News Release

Dean Noreen Clark announces new administrative appointments at Michigan SPH.

September 27, 2004 press release from the University of Michigan School of Public Health

University of Michigan School of Public Health Dean Noreen Clark has announced recent changes in the dean's office:

Richard Lichtenstein has been appointed associate dean for academic affairs.
Matthew Boulton has been appointed to a newly created position: associate dean for practice. He will also serve as director of the school's center for bioterrorism preparedness and the UM Bioterrorism Preparedness Initiative.
Mike Kalasinski has been appointed assistant dean for finance.

In the paragraphs below, please find descriptions of these administrators and their professional experience.

Richard Lichtenstein received a BS from Cornell University in 1968. He received a Master of Public Health in 1970 and a PhD in Medical Care Organization in 1981, both from the University of Michigan. He joined the School of Public Health faculty in 1981 as assistant professor of medical care organization and was promoted to associate professor in 1987.

Professor Lichtenstein has played a central role in research, teaching and service especially related to community-based public health. He is co-principal investigator of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center, a CDC-funded project conducting community-based participatory research in Detroit. He is working with the Neighborhood Service Organization on the Eastside Community Health Insurance Program for Children, a project whose goal is to enroll uninsured low-income children in Medicaid or in the state's new MIChild Program. He also works with the CHASS Health Center in Southwest Detroit to provide advocacy services to Hispanic patients enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care Plans.

Dr. Lichtenstein was also the founder of the Summer Enrichment Program that enables a diverse group of college students to learn about public health and explore career options. It has been recognized as one of the finest programs of its type in the country. In 1998, Professor Lichtenstein was awarded the University of Michigan's Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award for his efforts in teaching and mentoring students.

Matthew Boulton served from 1990-1995 as public health physician and clinical program director for reproductive health in the Wayne County Health Department. From 1995-1996, he served as medical director for the Livingston & Jackson County Health Departments, and from 1997-98 as regional medical director for the Washtenaw, Livingston, & Jackson County Health Departments. Dr. Boulton is currently the chief medical executive and state epidemiologist for the Michigan Department of Community Health. He joined the public health faculty in 1995 as an adjunct associate professor and was appointed clinical associate professor of epidemiology in 2000.

Dr. Boulton's particular strength is integrating teaching and research with practice. He is a superlative teacher whose courses are among the most popular and successful in the school. He was the recipient of the SPH Excellence in Teaching Award in 2002.

Dr. Boulton is engaged in an active program of applied epidemiological research and grant writing. He has worked to build an active program of applied research and publication at the state and the Bureau of Epidemiology and has built important bridges between the school and the Michigan Department of Community Health. Dr. Boulton has been at the center of state and national efforts to assess and build the public health workforce. He has worked extensively with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the CDC on epidemiology workforce issues including competency development and establishing a national epidemiology leadership institute.

Since 1999, Dr. Boulton has been involved in guiding the development of preparedness infrastucture in Michigan. He established the state's regional epidemiologist system, providing epidemiological support to all local health departments, and the Michigan Emergency Response and Investigative Teams (MERIT) that now form the foundation for the state's smallpox, pandemic influenza, and other catastrophic health event response capacity. He led the effort to develop an all hazards response plan for the state that integrates communicable disease, chemical, radiological, and incendiary event detection and response. He has assisted in the development of the University of Michigan Bioterrorism Initiative and the SPH Michigan Public Health Preparedness, both of which he will now direct.

Mike Kalasinski earned his BBA degree from the University of Michigan, Dearborn in 1983. Since 1976, he has held various positions within the university. He joined the School of Public Health in 1995 as assistant to the dean. Mr. Kalasinski's administrative responsibilities have grown steadily over the years, and his orientation in managing financial affairs is accomplishment of the school's academic goals. Mr. Kalasinski works with the Association of Schools of Public Health on matters of administration and management, budgetary policy, practice and procedure.

Contact: Terri Mellow, director of communications
Phone: (734) 764-8094
E-mail: twm@umich.edu