National appointment for Wayne State University vice president for research & innovation

DETROIT - Dr. Ezemenari M. Obasi, vice president for research & innovation and professor of family medicine and public health sciences at Wayne State University, has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a part of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services. The appointment is for four years, ending in February 2030.

The purpose of the council is to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the director of NIMHD on matters related to the activities carried out by and through NIMHD and the policies respecting these activities. In addition, the council may review and recommend approval of applications for grants and cooperative agreements for research and training projects which show great promise.

"Dr. Obasi's appointment to the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities is a tremendous recognition of both his leadership and expertise," said Richard A. Bierschbach, president of Wayne State University. "This appointment reflects the important role that Wayne State University plays in addressing society's most pressing health challenges that affect communities across our nation. We are proud to see Dr. Obasi bring the university's commitment to research and innovation to this important national forum."

Obasi joined Wayne State University in 2024. Under his leadership, in 2025 the university launched its research Grand Challenges initiative to tackle four of the world's most pressing challenges - driving life-long health; powering innovation with AI; revolutionizing mobility; and fostering sustainable environments - as a framework for action.

Prior to his vice president appointment at Wayne State, he served as the associate vice president for research administration at the University of Houston. There, he was the founder and director of the HEALTH (Helping Everyone Achieve a Lifetime of Health) Research Institute, one of their top-ranked institutes that established the NIMHD funded U54-RCMI Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention that made profound strides in leading initiatives that reduced health disparities in Houston and beyond, especially within Black and Latino/a communities.

"It is an honor to be asked to be a member of the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities," said Obasi. "During my career, the NIH has given me great support in my research endeavors, and I am pleased to work with committee members to make important recommendations to help NIMHD achieve its important mission and strategic plans that aims to improve the health of those who experience health disparities - something near to my heart."

Obasi's research has attracted more than $35 million in grants, including $19 million as principal investigator, and focuses on the neurobiology of stress, alcohol and drug abuse, health disparities that disproportionately affect the African American community, and cultural predictors of health behaviors.

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Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu .