Fifth school of public health gateway session highlights refined plans and next steps

As Wayne State University continues its work to establish a school of public health, university leaders gathered with members of the campus community on June 2 for the fifth Gateway Session, providing an opportunity to review feedback collected over several months of campus engagement and to discuss the initiative's next steps.

The session featured Senior Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. Bernard Costello, President Richard Bierschbach, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Keith Whitfield, Vice President for Research & Innovation Dr. Ezemenari M. Obasi and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs Bethany Gielczyk.

The discussion highlighted a central theme that has guided the planning: developing the proposed school of public health through broad consultation, shared governance and ongoing opportunities for community input.

President Bierschbach noted that the initiative has evolved through nearly four years of planning and discussion and emphasized the importance of continuing a thoughtful approach.

"I think this is a good strategic direction for us given our mission," Bierschbach said. "But we need to do it in a responsible, deliberative and iterative way."

Feedback leads to refinements

Throughout the planning process, faculty, staff, students, university leaders and community partners have participated through executive committee work, nine working groups, governance discussions and ongoing conversations about academic programming, research opportunities, facilities, workforce needs and community impact.

Costello said feedback from those discussions has already resulted in refinements to the proposal, including more conservative enrollment assumptions, a phased facilities approach and additional transparency around financial planning.

University leaders emphasized that the proposed school would be supported through a combination of existing budget resources and one-time strategic investments. Current projections include $1.5 million in recurring base funding already incorporated into the university budget and approximately $7 million in one-time bridge funding over three years. Based on current assumptions, the school is projected to reach break-even within seven years.

Gielczyk noted that the university is looking at utilizing existing campus space to house the school and, in the future, it could explore state support for a dedicated facility.

"We have the opportunity right now to pause on doing anything immediate regarding a new space," she said, a strategy that could reduce projected costs by approximately $2 million annually while allowing the university to grow the school in a measured way.

Opportunities for research and biostatistics

One topic that generated significant discussion throughout the planning process was the research potential of a standalone school of public health.

Obasi said a more unified structure would make Wayne State's public health expertise more visible to prospective faculty, students, funders and community partners while creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

"I think when it's packaged in a very collective and clear way, that matters," Obasi said. He added that a school focused on Detroit's unique public health challenges could strengthen partnerships with community organizations, foundations and government agencies while helping attract additional research support.

Leaders also highlighted biostatistics as a major area of opportunity.

"A big thing that we need is a biostatistical core," Obasi said. "Biostatistics is going to be so central to the school of public health."

He noted that stronger biostatistics infrastructure could support large research initiatives, enhance grant competitiveness and create new opportunities involving artificial intelligence and data analytics.

Whitfield echoed that view, noting growing interest from experts at Henry Ford Health and other partner organizations who are eager to contribute to teaching and research efforts in biostatistics and related fields.

Faculty choice

Another recurring topic during the Gateway Sessions has been how faculty participation would work if the school were approved. Costello emphasized that joining the new school would be voluntary and aligned with existing collective bargaining agreements.

"Participation in the school is entirely voluntary," Costello said.

Faculty members who choose to participate would retain their rank and compensation.

Whitfield described the opportunity as a chance for faculty from multiple disciplines to help build something new and collaborative from the ground up.

"When you think of public health, it is not some unitary, singular sort of discipline. It has people from lots of different disciplines," Whitfield said.

He said the school could bring together expertise from medicine, psychology, education, sociology, community health and other fields in ways that spark new partnerships and ideas.

It was also noted that Wayne State already has a substantial foundation of public health faculty and programs, meaning the school would build upon existing strengths rather than starting from scratch.

Looking ahead

While significant planning work has already been completed, university leaders emphasized that the process will continue through established shared governance, accreditation and approval pathways.

Costello said finalists in the search for the school's founding dean have completed campus visits and feedback has been collected through candidate forums and surveys. The search has now entered the reference-checking and evaluation phase.

Dr. Michael Busuito, a plastic surgeon and member of the Board of Governors, attended the session and told attendees he is supportive of the initiative.

"I just think it's the right thing to do organically. Just if you look at what's happening in our city, in our state, I just don't see a downside," he said.