University of Michigan Medical School

Dr. Erica Levitt, the Dr. Emily Jutkiewicz Pfizer Upjohn Research Professor in Translational Pharmacology, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, has been elected by faculty to serve as Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Pharmacology.

Dr. Levitt’s appointment will begin on September 1, 2026. She will replace Dr. Alan Smrcka who has served in this position since 2023. We are grateful for Dr. Smrcka’s leadership and thrilled for Dr. Levitt as she steps into this new leadership role. Congratulations, Erica!

Every summer, U-M Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) fellows come together for their Scientific Retreat, one of the few times each year that the entire program is in the same place.

This year’s retreat brought research presentations, conversations with leaders in science and medicine, and plenty of time for fellows and faculty to connect.

Welcome to the newest cohort of MSTP fellows!

A group of Michigan medical students recently traveled to China to see another health care system up close.

As part of the U.S.-China Youth Health Dialogue, 12 third-year students visited hospitals and medical institutions in Shanghai, Changsha and Beijing, meeting with local students and learning how care is delivered at extraordinary scale.

For third-year student Danielle DuPuis, the experience offered a new perspective on what it takes to build a health care system around the needs of a large population.

“The patient volume was unlike anything I'd seen in a U.S. setting, but what struck me wasn't the scale — it was how deliberately the system managed it,” said DuPuis. “It was genuinely impressive, and it prompted a question I hadn't seriously considered before: what does it look like to build a healthcare system from the start around the assumption that it will need to serve a lot of people?”

Click on the link to read more about their experience: https://michmed.org/PPnQA

“Sometimes I feel like the best ways to disrupt the system-level issues that we're constantly running into in healthcare is just being with our patients.”

On UMich Med Mosaic, hear from three medical students whose experiences with community clinical work, street medicine and global health have shaped how they think about medical training and roles as future physicians.

Listen to the episode at the link: https://michmed.org/jjWDA

Before starting medical school, all incoming students are invited to participate in an annual tradition: CAMP. Led by current students, this three- or five-day camping trip gives incoming M1s a chance to connect with future classmates and explore the beauty of Michigan before the first day of class.

Lori J. Pierce, M.D., was recognized with one of the University of Michigan's most prestigious honors: the Distinguished University Professorship.

Pierce is a professor of radiation oncology in the Medical School and adjunct professor in the School of Nursing. A renowned radiation oncologist, clinician-scientist and educator, her work has helped establish standards of care for early-stage breast cancer and advanced the safe, effective use of radiotherapy. Each professorship bears a name determined by the appointed professor in consultation with their dean. Pierce is the Allen S. Lichter Distinguished University Professor of Radiation Oncology.

Congrats, Dr. Pierce!

First-year medical students had the opportunity to learn from the experts behind Michigan Medicine's Survival Flight team.

Survival Flight provides rapid, safe transport for critically ill and injured patients across Michigan and beyond. Thank you to the team for giving our students a firsthand look at emergency transport medicine and for sharing your expertise with the next generation of physicians!

"At the end of the day, I’m still just a student who came to learn."

Michigan medical student Rahim Karimi recently completed a clinical experience in western Uganda, where he found that his U.S. training sometimes led others to assume a level of expertise he had not yet earned.

Read more about how Rahim processed the feelings of discomfort and navigated his education in a new place: https://michmed.org/DAnAn

As a new academic year begins, we're looking ahead with the people who will help shape its future.

In the latest episode of Michigan Medicine Presents, MD student Cassie Evans and PhD student Sam Collie sit down with Dean Tommy Wang, M.D., to offer perspective and advice to current and future students.

Click on the link to listen to the podcast: https://michmed.org/GYqQV