Faculty Profile
Powel H. Kazanjian, MD, PhD
- Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology
- Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
- Professor Emeritus, Department of History
Powel H. Kazanjian, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine, Medical School, professor
of epidemiology, School of Public Health, and professor of history, College of Literature,
Science, and the Arts, retired from active faculty status on June 30, 2025.
Professor Kazanjian received his B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, his M.D. from Tufts University in 1979, his M.A. in the history of science from Harvard University in 2002 and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 2012. Professor Kazanjian served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an instructor from 1989 to 1993, then as an assistant professor from 1993 to 1994. He joined the University of Michigan Medical School as an assistant professor in 1994 and was promoted to associate professor in 1997 and professor in 2003. He was appointed professor in the department of epidemiology, in the School of Public Health in 2008 and professor in the department of history in 2013.
An outstanding clinician, scholar, teacher, and leader, Professor Kazanjian has made major contributions to the medical school and the university. He held a key administrative position in the Department of Internal Medicine, serving as the chief of the infectious diseases division from 2005-2024. Under his leadership, the division expanded its clinical dimensions by adding new areas of expertise (HIV, transplant, antimicrobial stewardship) and expanded its research profile by hiring NIH-funded researchers. Professor Kazanjian was an exceptional teacher and received three teaching awards from trainees at Harvard Medical School (George Thorn Award, 1992, Louis Weinstein Award, 1994) and the University of Michigan (H. Marvin Pollard Award, 1996). He is an internationally recognized medical researcher in HIV/AIDS, publishing numerous articles on the epidemiology and treatment of HIV. He broadened the scope of his research by publishing two books on the history of infectious disease, Frederick Novy and the Development of Bacteriology in Medicine (2017) and Persisting Pandemics: Syphilis, AIDS, and COVID (2024).
The Regents now salute this distinguished faculty member by naming Powel H. Kazanjian, professor emeritus of internal medicine, professor emeritus of epidemiology, and professor emeritus of history.
Professor Kazanjian received his B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, his M.D. from Tufts University in 1979, his M.A. in the history of science from Harvard University in 2002 and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 2012. Professor Kazanjian served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an instructor from 1989 to 1993, then as an assistant professor from 1993 to 1994. He joined the University of Michigan Medical School as an assistant professor in 1994 and was promoted to associate professor in 1997 and professor in 2003. He was appointed professor in the department of epidemiology, in the School of Public Health in 2008 and professor in the department of history in 2013.
An outstanding clinician, scholar, teacher, and leader, Professor Kazanjian has made major contributions to the medical school and the university. He held a key administrative position in the Department of Internal Medicine, serving as the chief of the infectious diseases division from 2005-2024. Under his leadership, the division expanded its clinical dimensions by adding new areas of expertise (HIV, transplant, antimicrobial stewardship) and expanded its research profile by hiring NIH-funded researchers. Professor Kazanjian was an exceptional teacher and received three teaching awards from trainees at Harvard Medical School (George Thorn Award, 1992, Louis Weinstein Award, 1994) and the University of Michigan (H. Marvin Pollard Award, 1996). He is an internationally recognized medical researcher in HIV/AIDS, publishing numerous articles on the epidemiology and treatment of HIV. He broadened the scope of his research by publishing two books on the history of infectious disease, Frederick Novy and the Development of Bacteriology in Medicine (2017) and Persisting Pandemics: Syphilis, AIDS, and COVID (2024).
The Regents now salute this distinguished faculty member by naming Powel H. Kazanjian, professor emeritus of internal medicine, professor emeritus of epidemiology, and professor emeritus of history.