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College of Human Medicine

November College News Headlines

November 25, 2025

Student Success

  • Jessica Ding, (M3), has been elected president of the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA).
  • Former second year student Mackenzie Paul is profiled in this People article about her heroic battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
  • College of Human Medicine students helped construct a sukkah at Gesher Human Services’ Clubhouse for the Common Good in Southfield as reported in The Detroit Jewish News.
  • Britton Michmerhuizen (M3) and David Klee, MD, community assistant dean for the Traverse City Campus, spoke about the College of Human Medicine’s commitment to rural health in 7&4News’ coverage of the expansion of the Rural Community Health Program to Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital.

Staff + Faulty Success

  • Women Inspiring Success and Health (WISH) held their annual Women’s Development Day. Wanda Lipscomb, PhD, senior associate dean for access and inclusive engagement and associate dean for Student Affairs, spoke about how to inspire through hope, health, and healing.
  • Cristian Meghea, PhD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology; Kipling Bohnert, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; and Amber Pearson, PhD, MPH, Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, have been promoted to full professors.
  • Jennifer Johnson, PhD, founding chair and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, was honored as a University Distinguished Professor.
  • Morteza Mahmoudi, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Radiology, is on the “2025 Highly Cited Researchers” list. The list, compiled annually by Clarivate Analytics, recognizes research scientists from across the globe who have offered expertise and significantly influenced their respective fields of research.
  • Cara Poland, MD, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, has been awarded the Betty Ford Award by the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction (AMERSA). The award recognizes those who’ve had a significant impact on the field of alcohol and substance use, particularly with regards to women’s issues, substance use education and recovery.

Healthy Communities

  • Traverse City Street Medicine received a $2.5M grant. David Klee, MD, community assistant campus dean for the Traverse City campus, spoke to 7&4 News about the initiative aimed at training medical students in Munson Healthcare’s Family Medicine Residency Program to provide care to individuals experiencing homelessness.
  • Rx Kids expanded to Ypsilanti. CBS Detroit, MLive provided coverage.
  • Rx Kids expanded to six communities in Wayne County. CBS Detroit, WDIV, Detroit Free Press, and MLive provided coverage. Related: WDIV, Mississippi Today.

Research + Scholarship

  • Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and keeping your brain healthy. Scott Counts, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience, sat down for a discussion about brain health and research on the show Real Possibilities by AARP.
  • Questions about postpartum anxiety meds. Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, adds her expertise in this SELF article focused on Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and her personal experience.
  • Michael Brown, MD, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, and Dick Sadler, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, both added their expertise to this Spartan Newsroom article examining federal cuts to health care.
  • “This is not a moment to panic,” said Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in this Prevention article examining potential dangers associated with silicone bakeware.
  • A study has linked melatonin to heart failure. Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, shares what to keep in mind when taking the popular sleep-inducing supplement in this SELF article. Related: Verywell Health, Prevention.
  • Metabolic dysfunction and psoriatic arthritis. Ahmad Abu Limon, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, shared his expertise in this Physician’s Weekly story.
  • News-Press Now offered continuing coverage on synthetic food dyes and how they affect children. Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, was tapped for her thoughts.
  • Scarcity and effects on women after prison. Jennifer Johnson, PhD, chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, spoke about her study examining women’s ability to manage their mental health and substance use after being released from prison on WJRT.
  • Diet, food insecurity, and peripheral neuropathy. Evan Reynolds, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, shared his research with WILX.
  • Cannabis use occurs in at least one in six pregnancies in Michigan. Ban Al-Sahab, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, and Cara Poland, MD, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, are both featured in this report from WZZM.
  • A new bill aims to keep creatine, and diet pills away from minors. Vivienne Hazzard, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, provided insights on early use of unregulated products in this MLive article.
  • Prevention dove into the phenomenon of “Ozempic face.” Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, explained how GLP-1s work.
  • Cannabis dust and disinfectants used in production are two of the substances capable of causing allergic reactions. Bridge Michigan, Spartan Newsroom, WKAR, MMJDaily, and WOWO reported on research done by Kenneth Rosenman, MD, professor in the Department of Medicine. Related: Great Lakes Echo, Stock Watch Index.
  • “This should be raising some alarms for people,” advised Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in this Yahoo News article about a chemical widely found in dry cleaners and cleaning products. Related: Men’s Health, AOL.

Alumni News

  • Michigan State University Hockey honored former player and College of Human Medicine alum Stephen Swistak, MD (’08), through the Spartans Full Strength initiative during the month of November.
  • Chet Gentry, MD (’88), has been awarded the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians’ Family Physician of the Year Award as reported in the Upper Cumberland Business Journal.
  • Nancy Debra Simms, MD (’92), has been presented the 2025 Ray E. Helfer, MD, Award. The award is presented by the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to highlight the contributions of a pediatrician in local and national efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect.