Dejun Su, PhD, a medical sociologist with a longstanding commitment to advancing health equity, will join the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) as vice chair for community health, on August 1, 2025. His new role marks a welcome return to a campus that left a lasting impression on him years ago.
Dr. Dejun Su
“My first visit to UW–Madison was in the fall of 2001 to see a friend, and I was struck by the beauty and scale of the campus,” Su recalled. “Now I’m thrilled to return and contribute to this remarkable institution.”
Su earned his PhD in sociology from the University of Chicago in 2006 and began his academic career at the University of Texas–Pan American. There, he served as director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center from 2009 to 2012. With support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, he led a population-based study examining factors influencing medical tourism among Texas residents seeking care in Mexico.
From 2012 to 2022, Su directed the Center for Reducing Health Disparities (CRHD) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health. Under his leadership, the CRHD became UNMC’s central hub for community engagement. During his tenure, the center doubled its extramural funding, increased scholarly publications sixfold, and helped UNMC become the only public health school in the nation to receive the Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2020 from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. In recognition of his transformative leadership, Su received the University of Nebraska’s Innovation, Development, and Engagement Award (IDEA) in 2023.
Dr. David Rakel, chair of DFMCH, expressed excitement about Su’s arrival: “He brings a beautiful combination of scientific rigor and compassionate communication,” Rakel said. “I’m confident that his leadership will help guide our work upstream, advancing our mission to transform health care for all.”
Su’s research focuses on social and cultural determinants of health, telemedicine, and community health workforce development to address health inequities. In 2022, he was named a distinguished scientist by the UNMC chancellor in recognition of his research productivity and impact.
“Promoting community-engaged research and health equity is central to the mission of DFMCH and aligns closely with the Wisconsin Idea,” Su said. He looks forward to collaborating with DFMCH colleagues and community partners to develop and sustain innovative programs that respond to community health needs and advance the sciences of family medicine and public health.
Published: July 2025