Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations Bree Holtz and fellow collaborators from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, Associate Professor Sabrina Ford and Assistant Professor Kelly Hirko, have received this year’s Excellence Award in Interdisciplinary Studies (EAIS)—an honor sponsored by MSU’s chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
The excellence award seeks to honor a team that shows exemplary effort in teaching, research, service or a combination of the three. Holtz and her team received the award for their ongoing research project “MSU Telehealth Research Group.” This interdisciplinary collaboration spans research, education and policy as it seeks to improve health care access and equity—especially in rural and underserved communities—through telehealth.
Holtz, Ford and Hirko serendipitously came together while collaborating on a National Science Foundation proposal focused on rural broadband access, each having been invited to participate separately. Through this experience, they discovered a strong synergy, which ultimately inspired their partnership on this current initiative.
“Each of us brought complementary strengths—health communication, epidemiology, and behavioral science—and we quickly realized the power of combining those perspectives,” said Holtz. “Since then, we’ve continued to build projects that reflect our shared commitment to addressing health disparities and supporting community-based solutions.”
Since the team’s inception in 2019, and the increased popularity of telehealth options since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, they have pursued this project by conducting pilot studies, developing and implementing telehealth curricula and hosting national conversations on telehealth policy and sustainability. The team has currently been exploring additional grant opportunities and is expanding efforts to support telehealth implementation at a larger scale.
With help from the funding that comes from the EAIS, the team will be able to disseminate the work and contribute to future initiatives that extend the project’s impact at the state and national levels.
“Receiving this award is a meaningful recognition of the value of interdisciplinary work,” said Holtz. “It affirms the importance of bridging research, education and policy to improve health equity.”
The team was nominated for the award by Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, with support from Aron Sousa, dean of the College of Human Medicine. The nomination for this cross-college collaboration has meant a great deal to Holtz, Ford and Hirko.
“The synergy within our team is a big part of our success, and we plan to continue working together to push this work forward, including future research on culturally responsive telehealth strategies and ongoing curriculum development,” said Holtz.
The team is set to receive the EAIS at Phi Kappa Phi’s Chapter Ceremony on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
By Casey Halas