Department Seminar SERIES

The Department sponsors a biweekly seminar series during the academic year on topics of epidemiologic and biostatistical interests. Speakers include Michigan State University faculty, Michigan Department of Community Health public health professionals or invited guests from around the nation or, occasionally, overseas.

The seminar is open to all members of the MSU and public health community, and unless otherwise noted, takes place in person, Zoom (or both) at 3:00 p.m. Most seminars are recorded and available for viewing.

• The Patenge Room, C102, is located in the C wing of East Fee Hall. 
• Zoom seminars links will be provided when necessary

Miss a Seminar or would like to revisit one?

Most seminars are recorded and available for viewing by clicking on the SEMINAR ARCHIVES link located on the upper right side of this page.

SEMINAR SERIES FALL SEMESTER 2026

This talk will have three components:

First, I’ll discuss the pressing need to plan for the next pandemic. I’ll describe the components of pandemic planning and the need to incorporate in planning all relevant stakeholders.

Second, I’ll emphasize how we must learn from experiences in past pandemics, reviewing in particular the mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they point to gaps in pandemic planning.

Finally, I’ll discuss the important role of academic medicine in pandemics, including especially the need to evaluate interventions promptly and effectively.

Dr. Laura Drew is a postdoctoral scholar in the Margerison Research Group in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on the intersection of human rights, including policies that impact these rights, and reproductive, maternal, and child health outcomes. She will present the trajectory of her research portfolio, including her dissertation work examining the association between female genital cutting (FGC) and time-to-pregnancy among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. She will also present more recent work with the Margerison Research group, describing pregnancy-associated drug overdose mortality in the United States from 2018-2023 and assessing the impact of paid family leave policies on adherence to infant safe sleep practices.

Reproductive health in the United States is increasingly shaped by a rapidly changing policy environment. The Dobbs decision and the wave of abortion bans that followed have dramatically reshaped an existing patchwork of reproductive policies across states, with consequences that extend beyond abortion access itself. In this talk, I will draw on recent research examining how these policies are affecting maternal and infant health. I will also consider the broader role of policy context in shaping reproductive health, including evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic on how state policy environments may have heightened or buffered vulnerability to maternal health risks during a major population health shock. This work raises broader questions about the role of policy in shaping reproductive lives—questions that are becoming increasingly important as falling birth rates generate new interest in policies intended to influence childbearing. Understanding these policy contexts, and who benefits or is harmed by them, is central to advancing reproductive health and equity.

Suicide is a major public health concern. More than 83% of individuals make healthcare visits before suicide. Healthcare settings provide an important opportunity for prevention. Major advances in suicide prevention research have made evidence-based care possible. This presentation highlights a line of suicide prevention research and how it has translated to care improvements in the United States and around the world.