It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth Lyons as Associate Director for MSU-CHM’s Leadership in Rural Medicine Certificate Program. Dr. Lyons earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership in 2020, her Master of Arts in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education in 2008, and her Bachelor of Science in Family Community Services with an emphasis on Youth in 2006, all from Michigan State University.
Dr. Lyons has worked with MSU Admissions since 2006. She began her career in undergraduate admissions before joining the MSU College of Human Medicine Admissions team in 2010. Over the past 12 years with Admissions, she Implemented the Second Look Day program, Established the Early Assurance Opportunity for MSU undergrads, and coordinated the Mission SMART initiative with Xavier University of Louisiana. For the past several years Liz has served as the Director of Minority Recruitment for the College of Human Medicine, and in that role, she led recruitment efforts that resulted in the most diverse group of students in the college’s history.
Dr. Lyons is co-founder of the Great Lakes Native American Applicant Workshop, a multi-school initiative that provides mentorship and guidance for Native American premedical students from a six-state region. She has served as an advisor to the Latin American and Native American Medical Association (LANAMA) for over a decade and is a co-director of MSU’s Shared Experiences in Medicine and the Arts and Humanities (SEMAH), a pre-college support program for Native American and LatinX high schoolers.
Dr. Lyons is the course director for the CHM Intersession “The Impact of my Story: Discovering how your Journey Impacts your Practice” and co-leads the elective “Racism and Disparities in Healthcare”. She has taught with the ABLE program and has helped LANAMA students create a new CHM elective in Medical Spanish. Her research centers on diversity in medical education and she has presented at many workshops and conferences throughout the country.
Dr. Lyons and her husband Don have two children, Sofia and Niwiin. She enjoys traveling, camping, gardening, being a sports mom and attending powwows to watch her kids dance. We are so excited that Dr. Lyons is joining the Rural Medicine team and look forward to her leadership and mentorship. Please join me in welcoming her!
Andrea Wendling, MD (she/her/hers)
Interim Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Associate Dean for Community Academic Programs
Director of Rural Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
