Leadership

Paul Fleming, PhD

Principal Investigator

Paul Fleming is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Education and the Faculty Lead for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the UM School of Public Health. He focuses his work on the root causes of racial health inequities and strategies to address them. He conducts community-based participatory research focused on the health needs of Latinx immigrants in Michigan and examines how to best integrate anti-racist principles into public health training and practice. He also is a member of Public Health Awakened and contributes to community organizing efforts to promote health through social change. Dr. Fleming received his PhD from University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health and his MPH from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. 

Sela Panapasa, PhD

Co-Investigator

Sela Panapasa, PhD is currently a faculty research scientist in the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. Her research interests include research on family support and intergenerational exchanges, population dynamics across the lifecourse, racial/ethnic disparities and population-based survey research on Pacific Peoples. She conducts both quantitative and qualitative research designs and completed the first representative study on Pacific Islander American health and healthcare utilization in 2012.

SAdé Richardson, MPH, LMSW-Macro

Program Director

Sadé Richardson (she/her) is the Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Public Health Practice at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She enjoys using an interdisciplinary, collective impact approach to enter and work alongside communities. In her role, she helps prepare the next generation of the public health workforce by coordinating experiential learning opportunities for students, and managing both the Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) and the Future Public Health Leaders Program (FPHLP). She also works on developing and maintaining relationships with community stakeholders both domestically and internationally to support the Public Health in Action Courses. Her interests include well-being initiatives; health equity; strategic planning; evidence-based implementation; sustainable program development; and organizational change. During her early career experience at Wolverine Wellness, Sadé created Self-Love for Activists, a toolkit that uses evidence-based practices to bolster resilience and belonging. This toolkit is widely used in wellness coaching, the Wellness Course, and throughout U-M Student Life. Sadé holds both an MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education (’18), and an MSW in Management of Human Services (’18) from the University of Michigan and is also currently pursuing a Doctorate in Social Work at the University of Louisville.

Hallie williams, ba

Program Coordinator

Hallie Williams, BA, is the Program Coorindator. She attended Concordia University in Ann Arbor for her Bachelor’s Degree. Hallie looks forward to working with students in the upcoming FPHLP cohort and learning more about Public Health. 

Mariya Bahrenburg, BA

Program Assistant

Mariya Bahrenburg, BA, (she/they) is the Program Assistant for Michigan FPHLP. Mariya attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and obtained bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Education. Prior to coming to Ann Arbor, Mariya worked at Arizona State University and helped leverage university resources for community-led initiatives. Mariya is also currently a student working towards a Master of Public Health in Population and Health Sciences at the University of Michigan. 

Chris Knaub, MS

Data Coordinator

Chris Knaub, MS, received his Master of Science in Global Health Degree from the University of Notre Dame and worked as a Global Health Research Associate at the University of Notre Dame since graduating in 2017.