Professor Mohammad Shahbazi served Jackson State University (JSU) in various teaching and administrator capacities from 1999 through 2021. In his recent capacity as a dean, he led a team of faculty/staff/students and successfully established the first accredited School of Public Health in the State of Mississippi and the first such school among the HBCUs. Working alongside the late Dr. Aaron Shirley, Dr. Shahbazi’s health initiative and action led to a Pan Americans World Health Organization (PAWHO) recognized Community Health Worker Training Program that trained and certified community health workers in Mississippi Delta. Despite his busy teaching and vast administrative responsibilities, Professor Shahbazi earned a Fulbright Scholarship in 2009. Additionally, he brought to the Public Health Program/School through his active grantsmanship as a PI, CO-PI, Director, Manager, or team member millions of grant money over the years. His most recent grant was awarded by Kellogg Foundation with the primary goal to establish a center of excellence for breastfeeding in Mississippi.  Dr. Shahbazi is nationally and internationally known and has thus become a critical contributor to JSU’s success and image both at home and abroad, especially in the area of public health. Professor Shahbazi’s work in Mississippi has been featured in the local, national, and international media, including Time Magazine in its July 2011 issue.  Professor Shahbazi has a doctorate in Cultural Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).