Fourteen Global Public Health Professorships, approved by the Board of Regents in December 2016, recognize faculty whose individual work and leadership within the school have helped establish robust, multi-disciplinary public health programs across more than 70 countries.
“The 14 faculty approved for this appointment have demonstrated substantial experience and sustained contributions to global public health research, training, education and practice,” said Martin Philbert, PhD, Dean of the School of Public Health.
The professorships began Jan. 1 and are held for three years. Among those selected is Sioban Harlow, PhD, who has worked extensively in Mexico exploring how women and families are impacted by international trade and manufacturing trends. Her more recent international work focuses on the Democratic Republic of Congo, working through U-M’s partnership with the Panzi Foundation to bolster women’s healthcare and health-related research in one of the most dangerous parts of the world for women.
“Throughout my career, my priority has not only been my personal research, but looking for ways to partner to help build capacity to conduct good health research in any given country,” said Dr. Harlow, who has a joint appointment in the medical school and who now adds Professor of Global Public Health to her other titles: Professor of Epidemiology and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
“I believe the new professorships are really part of the campus-wide effort to support international partnerships and activities,” she said. “For the School of Public Health, it helps to reinforce and raise awareness for the work already being done. It sends a message to our students, prospective students and peer institutions that we take this work in global public health seriously.”
Of the 14 faculty awarded the Global Public Health professorships, all have sole or primary appointments in the School of Public Health. The push to establish the new professorships began two years ago as an effort to recognize and leverage many of the individual projects faculty were already involved in internationally, said Matthew Boulton, Senior Associate Dean for Global Public Health.
“We’ve been involved in global health at the School of Public Health for almost 50 years,” Dr. Boulton said. “Given the longstanding commitment, we felt it was time to formalize recognition of that work both internally and externally of faculty who’ve made substantive contributions to global health. We’ll be accepting another wave of nominations later this year, and I fully expect additional faculty will be appointed early next year.”
The inaugural group of faculty includes:
Ana Baylin, Associate Professor of Global Public Health, departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology
Matthew Boulton, Professor of Global Public Health, Epidemiology
Joseph Eisenberg, Professor of Global Public Health, Epidemiology
Scott Greer, Associate Professor of Global Public Health, Health Management and Policy
Sioban Harlow, Professor of Global Public Health, Epidemiology
Gary Harper, Professor of Global Public Health, Health Behavior and Health Education
Yi Li, Professor of Global Public Health, Biostatistics
Carlos Mendes de Leon, Professor of Global Public Health, Epidemiology
Arnold Monto, Professor of Global Public Health, Epidemiology
Bhramar Mukherjee, Professor of Global Public Health, Biostatistics
Karen Peterson, Professor of Global Public Health, Nutrition
John Piette, Professor of Global Public Health, Health Behavior and Health Education
Laura Rozek, Associate Professor of Global Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences
Chuanwu Xi, Associate Professor of Global Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences