Michelle Burbage

Michelle L. Burbage, Ph.D., serves as Director of the Master of Public Health Program and Director of the Global Health Concentration at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Medicine. She also co-directs the Community Engagement Core of the NIH-funded Cincinnati Center for Climate Change and Health.

Her research focuses on the social determinants of health, mental health, substance use, environmental health, and the impact of stigma and policy on health outcomes. She is passionate about strengthening global health systems and has collaborated internationally to address public health challenges.

In 2024, Burbage was named a Fulbright Specialist and led a research capacity-building initiative in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is a former Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where she contributed to policy research, initiatives, and mental health promotion. Previously, she was appointed to the Executive Office of the President’s SPEC subcommittee of the esteemed President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). This appointment allowed Burbage to collaborate with other professionals to influence the future of STEM innovation.

Her contributions have been recognized with the 2024 Early Career Award from the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section of the American Public Health Association for her health education work. She also received the Wartenberg Award from the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology for her contributions to community-based environmental science.

Burbage brings a multidisciplinary and globally engaged approach to public health, bridging research, policy, and practice to improve health outcomes worldwide.