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College of Human Medicine

January College News Headlines

January 29, 2026

Healthier Communities

  • Rx Kids continues to expand in Michigan, launching in several new communities in January. Dr. Mona Hanna, the program’s founding director and associate dean of Public Health at the College of Human Medicine, described it as a “bold public health effort to improve outcomes.” Coverage from ABC 57, Herald-Palladium, WSBT, WNEM, Michigan Public, WEYI, Michigan Chronicle, Associated Press, MLive (1), MLive (2), MLive (3), MLive (4) and WZZM. 

  • A recent episode of Michigan Public’s Stateside highlighted MSU’s ROSE Program, led by Jennifer Johnson, PhD, founding chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at the MSU College of Human Medicine. The program “aims to stop postpartum depression before it begins” by teaching expectant mothers about PPD and asking for the support they need. Johnson explained how ROSE was developed and how it aligns with MSU’s Rx Kids program.

Staff + Faulty Success

  • Jerry Kooiman received the AAMC Group on Institutional Advancement 2026 Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes his many years of service on the Steering Committee, including his role as chair.

  • Aisha Harris, MD, assistant director of the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved, has been appointed trustee Community Foundation of Greater Flint. 

  • Robey Shah, PhD, MPH, has been elected to the APHA as a Section Councilor for Public Health Education and Health Promotion.

Research + Scholarship

  • MSU, Corewell Health, and nonprofit Every Cure have teamed up to advance research in a decades-old drug used to treat West African sleeping sickness. André Bachmann, PhD, professor and associate chair for research in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, and his colleague Caleb Bupp, MD, at Corewell Health, hope to launch preclinical trials for the ultra-rare condition known as Bachmann-Bupp Syndrome. Becker's Hospital Review

  • Cara Poland, MD, addiction specialist and associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, shared how cutting out alcohol can lead to better sleep and lower rates of anxiety and depression in the new year in this WILX story.

  • The Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health and Flint residents have been awarded one of three competitive coordinating center grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its Health Equity Research for Action (HERA) program. The grant will allow residents to have a voice in shaping health programs and policies in their community. MLive provided coverage.

  • Mark DeLano, MD, professor and chair of the MSU Department of Radiology, addresses concerns about cell phone radiation in this Everyday Health story.

  • Cara Poland, MD, addiction specialist and associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, discussed on how cuts to research funding in 2025 impacted addiction medicine with NPR’s All Things Considered. 

  • In this NBC News story, Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, details side effects of vitamin B6.