Dejun Su, PhDVisiting Professor
dsu33@wisc.edu

610 N Whitney Way (Madison)

Education

  • University of Chicago – PhD, Sociology
  • Peking University – MA, Demography

Bio

Dejun Su, PhD (he/him/his) joined DFMCH in 2025 as the Vice Chair for Community Health. As a medical sociologist, Su’s public health research and practices focus on several areas including social and cultural drivers of health, telemedicine, immigrant health, and workforce development for community health workers. His work in these areas was funded by the CDC, AHRQ, the National Cancer Institute, HRSA, CMS, and other agencies. Much of Su’s work has been based on a community-engaged or community-driven approach.

Prior to joining DFMCH, Su served as the director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center at the University of Texas-Pan American from 2009 to 2012 with funding support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health from 2012 to 2022, Su delivered transformative leadership by substantially increasing extramural funding support and research productivity at the center. He also led the efforts in 2020 for the College of Public Health at UNMC to become the only public health program in the nation to receive the Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service issued by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.

Research Interests

As a medical sociologist, Su’s research interests center on social and cultural drivers of health, telemedicine, and the development of community-driven interventions for health promotion. Part of his recent work involves training community health workers and integrating their services into primary care for the provision of holistic, patient-centered care.

Publications and Presentations

Awards and Honors

  • 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award – University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health
  • 2023 President’s Excellence Award in Innovation, Development, and Engagement – University of Nebraska
  • 2022 Distinguished Scientist Award – University of Nebraska Medical Center

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