On September 10, the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI celebrated the investiture of Nir Menachemi, PhD, MPH, as the recipient and steward of the endowed Richard M. Fairbanks Chair during the Inaugural Chair Investiture Ceremony.

The endowed chair position recognizes leadership in public health at both the academic and community levels. An endowed chair is the highest academic honor a university can bestow on distinguished faculty. Dr. Menachemi began serving as professor and department chair of Health Policy and Management in 2015, and exemplifies the scholarship, leadership, commitment to teaching and service to the community that make him an ideal endowed chair.

“Dr. Menachemi is an energetic and rigorous leader, researcher and instructor,” said Dr. Paul Halverson, founding dean of Fairbanks School of Public Health. “His work bridges public health practice, management theory and health services research.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Menachemi has published more than 240 peer-reviewed scientific papers in leading health policy, public health, business and clinical journals and has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 28 funded grants. He is one of the most widely recognized and respected health services researchers in the US, and an award-winning teacher across several institutions.

“He has built one of the leading health policy and management departments in the nation and has worked incredibly hard to forge the national and international reputation of his department and subsequently the school,” Dean Halverson said. He is not only an outstanding researcher, but also a dedicated leader and mentor.”

Dr. Menachemi uses up-to-date, real-world examples when teaching, makes time to mentor students, and demonstrates a willing dedication to service at the department, university and community levels. Within his department, he has been able to recruit and retain an impressive group of health care and public health scholars with remarkable professional trajectories. Under his leadership, the department has grown impressively.

Prior to joining the Fairbanks School of Public Health, Dr. Menachemi held faculty positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health and the Florida State University College of Medicine. At UAB, he received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Graduate School Award for Excellence in Mentorship. In 2011, Dr. Menachemi received the “Professor John D. and Starr A. Blair Award in Health Organization Management Research” presented by the faculty at Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business. In 2017, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award, a national recognition by the Health Care Management Division of the Academy of Management.

Today, Dr. Menachemi holds professorial and research appointments at the Fairbanks School of Public Health, as well as the Regenstrief Institute and IU Kelley School of Business. He has, and continues to serve as the chair of a number of dissertation committees, supervisor of student projects, and a leader or member of numerous national committees and taskforces.

Dr. Menachemi received his PhD in Health Services Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned his MPH in Health Policy and Management and BS in Biological Anthropology from the University at Albany, State University of New York.