Dean Rayamajhi’s Weekly Rundown
February 13, 2026
Greetings on the eve of this Valentine’s Day Weekend,
I wish I could bottle the love that filled the air at the Rx Kids Detroit expansion celebration earlier this week. The Bonstelle Playhouse, on historic Woodward Avenue, was more than just the site of a press conference; it was the stage for a joyful event. As our own Mona Hanna, MD, MPH, announced the expansion of the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program into its largest city yet, the atmosphere felt more like a celebration of “Baby Love” than a policy event.
Inspired by the Motown classic, the theme came alive through performances by the Detroit Youth Choir and Motown tribute group, The Soul Sirens. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, and other state leaders shared the stage with babies and mothers marking this milestone. The expansion also fulfilled a promise from Mayor Mary Sheffield, who pledged to bring Rx Kids to her city within her first 100 days in office.
Rx Kids gets to the very heart of the College of Human Medicine's mission. We are committed to serving communities across the state — especially those who are medically underserved. With the expansion in Detroit, we are not only improving health outcomes for mothers and babies but also promoting dignity and equitable access to care. This program demonstrates how academic medicine can partner with communities to deliver innovative solutions to strengthen families and enhance public health across Michigan. Here is a link to the entire “Baby Love” event.
Another honor was placed upon Dr. Mona this week. Please join me in congratulating her on being named in Time Magazine’s Time100Health 2026 Leaders. This honor recognizes her as one of the world’s most influential leaders in health for her Rx Kids work. In the article she’s quoted as saying “Hey, we’re not OK with babies being born into poverty in the richest country in the history of the world.” I couldn’t agree more.
Flint Town Hall
Our commitment to public health advocacy continued Monday with a different tone in Flint. Jennifer Johnson, PhD, chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, convened a town hall with the Genesee County Sheriff focused on suicide prevention among people recently released from pretrial jail detention. Her team’s work, led by Ted Miller, PhD, found that one in five adults who dies by suicide in U.S. communities spent a night in jail in the prior year. Jennifer shared findings from her 800-person randomized trial identifying the first effective intervention for this high-risk period. Jennifer’s study, published in JAMA, found that participants who were randomized to the Safety Planning Intervention experienced 55% fewer suicide attempts in the year after jail release compared to those who received enhanced standard care. Here is a link to that important town hall discussion, which featured someone whose life was saved by the intervention. We are grateful for faculty and staff at MSU and at Henry Ford Health involved in the National Center for Health and Justice Integration for Suicide Prevention, the next step of this work. If you haven’t already seen it in your social media feed, Jennifer’s work scaling the ROSE (Reach Out, Stay Strong Essentials) program is the subject of a Michigan State University Research for You campaign. The successful program, offered during pregnancy, prevents half of cases of postpartum depression.
AAAS Honors Morteza Mahmoudi
Please join me in congratulating Morteza Mahmoudi, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Radiology, for being named the recipient of the 2026 Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The award recognizes Morteza for his efforts to combat academic bullying and harassment and to empower scientists facing mistreatment in academic workplaces. Morteza continues to be one of the most highly cited researchers not only with Michigan State, but across the country. Thank you, Morteza, for continuing to advocate on behalf of those in the scientific community and academia targeted by bullying and harassment.
SNMA Cultural Celebration
This year’s SNMA (Student National Medical Association) Cultural Celebration theme was “Rooted in Culture, United in Care.” The annual event honors diverse cultural backgrounds while recognizing our shared commitment to caring for patients, communities, and one another. The keynote speaker was College of Human Medicine alumna, Angela Andrews, MD (’12), who hosts the Lifestyle MD podcast. Through that medium she is able to deliver evidence-based, practical medical advice to busy people. The evening was enriched by a violin performance by Michael Lee (M2), and a vocal performance by Chiemela Wosu (M1), who was accompanied on the keyboard by Victor Akinyemi (M1). I was delighted to have my wife, Shivan, by my side for this celebration at Hawk Hollow Golf Course. I enjoyed sharing with her the work of our students and the rich cultural and personal backgrounds our students, faculty, and staff bring to the college. I hope she will be able to attend more events with me in the future.
Reach Out to Youth is coming to Grand Rapids
Speaking of SNMA and their work in the community, first-year students Lawrence Kado and Meriam Meram joined Carolyn King, MD, on West Michigan TV this week to promote Reach Out to Youth. You don’t want to miss their hands-on, kid-friendly demonstration of peristalsis. Watch those segments here and here. ROTY is a program for 7-11-year-olds run by our SNMA students. It will be held at the Secchia Center on Saturday, February 21 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Please encourage the future Spartan MDs in your life to sign up for this free event.
Day of Remembrance
I would be remiss if I didn’t also recognize that today marks the third anniversary of the darkest day our campus has ever experienced. I know many of you have taken part in events from acts of service or simply holding a moment of silence in your heart for those who lost their lives and were injured three years ago. A reminder, immediate support for students is available through the CAPS Crisis Line at (517) 355-8270. Press 1 to speak with a licensed counselor. For employees, after-hours support is available by calling (517) 355-4506 and pressing 2. As the bells of Beaumont Tower ring out between 8:10 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. tonight, may they serve as a collective pause to remember, grieve, and to stand together reaffirming our commitment to caring for one another, always
In Spartan Spirit,
Supratik Rayamajhi, MD, FACP
Interim Dean, MSU College of Human Medicine