New faculty join UMMC academic ranks
Medical Center leadership is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff.
Dr. Brian D. Christman
Dr. Brian D. Christman, recently a PhD student in biostatistics and data science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor of preventive medicine in the School of Medicine.
At UMMC, Christman earned a Master of Science in biostatistics and data science at UMMC before completing his PhD in that program in 2025. Previously, he completed a BS in biomathematics at Rhodes College in Memphis.
He has more than five years of experience as a teacher or as a guest lecturer in the Medical Center’s schools of medicine, population health, and graduate studies in the health sciences. He has served as a statistical consultant for the Mississippi Public Health Institute and, in the UMMC Department of Preventive Medicine, as a Mississippi Department of Education graduate assistant and as a biostatistician.
Christman is the coauthor of several peer-reviewed research articles and has participated in a number of scientific presentations at statewide and national conferences and meetings.
At UMMC, he has held a number of leadership roles and received several honors for his academic achievements. In the area of community outreach, he has served as ambassador for the International Children’s Heart Foundation and as a volunteer for the Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities.
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Dr. Jarrod E. Gant
Dr. Jarrod E. Gant, a public health professional working for the Mississippi State Department of Health, has joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of nursing instruction in the School of Nursing.
After earning his BSN from UMMC, Gant, a certified family nurse practitioner, completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2019 at the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2024, he earned a Doctor of Health Administration from UMMC.
His work experience includes service as an RN and a patient care supervisor at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg and as a nurse practitioner in various settings, including neurosurgery, STI/HIV, family medicine and urgent care. He has also served as a nursing instructor at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville.
Gant is serving as an officer or member of the UMMC School of Nursing Alumni Board of Directors, Mississippi Public Health Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Innova Prep School Board of Directors, Mississippi HIV Planning Body and the MSDH Ryan White Part B Clinical Quality Management Committee.