Faculty take new roles in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. program

Dr. Kieran Fogarty

With the retirement of Nicki Nelson, two positions opened up in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. program faculty. Dr. Kieran Fogarty, founding faculty member of the program, has been named the new director of the program. In addition, Dr. Linda Shuster, most recently the interim chair of the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Services, joins the Ph.D. program faculty starting this fall.

Kieran Fogarty began his career at WMU in 2002. Prior to coming to WMU, he was an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He looks forward to expanding the national reputation of the Ph.D. program.

“We just accepted our largest cohort ever for fall 2016, which is really exciting. We hope to continue to partner with other departments across the college and university,” said Dr. Fogarty. “And we look forward to more collaboration with outside agencies to provide our doc students with educational opportunities while opening new pathways for financial support to the program and to the college.”

Dr. Linda Shuster

Before coming to WMU last September, Linda Shuster was a professor at Grand Valley State University and West Virginia University. She earned her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Michigan before earning her Ph.D. at The Ohio State University.

"I have always wanted to work with Ph.D. students,” said Dr. Shuster. “And I am excited to have the opportunity to mentor students who come from other disciplines, as well as from my own.”

Congratulations to Dr. Fogarty and Dr. Shuster!