Working/Functional Title
1855 Associate/Full Professor-Tenure System
Position Summary
The College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University (MSU) invites applications for an 1855 Professorship (a tenured full-time research positions at the Associate or Full Professor level) in the highly prolific and rapidly growing Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health in Flint, Michigan. This 1855 Professorship offers a unique opportunity for an established researcher who seeks to continue their highly impactful, community engaged health equity research to drive change in areas both relevant to Flint and widely applicable. These include increasing equity in social determinants of health, behavioral health, healthy behaviors, chronic disease, maternal-child health, and environmental justice, among others. A $25 million gift from the Flint-based Charles Stewart Mott Foundation allows us to largely or fully guarantee salary coverage for researchers who are willing to move their substantial research portfolios to MSU.
This open position is supported by the MSU Provost’s 1855 Professorships initiative that seeks to elevate the academic quality and reputation at MSU. The new faculty member will be expected to contribute to the multidisciplinary “Science for Community Impact” cluster of researchers who conduct translational science with marginalized communities using community engaged, equity focused partnerships. For more information about the 1855 Professorships, visit: https://provost.msu.edu/priorities-and-initiatives/1855-professorships. For more information about MSU’s strategic plan, visit: https://strategicplan.msu.edu/strategic-plan/executivesummary.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Degree
Doctorate -Public Health, a clinical field, or another related field
Minimum Requirements
- A PhD, DrPH, or similar in a field such as public health, health services research, health economics, social/health psychology, developmental psychology, clinical disciplines (including clinical psychology, social work, medicine, pediatrics, nutrition, etc.), sociology, food science/human nutrition, health communications, and epidemiology;
- Successful applicants will have an established investigator-initiated research program and a record of NIH or related federal funding (i.e., PCORI, AHRQ, CDC, DoD, USDA, etc.) and peer-reviewed journal/articles.
- Associate Professor or Professor level applicants are expected to possess an established record of external funding and scholarship and the ability to build teams/clusters of scientists focusing on related topics.
- Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and collaborate across multi-disciplinary teams is essential.
Desired Qualifications
- Identified areas of need include research and instruction to address substance abuse, mental health, smoking, obesity, maternal and child health, chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular illness, stress and coping, prevention/detection health behaviors, health disparities, sexually transmitted infections, access to care, and social and built environmental determinants of health including violence, safety, education, poverty, and unemployment.
- The required degree is a PhD or equivalent in a field related to public health. MD or DO degrees with public health research interests may also be considered.
Required Application Materials
- Cover letter
- CV
- Names and contact information for 3 people who could serve as professional references
Special Instructions
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the positions are filled. Questions may be directed to Jennifer Johnson, PhD, Department Chair (JJohns@msu.edu), or Todd Lucas, PhD, Search Committee Chair, (Lucastod@msu.edu). Learn more about the Department at publichealth.msu.edu.
Review of Applications Begins On
07/08/2025
Remote Work Statement
MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.
Website
https://publichealth.msu.edu/
Department Statement
The Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health is unique as the first academic department to be co-developed and co-governed in partnership with the communities it serves. This collaborative approach aims to enhance academic success and real-world impact. Based at the College of Human Medicine's Flint campus, the department focuses on population health. Its close ties to the Flint community enable faculty and researchers to gain insights into the community's strengths and needs while addressing its most urgent public health issues.
Spartans work side-by-side with community partners and health care providers in a community-identified and community-participatory public health focus model.
Mission
To eliminate health disparities in diverse populations in local and global communities while attaining the highest level of health for all individuals and groups – with a particular emphasis on the community of Flint. The Department is committed to:
- Optimizing health outcomes with community-driven solutions from public health research that is methodologically rigorous and equitably and ethically community-partnered.
- The development and support of community and clinical intervention programs which have positive impacts and further seek to establish best practices through health policy, advocacy, and robust evaluations.
- Educating, training, and developing a diverse and inclusive public health workforce and partners, while equipping them with essential leadership skills to improve health in all communities.
An innovative premise. Located in Flint, Michigan, the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health seeks to build on strong and energetic growth in research. Flint has a long history of community activism and involvement. It is one of the birthplaces of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and includes nationally recognized community pioneers and citizen scientists. For example, the first community representative to be President of the American Public Health Association in its 100+ year history, beginning her term in 2023, is a member of the Flint community. In 2011, the Flint community (including Flint-area hospitals) approached MSU with a proposal to create an academic Department of Public Health in Flint. Their idea was that the department would improve health through community-identified public health solutions, provide an economic driver for Flint, and lead the nation in health equity informed policy change. MSU agreed and took an unprecedented community-participatory approach, building the Flint community into the Department and its governance, including focus areas, priorities, and faculty to hire. Through 1000+ surveys and more than 100 interviews, community members identified the top public health needs of Flint, providing the areas of focus for the new unit, which began as a Division in 2015. Community members make up and continue to make up much of the faculty search committee tasked with hiring the best public health researchers in the country to address these issues.
This radical experiment in community-partnered departmental administration has been wildly successful both in funding and in real-world impact. Departmental faculty have obtained over $175 million in extramural funding. Among its many projects, the Department currently includes two NIH-funded Centers (one in maternal health equity and the other in suicide prevention) and the first city-wide unconditional and universal cash prescription program for pregnant/postpartum people and infants. What began as a Division in 2015 became a Department in 2022, spurring a new phase of growth and development.
MSU Statement
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
