Flint Research Team

Charles Stewart Mott
Department of Public Health College of Human Medicine

Standing For Health Justice

Determined to improve the health and well-being of the community, Spartans in Public Health are leaders who mobilize change. We create community-engaged partnerships with purpose. We translate and disseminate knowledge into evidence-based practice and policy reform.

Together, we stand for something greater. We stand for a world where your zip code does not determine your health outcomes.

Spartans in Public Health are at the forefront of the health equity revolution. Researchers are addressing the social determinants of health alongside the community. We work in the areas of drug and alcohol dependence, depression, suicide risk reduction, racial disparities in mental health, improving the health of adult black men, colorectal cancer awareness, toxic stress in children, protecting the health of Flint children exposed to lead, building strong communities through resilience, nutrition and healthy eating behaviors, healthy aging, food systems planning, and more.

Will you join them in shaping a healthier tomorrow?
If you have an interest in working on a highly successful and rapidly growing multidisciplinary team, we invite you to learn more about our culture, our world-class researchers, and open positions.

Olivia Aspiras, PhD

Academic Research Specialist

Dr. Aspiras is an experimental psychologist with training in social and health psychology. She earned her PhD in experimental psychology at the Univer...

Crystal L. Cederna, Psy.D.

Associate Professor

Dr. Crystal L. Cederna joined the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health in the fall of 2023. Her motivation? In Dr. Cederna’s words: “After...

John M. Clements, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. John Clements, PhD, is an associate professor whose research focuses on health outcomes and disparities among individuals with diabetes and multip...

Constance A. Currier, DrPH, MPH

MPH Associate Director, Associate Professor

Dr. Connie Currier coordinates international practicum experiences for Master of Public Health students and co-leads a study abroad program in Ghana. ...

Kenyetta Dotson, DMIN, MSW

Community Outreach Specialist

Dr. Kenyetta Dotson, DMIN, MSW, is the director of community-based implementation and engagement at the Michigan State University Charles Stewart Mott...

Eric D. Finegood, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Finegood is a developmental scientist whose research investigates how early life experience and psychological stress influence health and human de...

Jennifer E. Johnson, PhD

Jennifer E. Johnson, PhD

Chair, Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health
C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health
University Distinguished Professor
Professor of OBGYN
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

"The universe in me calls out to the universe in you - We are one," E. Hill De Loney,Flint Community Partner, pictured on the right. Dr. Jennife...

Samantha Gailey, PhD

Assistant Professor

Samantha Gailey is an 1855 Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Equity in the Department of Forestry and Charles Stewart Mott Department of Pub...

Maji Hailemariam Debena, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Hailemariam is a Mental Health Epidemiologist, a researcher and advocate for equitable mental health care globally. Her research interests include...

Mona Hanna, MD, MPH, FAAP

Mona Hanna, MD, MPH, FAAP

Dr. Mona Hanna (commonly known as Dr. Mona and formerly known as Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha) is the associate dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowe...

Darline K. El Reda, DrPH, MPH

Master of Public Health Director, Associate Chair of Education, Assistant Professor

Dr. El Reda is an applied public health practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience working in both the public (i.e., city, county, state health d...

Vivienne M. Hazzard, PhD, MPH, RD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Vivienne Hazzard (she/her) is a registered dietitian and public health researcher passionate about improving young people’s relationships with foo...

Nicole Jones, PhD, MS

Assistant Professor Nicole Jones, PhD, MS, is a perinatal epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience on research teams and projects related to m...

Natalie Kasiborski, PhD, LMSW, MPH

Assistant Professor Natalie Kasiborski is a dedicated public health consultant and assistant professor. She has over 15 years of experience work...

Kent Key, PhD, MPH

Associate Chair for Community-Partnered Departmental AdministrationAssociate Professor Dr. Kent Key is a Health Disparities Researcher. In 2020, he a...

Carolyn Lauckner, PhD

Associate Professor Dr. Carolyn Lauckner, an Associate Professor in the C.S. Mott Department of Public Health, conducts research centered on the deve...

Todd Lucas, PhD

ProfessorC.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health Dr. Lucas is a social and health psychologist whose research considers psychosocial causes of r...

Jonné McCoy White, DrPH, MPA

Academic Specialist-Research Dr. McCoy White is an academic research specialist coordinating community-partnered anti-racism interventions. She suppo...

Ted R Miller

Ted R. Miller, PhD

Dr. Ted R. Miller is a distinguished expert in public health with over 55 years of experience in health and safety economics, epidemiology, planning, ...

Steven Ondersma, PhD

Associate Chair for ResearchC.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health Steve Ondersma, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor at Michigan S...

Amber L. Pearson, PhD, MPH

Dr. Pearson is a Professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan State University and an Adjunct Fellow in the Departmen...

Brittany N. Rudd, PhD

Assistant Professor Dr. Brittany Rudd is an Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Charles Steward Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan ...

Dick Sadler, PhD, MPH

C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health I am a Flint native and urban geographer with expertise in environmental science, GIS, food systems plan...

Amy Saxe-Custack, PhD, MPH, RDN

Associate Professor with Tenure Dr. Saxe-Custack is a Registered Dietitian and Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrit...

Robey B. Shah, PhD, MS, MPH

Associate Professor Dr. Robey B. Shah (Champine) is an associate professor in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program and the Department of Family...

Gayle Shipp, PhD, RDN, CLS

Assistant Professor Dr. Gayle Shipp completed her BS and MS in nutritional science at Michigan State University and Wayne State University, respecti...

Heatherlun Uphold, PhD

Assistant Professor Heatherlun Uphold, PhD, translates research into practice by utilizing community-engaged dissemination and implementation science...

Robert Wahl, DVM, MS

Assistant Professor Dr. Robert “Bob” Wahl is an environmental epidemiologist with research interests focusing on asthma surveillance, air pollutants...

Yasi Zamani-Hank, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor Yasi Zamani-Hank, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Cha...