Dr. Renée Branch Canady serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MPHI, a public health institute comprised of process and subject matter experts with a shared vision of a just world that is healthier for all. Dr. Canady is author of the highly acclaimed book, "Room at the Table: A Leader's Guide to Advancing Health Equity and Justice." In this well-received book, Canady elevates the leadership oppurtunity to leverage difference and justice as assets, pushing leaders to become change agents within health/public health and other fields.Prior to joining MPHI, Dr. Canady served as Health Officer and Director of the Ingham County Health Department, located in Lansing, Michigan. In that role she oversaw the county's statutory responssibility to protect and promote the health of county residents and lead the development of innovative and nationally known public health interventions.
Dr. Canady has held faculty and administrative positions at Michigan State University in the College of Nursing where she developed a research trajectory in maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. Previously an assistant professor in the C.S. Mott Department of Public Health, and now in an adjunct appointment, Dr. Canady developed and chaired core courses in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program.
Dr. Canady is recognized as a national thought leader and sought after speaker. She is a passionate and relationship driven leader who battles forces that damage relationships whether interpersonally or systemically. She has published and presented broadly on these topics and her passion for this work is evident in her personal, academic, and professional life. While serving on numerous national boards, review panels, and advisory groups, Dr. Canady has been highly influential in broadening the discussion of working across difference for the health of all.
Canady earned her PhD in Medical Sociology from MSU, a master's degree in public administration from Western Michigan University and bachelor's degree in public health nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.