Former Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss joins Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
May 1, 2025
Rosalynn Bliss, Grand Rapids’ first female mayor who served two terms in the city’s top position, has been named assistant dean and chief external relations officer for Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Bliss will oversee communications and marketing, community engagement and outreach, government and hospital relations and industry partnerships for the college.
“Rosalynn has a remarkable track record for partnership, fostering collaboration, and using the mayor’s non-partisan position to improve the lives of people throughout the city and across the state,” said Aron Sousa, MD, dean, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
In this role, Bliss will utilize the statewide relationships she built as mayor to lead the medical school’s external initiatives and further build upon hospital partnerships and community collaboration to enhance medical education, clinical care and biomedical research throughout the state.
“The mission of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine aligns deeply with my personal values and lifelong work. I understand the vital role the College of Human Medicine plays in shaping the future of health care, and I am eager to contribute to further its impact,” said Bliss.
“Since the college opened in Grand Rapids, I have had the privilege of collaborating with the college’s team and have seen firsthand their dedication to addressing health care disparities and improving community well-being,” she said. “It will be an honor to contribute to this important work and be part of a team that shares a heart for service, a commitment to equity, and a vision for transforming lives through education, research, and community engagement."
Before serving as mayor, Bliss served as director of residential services at DA Blodgett-St. John's, providing emergency shelter and residential services for abused and neglected children. She played a key role in the successful merger of St. Johns Home and DA Blodgett for Children, strengthening services and operational capacity and engaged with county and state leaders to promote legislative and systemic changes to help vulnerable youth and families.
Bliss is a native of Sault Sainte Marie and earned a master’s degree in social work from Michigan State University. A fervent community leader, Bliss has served on many boards through the years including Downtown Development Authority, Experience Grand Rapids, Convention Arena Authority, Grand Rapids Promise Zone Authority, Housing Kent, National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families, and Urban Core Mayors, to name a few. She has been honored with several awards including U.S. Conference of Mayors Small Business Advocate Award, Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan, West Michigan Public Relations Society of America’s Communicator of the Year Award and is a five-time recipient of Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty distinction.
"Rosalynn has a proven ability to work with community members and organizations in Grand Rapids and across the state with elected officials on both sides of the aisle,” said Sousa. "Her work eliminating disparities to improve health outcomes - from lead poisoning prevention to affordable housing - resonates strongly with the college's mission. If ever we moved from strength to strength as the baton passes from one person to the next, we are witnessing that exchange now,” said Sousa.
Bliss takes over for Jerry Kooiman who is retiring May 1. Kooiman has held the post since 2007. During his tenure, Kooiman oversaw the transition of the College of Human Medicine headquarters to Grand Rapids and the opening of the $90M Secchia Center in 2010; the opening of new community campuses in Traverse City, Midland, Southfield and Detroit; the development of the Grand Rapids Innovation Park; and the formation of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health in Flint. Prior to his time at MSU, Kooiman served as an elected official from Grand Rapids (Kent County Commissioner and State Representative) for 12 years.
About Michigan State University
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for 170 years. One of the world’s leading public research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 400 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
About MSU College of Human Medicine
For more than 60 years, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine has drawn upon MSU’s land grant values to educate exemplary physicians, discover and disseminate new knowledge and respond to the needs of the medically underserved in communities throughout Michigan. The medical school’s statewide footprint includes eight community-integrated campuses: Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Midland Regional, Southeast Michigan, Traverse City, and the Upper Peninsula Region. MSU’s Grand Rapids Research Center has centers of excellence in Parkinson’s disease research and women’s health research. The college’s Flint campus is home to MSU’s public health program. For more information, visit humanmedicine.msu.edu.