David R. Buys

David R. Buys, PhD, MSPH, CPH, FGSA is Associate Vice Provost for Health Sciences and Professor at Mississippi State University and Chief Campus Administrator at MSU-Meridian. He is responsible for ensuring that the University’s health sciences programs are well-integrated, resource-efficient, and aligned with both academic standards and community needs. Prior to assuming this role, he was the State Health Specialist for Mississippi State University Extension and an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition, and Health Promotion at MSU. In that role for more than a decade, Dr. Buys led research-based public health education across Mississippi’s 82 Counties. He competed for and secured over $17.5 million in federal support for the work from agencies including the United States Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and other partners. Some of his areas of expertise include farm stress; nutrition and food access; mental health disparities; vaccine education; rural health; and aging-in-place for older adults.

He has authored or co-authored more than 65 peer-reviewed articles published in the American Journal of Public Health, Public Health Nutrition, the Journal of Rural Health, The Gerontologist, the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, the Journal of Extension, and other leading journals. He completed degrees in medical sociology, health services research, and epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University, Mississippi College, and Hinds Community College. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the Royal Society for Public Health.

Dr. Buys is the recipient of the 2023 Diversity Educator of the Year Award from the Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi and the Mark E. Keenum Outstanding Extension Faculty Award. He is most proud of team awards he has been a part of, including USDA-NIFA’s National Partnership Award for Innovative Programs and Projects, two Emmy Awards for the On the Farm film series, MSU’s Community-Engaged Research Award, and the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Team Diversity Award.

He is actively involved in multiple professional associations, including the Gerontological Society of America and the American Public Health Association. He is past-president of the Mississippi Public Health Association and is chair of the National Board of Public Health Examiners through which he is Certified in Public Health.