Alumna ‘focuses on entire person’ as part of patient care at Movember

Kellie Paich, MPH ’14

Health Behavior and Health Education

May 7, 2024

Kellie Paich, MPH ’14, is well-versed in prostate cancer treatments and the disease’s prevalence, with more than 200,000 annual diagnoses in the United States. 

Recognizing prostate cancer as a leading cancer killer in men, she highlights outcome disparities linked to race, social health determinants and genetics. 

Paich earned a Master of Public Health degree in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She emphasizes the need for a sensitive initial patient approach, advising against bombarding newly diagnosed men with information—and, instead, starting with mindful listening to manage the shock and stigma associated with their cancer diagnosis.

Paich is an independent implementation consultant to the Movember Foundation, the world’s largest charity focused on men’s health, and other global health organizations, after serving over seven years as the global director of Clinical Quality and Survivorship at Movember. She feels it is more important to first make sure the patient’s needs, priorities and experiences are heard and understood as part of the care they receive.

“I learned early in my career that there is a lot of stereotype and stigma involved when talking to men about health, and specifically prostate cancer,” she said. “This is a tough job and I acknowledge that open conversations about this disease are sometimes difficult to start, but if you can make sure men know that their identity and what matters to them is important, the conversation is often embraced. The process and journey can be one of shared decision-making, supporting both men and their families, and ultimately one of hope.”

Her work at Movember focuses on program design, evaluation and implementation, with a focus on  improved quality of life and more equitable health outcomes. 

Paich directs programs in partnership with experts, community organizations, industry, researchers, clinicians, and, most importantly, patients and their loved ones.

“With prostate cancer, this isn’t just about the treatment of the physical disease because there are also mental health and social elements at work,” said Paich, who grew up in Milan, just a short drive from the Ann Arbor campus.

“For those diagnosed, the treatment of prostate cancer involves serious concerns about the side effects that accompany treatment—the physical, mental and sexual side effects—plus the social dimensions. I can’t think of a more intimate combination. This can make the care and support needs of men even more complex. It’s why it’s important to deliver care that goes beyond treating the specific cancer and focuses on the entire person and what matters to them.”

Paich, who received a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in 2008, has more than 16 years of experience working in the field of oncology and in sexual health. She has worked with the state-based prostate cancer clinical quality improvement collaborative, clinical research and regulatory management at Michigan Medicine’s Department of Urology.

With Movember, her work has included driving scalable clinical quality improvement initiatives, the development of international guidelines for sexual health care in prostate cancer and delivering personalized cancer care programs through digital health resources.

While completing her post-graduate degree, she also earned a certificate in Sexual Health Counseling and Education from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She said healthcare essentially found her before she took up formal studies in the field.

“I’m from a large and very close-knit family, where I saw a lot of care and support from the time that I was young,” she said. “When my mom was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, she encouraged and inspired me to continue pursuing work in oncology and my master’s degree in public health.”

Paich started as an engineering student at Michigan, but the formal gravitation toward public health came early.

“Once I was on campus, this fantastic breadth of opportunities just opened up for me to explore,” she said. “You saw excellence everywhere when you looked around,” she said, adding that a medical anthropology class was the catalyst to her ultimate career path.

“That was my lightbulb moment, because I saw and appreciated the intersection of culture, identity, community and medicine that put me on a natural path towards public health.”

Paich cited many skilled mentors from Michigan Public Health that assisted her along her educational and professional journey,

“At every turn, I felt like I had the best people around me, supporting, challenging, and mentoring me,” said Paich, who as an undergraduate student worked in admissions at the Medical School, took part in research projects and was active in student government.

She recalls her positive transition to pursuing her master’s degree in 2011 while working full-time at Michigan Medicine.

“I was encouraged to be ambitious and the support I received from the faculty and staff was tremendous,” Paich said. “I started the master’s program when my son was 4 months old, so this wasn’t going to be a routine route where I would finish in two years, but I had the support I needed to stagger the parenting, my work and my studies.”

Paich is quick to admit that she is drawn to specialties fraught with challenges but remains confident she can continue to collaborate and lead in a way that focuses on solving complex problems in healthcare, putting patients at the heart of what defines great care as well as improving the lives of those with prostate cancer and beyond.

“As a young woman engaging health care providers in discussions about their care delivery or patients with prostate cancer in discussions around their health, that might seem daunting,” she said. “But I’ve found that if you approach this in an open way, with humility, people know you really care about them and are making a difference.” 

“I’m so grateful for the foundation I received at Michigan—with my education and professional experiences—that has allowed me to contribute to this vital field of healthcare on a national and international level.”

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