Mountain West HERC

Working/Functional Title

1855 Associate/Full Professor

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.

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.

The current opportunity. Led by Founding Department Chair Jennifer Johnson, PhD, we seek to attract and generously support new research colleagues who are committed to conducting the high caliber, high impact, and deeply community-partnered research that has come to characterize the department. To maximize the real-world impact of our findings, the Department is currently working to: (1) expand our strength in implementation and dissemination science; (2) continue innovation in sharing departmental governance with the Flint community; and (3) leverage a dedicated Departmental health policy advocate to move findings into policy.

We seek an exceptional mid?to?advanced career investigator with innovative, community-partnered research portfolios focused on improving health equity in underserved communities to join our energetic, mission-driven Department. Public health issues of high importance originally identified by the Flint community included equity in social determinants of health (violence, safety, the built environment, education, employment), behavioral health (i.e., mental health and substance use), healthy behaviors (including screening/prevention), and chronic disease. Recent events have also highlighted maternal-child health and environmental justice. Primary research methodologies are action-oriented: research to change health policy, implementation science (including sustainment), dissemination and communication, and intervention and services research. The Department also includes three health geographers whose work focuses on identifying and eliminating the effects of racism on the built environment. Community members are ready to work alongside researchers to improve conditions here, nationally, and globally.

This is a tenured, full-time research, medical school faculty position through which we can largely or fully guarantee salary coverage for researchers who are willing to move their substantial research portfolios to MSU. There are no classroom teaching responsibilities but numerous opportunities for research mentorship if desired. Leadership opportunities in implementation science, in developing a health equity focused postdoctoral T32 training program, and in other areas are available. Because the Department is young, many things are possible.

Salaries are very competitive, and the cost of living is low. Michigan offers a good quality of life, with many outdoor activities, more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline (the longest freshwater coastline in the world), and a rich cultural heritage and diversity which includes Motown, Indigenous peoples, and the most Arab Americans of any U.S. state. Michigan has a rich history in the automobile industry and a thriving arts scene.

 To apply, please visit https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/job/520521/associatefull-professor-tenure-system. 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 Amber Pearson, PhD, Search Committee Chair, (pearsona@msu.edu). Learn more about the Department at publichealth.msu.edu.

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 -Degree in 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

1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. 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 Amber Pearson, PhD, Search Committee Chair, (apearson@msu.edu). Learn more about the Department at publichealth.msu.edu. 

Review of Applications Begins On

08/19/2025

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/

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.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

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