Rebecca Malouin named director of the Canadian Studies Center

International Studies and Programs is pleased to announce the appointment of Rebecca Malouin to the position of director of the Canadian Studies Center, effective April 1. Malouin will lead collaborative efforts to advance research, academic, and outreach efforts with and about Canada, a crucial partner for the United States and Michigan due to its trade, political, and geographical relationships.  

“Dr. Malouin brings a deep understanding of MSU’s long history of commitment to Canadian studies and a vision for the future that will elevate faculty research, teaching and learning, and collaborations with Canadian university partners,” said Steven Hanson, vice provost and dean for International Studies and Programs. 

Founded in 1958, MSU’s Canadian Studies Center is the longest serving center of its kind in the United States. Areas of focus for the center include trade and supply chain infrastructure, border research, Great Lakes stewardship, Arctic research, and Indigenous communities, and U.S.–Canada relations. 

Malouin has long been involved with the Canadian Studies Center as core faculty, and served on its advisory council from 2011-2013. She has been the center’s interim director since June 2020, during which time she nearly doubled the size of its core faculty while significantly diversifying the MSU colleges and departments engaging with the center. Malouin is also the director of the Global Health Studies Program and associate professor in Family and Community Medicine in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.  

“Given the extraordinary number of existing relationships between MSU and Canadian faculty and the geopolitical relationship between Michigan and Canada, my goal is to establish the center as the most vibrant and engaged Canadian Studies Center in the United States,” said Malouin. 

Malouin has been a health services researcher and educator for the past two decades, studying the organization and delivery of primary care in the U.S. and other countries. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger. Malouin completed her Ph.D. and M.P.H. in international health at Johns Hopkins University and obtained an M.S. in epidemiology from MSU.