February College News

February 28, 2021

  • The deal to bring the Perrigo offices to the MSU Grand Rapids Innovation Park was recognized as the winner of the Economic Development Category in the 2021 MiBiz Deal of the Year Awards. The effort was led by Health Innovation Partners, a real estate and development joint venture between Rockford Construction Co. Inc. and Rockford Development Group, Walsh Construction Co. Inc. and Walsh Investors, Murphy Development Group LLC and Michigan State University.
  • In an interview with Lansing State Journal, College of Human Medicine student Michaela Rice describes her experience receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Tune in to the latest episodes of "This Rural Mission" the Leadership in Rural Medicine Program podcast: What the Virus Spread, 20 Years of Rural Medical Education,  A Drop in Yields, Arts Rural.
  • Debra Furr-Holden, PhD, associate dean for Public Health Integration and Charles Stewart Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, works to build trust in the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • A study by researchers Adam Oostema, PhD, associate professor in the Department of of Emergency Medicine, and Mathew Reeves, PhD, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, shows an increase in cardiac arrest deaths linked to people not seeking care during pandemic.
  • Robert C. Smith, MD, MACP, University Distinguished Professor and professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, writes about improving the mental health care of those close to you, in an article on Psychology Today.
  • Interim Dean Aron Sousa, MD, joined MSU Today with Russ White to talk about the College of Human Medicine as a pioneer in the area of community-based medical schools.
  • Kathy Steece-Collier, PhD, professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience, was selected as the 2021 recipient of the MSU Innovation of the Year Award for her work in the development of gene therapy-mediated therapeutics for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
  • Students from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics organized the MSU Blood Drives in collaboration with the Red Cross.
  • Interim Dean Aron Sousa, MD, joined MSU Today with Russ White to talk about the College of Human Medicine as a pioneer in the area of community-based medical schools.
  • In honor of Rare Disease Day, FOX 17 shared the story of Marley Berthoud, who was diagnosed with Bachmann Bupp syndrome, a gene-linked disorder discovered by Andre Bachman, PhD, associate chair for research in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.
  • Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, discusses the work of Flint Lead Free, a multidisciplinary group of partners striving to make Flint a lead-free city.
  • Howard Schubiner, MD, clinical professor in the College of Human Medicine, joined The Doctors to talk about his documentary, "This Might Hurt."
  • The Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences has appointed Sean Valles, PhD, as director and Karen Kelly-Blake, PhD, as assistant director.
  • University Distinguished Professors Asgi Fazleabas, PhD, and Provost Teresa Woodruff, PhD, have been honored as Distinguished Fellows by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.
  • Eric Achtyes, MD, director of the College of Human Medicine’s Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, and Leslie Pelkey, MD, chief medical officer for Cherry Health, are the lead investigators in West Michigan for two phase 3 clinical trials of a vaccine developed by The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Related media: FOX 17, Spoke.
  • The People Behind the Early Detection Program is a three-part series sharing the stories of the College of Human Medicine’s people behind the scenes whose hard work and long hours enabled the university to launch the Spartan Early Detection program.
  • Alison Bernstein, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience, received an Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
  • Debra Furr-Holden, PhD, associate dean for Public Health Integration and Charles Stewart Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, joined MSNBC to explain why equal access needs to play a more serious role in the vaccine distribution process. In other news, Dr. Furr-Holden answers questions about medical distrust in black communities and in an article on USA Today, she discusses the importance of requiring data collection toward equity.
  • In celebration of Valentine's Day, a few of the college's alumni couples shared their SpartanMD Love Stories.
  • College of Human Medicine student Michaela Rice describes her experience receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in an article in Lansing State Journal.
  • A study helmed by the late Dr. Viviane Labrie of Van Andel Institute (VAI) alongside peers at VAI, Beaumont Health, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and Oregon Health & Science University, links gut microbes to Parkinson’s Disease.
  • David Morgan, PhD, professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience, was selected as an Alzheimer’s Association Excellence in Neuroscience Mentoring Award Recipient at the first Alzheimer’s Association International Conference®, Neuroscience Next.
  • College of Human Medicine student Donna Tran was selected to participate in MSU Leadership Institute's Leadership Academy and was elected to be the 2021 National President of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA).