Alumni make transformational gift to endow chair of Health Management and Policy

July 20, 2023

For alumni Nicole and Amir Rubin, the University of Michigan School of Public Health holds deep significance. It is not just where they launched their careers. It’s where they met 30 years ago on the first day of orientation.

“We owe a great deal to Michigan Public Health and the Department of Health Management and Policy,” said Amir Rubin. “We learned from the best faculty in the field, pursued research while we were students, studied with amazing classmates and benefited immensely from the Michigan alumni network.”

Now, the Rubins are giving back to the school—and the Department of Health Management and Policy specifically—with a transformational gift.

The University of Michigan Board of Regents today approved the establishment of the Rubin Department Chair of Health Management and Policy within the School of Public Health.

Made possible by a significant gift from the Rubins, the endowed department chair will be held by the individual appointed and actively serving as chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy. Funds from the endowment will be used to support efforts to build and strengthen the department by enhancing the visibility and impact of innovative faculty research, strengthening relationships between students and alumni, and supporting strategic leadership initiatives.

“I am deeply grateful to Nicole and Amir for this generous gift and for their unwavering support of our school,” said F. DuBois Bowman, dean of Michigan Public Health. “This endowment will be critical to ensuring that the Department of Health Management and Policy remains a preeminent program for training the next generation of health leaders.”

The Department of Health Management and Policy is consistently recognized among the top programs in the US and attracts students from around the world. Alumni from the department hold leadership positions in healthcare management, health policy, advocacy, government and nonprofit organizations.

“The University of Michigan School of Public Health and its Department of Health Management and Policy is our top philanthropic priority,” Nicole Rubin said. “We consider it a true privilege to be able to support the department chair to ensure a continued legacy of leadership from the Health Management and Policy Department. The pandemic showed us just how important public health is for a thriving society. The need for strong leaders in the field has never been greater.”

Amir Rubin, MHSA ‘96, MBA ‘96, is CEO of One Medical, which seeks to transform healthcare through its human-centered and technology-powered national primary care organization and is now a part of Amazon. Nicole Rubin, MHSA ‘95, is founder and principal of Impact Solutions, LLC, and has worked with Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc. as a consultant and advisor for more than a decade.

The Rubins have remained actively involved with the School of Public Health. Amir Rubin serves on the Griffith Leadership Center Advisory Board and Nicole Rubin serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board.

“We know that leadership is required to continue to improve health and health care for all,” said Amir Rubin. “And while our careers in health care have evolved in different ways, our deep appreciation for the school—as well as for all of the Michigan colleagues and others we have worked with along the way—has grown. Staying involved with Michigan Public Health through the Dean’s Advisory Board and Griffith Leadership Center has been a privilege for both of us.”

The University of Michigan Board of Regents’ approval of the endowed chair is the first step in a multistep process for establishing the endowed chair position. Over the coming months, school and department leadership will continue to work with the Board of Regents and the university to complete additional steps needed to formalize this new role.

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Contact

Andrea LaFerle

Director of Public Relations and Marketing

University of Michigan School of Public Health

alaferle@umich.edu

734-764-8094

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