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College of Human Medicine

May College News Headlines

May 29, 2025

 

Faculty and students gathered for the second annual Medical Education Scholarship Showcase, to present innovative medical education research and scholarship from across the college. 

Faculty and students gathered for the second annual Medical Education Scholarship Showcase, to present innovative medical education research and scholarship from across the college. Photo by Derrick L. Turner.

The Value of Research

  • Leaders said diseases that could have been prevented will not be, the Flint water crisis will be repeated across the U.S. and the nation’s top researchers may leave for other countries. Crain’s Detroit, Michigan Advance and Detroit News provided coverage of the opening session at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Mona Hanna, MD, associate dean for public health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, president of Michigan State University, and Howard Crawford, PhD, research professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and senior researcher at Henry Ford Health were part of that panel.

  • “Cutting research on children's health and other vulnerable populations robs us and our colleagues of opportunities and ultimately prevents our nation's youths from growing into healthy adults.” Natoshia R. Cunningham, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, and a fellow pain researcher wrote an op-ed for MedPage Today.

  • “The idea of those cuts happening will be devastating and will cause a crisis in Flint that I don’t really want to imagine,” said Aisha Harris, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine. Her comments on how cuts to research focused on long COVID could affect Black Americans are in this Capital B article.

  • “We've done a really good job in the past few decades of coming up with new therapies and medicines, (and) earlier detection strategies that have really saved a lot of lives and have saved a lot of money for Michiganders,” shared Jamie Bernard, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in this article by Bridge about the loss of federal research money. Related: Lansing State Journal.

  • Aron Sousa, MD, dean of the College of Human Medicine, and Candice Johnson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, are featured in this Nature article about how cuts to funding are affecting young researchers and tenure requirements. Related: The State News.

Student Success

  • “This experience allows them to gain insight into the social and daily lives of our patients, contributing to a more holistic understanding of mental health,” said Shady Shebak, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. College of Human Medicine students are taking part in clinical rounds at Clubhouse for the Common Good in Southfield. The story is in The Detroit Jewish News.

Staff+Faculty Success

  • Joshua Kooistra, DO, associate dean in Grand Rapids, has been named president of Corewell Health in West Michigan as reported by MLive, Becker’s Hospital Review.

  • Ryan Tubbs, PhD, has been named to the role of Anatomy Site Director in Grand Rapids.

  • Brittany Rudd, PhD, has joined the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health as an assistant professor. Read about her background and unique expertise in mental health and legal system interventions here.

  • Judith Lin, MD, division chief of vascular surgery, completed the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), a prestigious executive development program at Drexel.

  • Ved Gossain, MD, professor emeritus, discussed his loneliness research: Effects of social isolation and ways to combat loneliness in older physicians in a podcast/video from AMA.

Alumni News

  • Bryanne Standifer-Barrett, MD (’18), an internal medicine physician at Henry Ford Health is featured in this MSUToday story. The Detroit native draws upon the education and mentorship she received at MSU as she shapes a care philosophy that reflects the needs of her hometown.

College News

  • Rosalynn Bliss, MSW, has been named assistant dean and chief external relations officer. Bliss, who served as Grand Rapids’ first female mayor, spent two terms in the position. Coverage provided by WZZM, WOOD, and Crain’s Grand Rapids.

    "We decided we needed to do something, and we wanted to bring to light that gun violence was a public health issue.” WGRZ and Buffalo Toronto Public Media looked ahead to the Remembrance Conference, a partnership between the University of Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and College of Human Medicine, set for June 6-8.

Research + Scholarship

  • Bengt Arnetz, MD, PhD, and Judith Arnetz, PhD, MPH, both professors emerita in the Department of Family Medicine, and Scott Counts, PhD, associate professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Translational Neuroscience, are coauthors on a study that is the first to compare inflammation and stress responses in long COVID-19 patients with individuals who have fully recovered. WOOD and WZZM provided coverage.

  • Could tech use help lower the risk of dementia? Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, assistant professor and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, weighed in on the “digital dementia hypothesis” in this article in Kiplinger.

  • The FDA has approved new natural food dyes. Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, comments on their safety in this New York Times article.

  • Daniel Isaac, DO, MS, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, offered treatment options for prostate cancer after former President Joe Biden’s recent diagnosis in Medical Economics.

  • They asked for it. So why aren’t more people taking OTC birth control? "It is effective if you take it as intended. But it is harder to take as intended because of the timing,” said Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in this Popsugar article.

  • A new study shows some biomarkers and risk factors linked to Alzheimer’s disease appear as early as a person’s 20s or 30s. Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, assistant professor and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, listed what we can do early in life to keep our brains healthy in this Women’s Health article. Related: Prevention.

  • A spoonful of microplastics? That’s how much researchers say could be in your brain. Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, explained how the toxins get in our bodies in this piece by Prevention.

  • Often mistaken for depression, we’re learning more about frontotemporal dementia from a new study. Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, assistant professor and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, added his expertise on what the study teaches us in this article in Women’s Health.

  • “What we don’t know is how much is released potentially into the food that we’re cooking… and how much do we absorb into our bodies,” said Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in this Yahoo article examining black plastic cookware.

  • Creatine, well known as a fitness supplement, is now making headlines in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Amit Sachdev, MD, MS, assistant professor and director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, offers his expertise in this Newsweek article. Related: Women’s Health.

Healthy Communities

  • “The science is clear. Dozens of studies show that cash improves health, from better birth weights and nutrition to higher vaccination rates and lower maternal stress.” Mona Hanna, MD, associate dean for public health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, and a fellow doctor wrote this op-ed in the Washington Post.

  • Measles could again become widespread as cases surge worldwide. Rebecca Schein, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, shares her expertise with The Conversation.

  • “It’s more than just a health program; it has real economic benefit.” AND reported on the economic boost RxKids is providing to Flint and Genesee County.

  • Lisa Lowery, MD, MPH, assistant dean for Diversity and Cultural Initiatives, spoke about the importance of being seen and heard during Mental Health Awareness Month on Wedgwood Christian Services’ Coffee Break Conversation podcast.

  • The Department of Medicine’s Chaz Hong, MD, PhD, chair, and Chuck Williams, PhD, assistant professor, were part of the honorary host committee for the American Brain Tumor Association's Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K.

  • "Instead of creating complicated, after-the-fact, bureaucratic programs that don't work and spend a lot of money, let's just prevent poverty when it's the worst in the life course; when it's the worst for children and families.” Mona Hanna, MD, associate dean for public health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, speaks about the program’s value in this Detroit News piece.