Christian MackeyChristian Mackey, MPH

Christian Mackey, Student Member on the MAFP Board of Directors, is in his final year of medical school at University of Michigan (UMMS), with sights on applying to family medicine programs in Fall 2022. He is interested in opportunities where he can train in caring for underserved individuals and communities.

As a Board member, Christian is building his skills as a health advocate and is eager to contribute to group advocacy goals. He is most interested in planetary and human health.

At the local level, Christian serves as co-director of White Coats for Planetary Health, a student organization at the University of Michigan Medical School. This involves leading students in advocacy projects, meeting with school officials to discuss relevant topics, and envisioning realistic goals for his medical school community to strive towards.

He was also instrumental in working with UMMS administrators in developing a zero-waste policy for school-funded events, was appointed as a student advisee on the forthcoming Committee on Carbon Neutrality, and was Outreach Coordinator for Wolverine Street Medicine, a group that organizes the provision of healthcare for people in Southeast Michigan who are experiencing homelessness.

“I have passion for this great state that I've grown up in and I've been able to channel that already into making the communities around me better places for people who experience barriers to health and happy lives. I love doing projects on a community scale, but I'm also chomping at the bit to get involved in a wider scope and flex the skills I've been honing at a larger level,” said Christian.

Nationally, he serves as a plant-based health interest group liaison for Medical Students for a Sustainable Future. Founded in 2019, this network is dedicated to uniting medical students invested in the health of the planet and patients and providing them with tools to make a difference at their institutions and their communities through advocacy, curriculum reform, research, and climate-smart healthcare.

Christian completed a Bachelor’s degree in psychology as well as a Master’s of Public Health in nutritional science and dietetics, while simultaneously earning a certification in dietetics at University of Michigan.