Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has appointed a Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty member to the state’s Public Health Advisory Council.

Herbert Smitherman Jr., M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Internal Medicine, succeeds Kathleen Forzley for a term that began Feb. 18 and runs through Nov. 1, 2025,

The Public Health Advisory Council was created within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services at the recommendation of the Public Health Advisory Commission. The council will develop an action plan for implementing the recommendations of the commission and is tasked with providing advice about emerging issues in public health, monitoring the effectiveness of Michigan’s public health response system, and reviewing multiagency efforts to support collaboration and a unified approach on public health responses.