Kelley Kidwell to serve as interim associate dean for faculty affairs
Kelley Kidwell, an internationally recognized biostatistician, will serve as interim associate dean for faculty affairs at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. This interim position, effective July 1, 2025, backfills the associate dean role vacated when Lynda Lisabeth became interim dean of the school in June.
“Dr. Kidwell brings a wealth of experience in research, teaching and administration that will position her for success in this role,” said Lisabeth. “I am grateful to Dr. Kidwell for her willingness to step into this role during this period of transition for the school. I look forward to working with her more closely over the next year.”
In this role, Kidwell will lead the Faculty Affairs team and partner with Dean Lisabeth to set strategic priorities and goals for the school. Kidwell will oversee the administration of all central School of Public Health faculty programs and serve as the lead for faculty HR matters.
“I’m honored and excited to step into the role of interim associate dean for faculty affairs at the School of Public Health,” Kidwell said. “Having navigated both research and tenure-track pathways, I deeply value the talent, dedication, and impact of my colleagues across the school. I look forward to working with Dean Lisabeth and the leadership team during this challenging time to ensure faculty feel heard, supported, and empowered to thrive in their work.”
Since joining Michigan Public Health in 2012 as a research assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics, Kidwell has been promoted to associate research professor, associate professor with tenure, and full professor. She has served as the associate chair for academic affairs for the Department of Biostatistics since 2021, playing a key leadership role in supporting faculty, students, and academic programs.
Kidwell’s research bridges methodological innovation and public health relevance, with a sustained focus on patient-centered, equitable, and adaptive interventions. Her work has been internationally recognized for advancing innovative clinical trial designs, with particular expertise in sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trials (SMARTs). Her SMART designs are widely implemented in collaborative research funded by the National Institutes of Health, addressing a broad spectrum of public health issues, including adolescent risk behaviors, insomnia, chronic pain, suicide prevention, and substance use disorders. She has authored over 160 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals.
Kidwell is deeply committed to mentoring and teaching students at all levels of training. She serves as a principal investigator on two NIH T32 training grants and has developed numerous graduate and undergraduate courses, particularly those aimed at enhancing biostatistical literacy among non-specialists.
Kidwell has served the university in a variety of roles, including leadership on the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR) cabinet and grant review panels for the Rogel Cancer Center. Nationally, she has served as a member of the Clinical Trials Advisory Panel for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, on the Board of Directors for the Society of Clinical Trials, and is a standing study section member for the NIH. She is also an active contributor to national conferences and serves on editorial boards for leading journals in her field.
Kidwell earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Bucknell University in 2007 and her PhD in biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012.