a study examining smoking and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) as reported by ConsultantLive, HCPLive, Archynewsy.
  • Smiles and tears at Match Day were highlighted in MLive’s 125 photos capturing the pain and perseverance of 2024 in Flint area. 
  • The College of Human Medicine and Oakland Community College signed an articulation agreement providing early assurance opportunities for admission to medical school as reported in MSUToday and the Oakland Press.

Staff & Faculty Success

  • Anna Moore, PhD, associate dean for research development, has been appointed president-elect of World Molecular Imaging Society. WMIS works to further the study and availability of information concerning molecular imaging and its biology.

  • Victor DiRita, PhD, the Rudolph Hugh Endowed Chair and chair of the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology, has been honored as one of the MSU Office of Health and Wellbeing’s 2024 Outstanding Supervisors. The award recognizes leaders who show exceptional work-life balance and support of their team members.

Research and Scholarship

  • Keeping blood pressure, alcohol consumption and weight in check are just a few tips provided by Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, assistant professor and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, in an article about lowering your risk of dementia in Women’s Health.

  • “Burnout or low energy is a big problem in health care,” said Bengt Arnetz, MD, professor in the Department of Family Medicine. Arnetz was featured in a special report by WILX examining doctor burnout. 

  • Is your smartwatch band exposing you to PFAS forever chemicals? Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, weighed in on the topic in this article by Yahoo News. 

  • A study by Stacey Missmer, ScD, professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, examining a link between endometriosis and the risk of stroke was highlighted in this article in Health. 

  • As Michigan lawmakers try to make it harder for minors to buy flavored nicotine and tobacco products, Brittany Tayler, MD, the Alice Hamilton Scholar with the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Pediatric Public Health Initiative, weighs in. “If someone starts using a tobacco product before the age of 18 they are so much more likely to continue and be a lifelong user.” WILX reports.

  • Dick Sadler, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, offered his opinion on Detroit’s resurgence in this editorial in Crain’s Detroit Business.

  • Second Wave Michigan reported on the success of the Reach Out, Stay strong Essentials (ROSE) program. Jennifer Johnson, PhD, chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, said of the postpartum prevention program, “It's not screening. It's not treatment. It's prevention.”

  • Could magnesium be an answer in the quest to cut the risk of dementia? Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, assistant professor and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine commented in this article in Yahoo News.

  • Public Health On Call podcast featured a discussion with Mona Hanna, MD, director of Rx Kids and associate dean of public health, about the success of the infant cash prescription program.

  • MSU Extension is partnering with College of Human Medicine and MSU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition on a three-year project focused on preventing opioid misuse in rural Michigan as reported by MSU Extension and Midland Daily News.

  • Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, explained the danger of an impurity found in a popular recalled drug used to treat anxiety, depression and chronic pain in this article in Health.

  • Crystal Cederna, PsyD, associate professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, had some advice for stressed out parents during the holidays. She shared her research and advice with The Conversation, US News & World Report and Scientific American.

  • Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, spoke with USA Today about the ongoing recall of a popular antidepressant.

Healthier Communities

  • Next City and The 19th explored how Rx Kids is helping to ease the financial stress of motherhood and prevent postpartum depression. “Families have the freedom of choice to best meet their needs,” said Mona Hanna, MD, director of Rx Kids and associate dean of public health.

  • "The cost of having a baby adds up, and income plunges right before babies are born,” said Mona Hanna, MD, director of Rx Kids and associate dean of public health. Stories of families benefiting from Rx Kids and a similar program in Mississippi are shared in this article by Detroit Free Press, Lansing State Journal, Bridge Detroit and Yahoo News.

Alumni News

  • Julie Gronek, MD (‘96), has been appointed Chief of Staff for the Saginaw Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. 

  • Raj Mitra, MD (’98), has been named dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health in Fairborn, Ohio as reported by Beavercreek News-Current and Dayton Business Journal.

Other College News