University of Michigan School of Public Health

05/28/2026

Charles Holmes has been recommended as the next dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, pending approval by the U-M Board of Regents. A physician-scientist, global health leader, and Michigan Public Health alumnus (MPH ‘95), Holmes currently serves as the director of Georgetown University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health, as well as a professor of medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine and distinguished scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

“I am deeply honored to return to the University of Michigan School of Public Health as dean,” Holmes said. “Michigan played a formative role in my own development in public health, and I have long admired the school’s excellence in teaching, research, interdisciplinary collaboration and public service. At a time when public health has never been more important to the well-being of communities in the United States and around the world, I look forward to working with faculty, students, staff, alumni and partners to strengthen the school’s impact, support the next generation of public health leaders, and advance solutions to some of society’s most important health challenges.”

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05/28/2026

What does it take to go from a small farming community in rural Michigan to a faculty position at one of the nation's top schools of public health?

For University of Michigan School of Public Health Professor Jennifer Garner, the answer is something she calls "strategic stubbornness" — a quality she learned not in a classroom, but watching her parents stretch every dollar, tend a garden the size of their home, and build a house board by board over nearly a decade.

In a deeply personal new essay featured in our magazine Findings, Prof. Garner traces her journey from barefoot in a lettuce garden in Ruth, Michigan, to the halls of U-M — and reflects on why her lived experience of food insecurity is the driving force behind her research today.

📖 Read the full essay: link in the comments below.

05/27/2026

Congratulations to our outstanding faculty members whose promotions were approved last week at the University of Michigan Board of Regents meeting!

We are grateful for each of you and excited to see how your continued leadership, scholarship, and service will help build a healthier, more equitable world for all.

05/26/2026

PODCAST: University of Michigan School of Public Health Health faculty William Lopez and Paul Fleming have a candid conversation about their recently published books and what it means to communicate public health in an era of mistrust and misinformation. They explore how books can be a powerful way to share public health ideas beyond academia, offering space for storytelling, context, and connection.

They also discuss the challenges of writing for public audiences, including ethical storytelling and translating evidence into clear language. Their conversation highlights lessons for students and practitioners, and why public health communication matters now more than ever.

Listen at our link in the comment section below!

05/26/2026

Zoe Gurney is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree in global health epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her research offers important insights for HPV vaccine promotion in China and may also inform efforts to improve vaccine uptake and coverage in the United States. As a Chinese-American adoptee, the opportunity to return to China and strengthen her Mandarin language skills represents a meaningful step in reconnecting with her heritage while also deepening her cross-cultural communication skills. CEW+ is proud to support Zoe’s growth as a public health researcher and names her a Menakka and Essel Bailey Graduate Fellow.

05/25/2026

University of Michigan senior Owen Chun earned a CDC John R. Lewis Scholarship, taught himself database coding to help communities access HIV resources, and leads 80 students in public health advocacy. Chun is the president of the Star Wars Club at the university. He credits the club with helping him make connections and build community across campus.

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05/24/2026

Meet Josh Knudten, an athlete for Michigan Wrestling and first-year master's student in Hospital Molecular Epidemiology. Drawn to science before sports, he balances Division I training with graduate coursework through discipline and support. Inspired by gene therapy's life-changing impact, he's pursuing a career in biotech, drug development and public health.

Read full story at the link in comments below.

05/22/2026

Reflecting on growing up in rural Michigan, Jennifer Garner, the John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences, talks about learning "strategically applied stubbornness" from her parents and finding an unexpected path from dietetics to academia. Through mentorship and community-based research, she builds a career in food security, policy and science communication—grounded in care, curiosity and purpose.

Link in the comments below.

05/21/2026

What drives someone to pursue public health? Often, it begins with witnessing hardship—and refusing to accept it. In this issue of the University of Michigan School of Public Health Findings Magazine, meet faculty, a student-athlete and an alumna whose personal experiences shaped careers dedicated to change. From food security to sickle cell disease equity to gene therapy, t

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05/20/2026

New study from University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab featuring work from University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers Justin Heinze and Elyse Thulin on school cell phone policies in Michigan.

Nearly all districts have a cell phone policy that all of their schools must follow, but differed on when and how they restricted phones. Read more

As part of a larger CDC-funded project focused on cellphone policies and health, the University of Michigan research team led by Dr. Brian Jacob, Dr. Justin Heinze, and Dr. Elyse Thulin, collected data on existing cellphone policies in the 2025/2026 school year from publicly funded school districts....

05/19/2026

"Because va**ng is not risk-free but has a lower relative risk than smoking, it presents an increased risk for people who do not otherwise use to***co or smoke, but a decreased risk for people who smoke," explains University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers Claire Ma, Holly Jarman, and UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences' Jamie Hartmann-Boyce on The Conversation US

Flavored vapes draw new users – especially young people. On the flipside, they can also help some people quit smoking. Makary’s resignation makes it clear that the controversy isn’t going away.