Sep. 8, 2026
This is part of a series of Q&As introducing faculty who have joined the College of Health Sciences for the 2026–27 academic year. Meet all of our new faculty members.
Justin F. Willett
Associate teaching professor, Health Sciences
What classes are you teaching this semester?
I teach in the Master of Health Administration program. This fall, I am teaching Strategic Planning and Marketing for Health Care Organizations and Managerial Epidemiology: Population Health Management.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
I’ve spent my career telling stories and helping organizations communicate — first as a journalist, then leading communications for MU Health Care, and most recently directing research at the Novak Leadership Institute. I am a three-time Mizzou graduate, including an MHA from the program I now teach in. Joining this faculty feels like all of those threads coming together.
What drew you to your field — and what brought you to Mizzou?
Two connected questions drive my research and teaching: How can leaders communicate in ways that help people thrive at work? And how can health care organizations communicate more ethically and effectively with the public? On the first, my research finds that everyday leadership communication shapes whether employees feel respected, stay engaged, and do their best work. On the second, I study how health systems use patient stories and how audiences respond to them.
What are your research or professional interests?
Students can expect realistic work that reflects the complexity of the industry: competing priorities, imperfect information and real tradeoffs. We’ll connect every academic framework to decisions faced by health care leaders. Expect to write, present and defend your thinking. These are skills you’ll use throughout your career.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Helping develop health care leaders. The industry changes quickly and the stakes are so high. Health care organizations need strategic thinkers who can help people work together toward shared goals.
What are you looking forward to this semester?
Two things. In class, my strategy students will spend the term building a full strategic initiative and defending it at the end, with health system executives joining us along the way. I’m also leading a research study with colleagues in health administration programs across the country to better understand how graduate students perceive generative AI.
What can students expect from your classes?
Realistic work that reflects the complexity of the industry: competing priorities, imperfect information, real trade-offs. We’ll connect every academic framework to decisions faced by health care leaders. Expect to write, present, and defend your thinking. These are skills you’ll use throughout your career.
What’s one fun hobby or activity you enjoy outside of work?
Coaching youth sports. I’ve coached my children’s baseball and basketball teams for several years, and it turns out a dugout is a pretty good leadership communication lab.
