About


Welcome! I’m Mike Dolan Fliss.

I’m a public health data scientist focusing on epidemiology and public health informatics at UNC Chapel Hill. I work on social, injury, and environmental public health practice and research, with a preference for projects that address social injustice, health disparities, and lasting and novel public health informatics improvements. I’m committed to centering public health practice and research here in NC at the local and state levels, though also have projects with national connections.

My unique strengths are my diverse practice and education background in epidemiology, data science, informatics, social justice, and management, and my experience directly working with data from dozens of NC DHHS public health data systems.

I work at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and the NC Department of Health and Human Services – most often with the Injury & Violence Prevention Branch.

Teaching: I am also a RStudio certified R Trainer. I co-teach a class in the UNC Epidemiology Department (EPID 701) and public workshops on how to use the statistical programming language R for Public Health Epidemiology.

Research Topics: At left you’ll find my resume/curriculum vitae, contact info, and a visual portfolio of select past projects. These include collaborations with county (e.g. community health assessments) and state health departments and national partners that often involve data visualization and spatial/GIS map-making work. My public health focus areas include: opioid abuse & overdose, alcohol and tobacco density, EHR informatics and evaluation,  child maltreatment, disparities in policing and racial equity, and environmental racism (e.g. industrial livestock operations).

Personally, I enjoy gardening, building, and martial arts. After 30 years of practice I train in (and teach) the martial arts aikido and Chen-style tai chi chu’an at a martial arts school I manage, Open Sky Martial Arts in Hillsborough, NC.

Drop a line anytime!
UNC : mike.dolan.fliss@unc.edu
NC DHHS : mike.dolan.fliss@dhhs.nc.gov

Recent Projects & Presentations

Policing Disparities

Environmental Justice

Injury & Social Epidemiology