Partnership Welcomes Assistant Scientist

The Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences partnership is thrilled to welcome social epidemiologist Ashly Westrick, Ph.D. Westrick joins the partnership as the first Henry Ford + MSU Assistant Scientist for cancer research.

“My commitment to improving health outcomes of patients and populations has always driven my interest in a career in research,” said Westrick.

Through the Henry Ford + MSU partnership, Westrick will have the opportunity to pursue independent research goals as well as collaborate with other researchers and clinicians providing evidence-based care.

“I found the position intriguing because it would allow me to continue my research on the social epidemiology of cancer and aging but also expand my research in cancer epidemiology,” said Westrick.

This new Henry Ford + MSU position also includes a dual academic appointment at MSU and opportunities to mentor graduate students and teach graduate-level courses.

“I am looking forward to learning more about how my research can grow and especially how it can be implemented at Henry Ford to improve the quality of lives of cancer survivors,” shared Westrick, who earned a master's degree in public health in epidemiology from the University of Alabama, and a doctorate in epidemiology from the University of Miami.

Westrick then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Florida International University working at the Center for Research on US Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse (CRUSADA). She later completed a second postdoctoral fellowship in social epidemiology at the University of Michigan with a research focus on the intersection of cancer survivorship and aging.

Prior to joining the partnership Westrick was a research faculty at the University of Michigan in the Department of Epidemiology.

“We are so excited Dr. Westrick has joined our Henry Ford + MSU cancer team to help us further understand and improve outcomes for cancer patients,” said Benjamin Movsas, M.D., Henry Ford + MSU Cancer Committee co-chair, Henry Ford Cancer medical director and radiation oncology chair.

This new partnership position was created through a collaborative effort led by Ben Rybicki, Ph.D., Henry Ford Health Department of Public Health Sciences vice-chair of epidemiology and associate director of cancer research, and Dawn Misra, Ph.D., MSU Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics department chair, who also spearheaded the recruitment process along with Barbara Given, Ph.D., MSU College of Nursing University Distinguished professor emeritus and associate dean emeritus.

“Dr. Westrick’s innovative work at the intersection of cancer survivorship and aging will be a tremendous asset to our collaborative research efforts,” said Jeff MacKeigan, Ph.D., Henry Ford + MSU Cancer Committee co-chair and MSU Office of Research and Innovation senior advisor.