A pediatrician whose medical school included two years in Flint is returning for the next step in her career as an Alice Hamilton Scholar and Hurley faculty member in August 2025.
Rachel Hollander MD, a Detroit native, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, then graduated from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. For the final two years of her medical school, she was assigned to the MSU CHM Flint Campus, where she was inspired by the public health initiatives launched in Flint.
“I’m very excited to return to Flint as a pediatrician and Alice Hamilton Scholar,” she told MSU’s Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health. “I’m most excited to be able to directly interact with kids and families by combining my role as a pediatrician and being able to further my education and ability to impact the same kids and families through various public health endeavors.”
Following med school, Hollander graduated from her pediatric residency program at Children’s National in Washington DC, where she completed a special educational track: Leadership in Advocacy, Under-resourced Communities, and Health Equity (LAUnCH), which exposed her to advocacy in the U.S. capitol as well as cutting-edge pediatric clinical care.
As the third-ever Alice Hamilton scholar, Hollander will be working as a pediatrician with resident physicians and medical students in the Hurley Children’s Center at the Flint Farmers’ Market, as well as working on public health projects. And she will be working toward a master’s degree in public health at the same time, via MSU’s online Master of Public Health degree, Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The two-year Hamilton Scholar position was named after Alice Hamilton, an American physician, researcher and author who made great strides in social justice and is considered the mother of the field of occupational health. Alice Hamilton scholars complete public-health training, mentored research, and clinical care within the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative.
Hollander appears to be a good fit for the program.
“Public health is health,” she said. “There is no way to separate health outcomes from the intricate web of social structures, racial inequities, poverty, environmental injustice, amongst countless other variables that affect health.”
She added: “We are in a time where our most scientifically backed research and public health programming are being eliminated, which has incredibly scary impacts on future health outcomes. As a pediatrician, it would be irresponsible to separate my day-to-day clinic life from the overarching systems, policies, and societal structures that impact my patients.
With excerpts from the "News" section of Michigan State University's Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, College of Human Medicine.
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