Michelle Kvalsund DO, MS

Dr. Michelle (Powell) Kvalsund, a 1994 Cedar Springs High School graduate and the daughter of Leon and Marilyn Powell, was recently named one of “10 Women in Medicine Who Inspire” by the DO online, a publication of the American Osteopathic Association, in honor of National Women’s Physicians Day on February 3.

After graduating from Cedar Springs High School, Kvalsund obtained both her doctorate and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. She married her Norwegian husband, Pelle, in 2007. They have two sons Alex, age 10, and Lukas age 7.

The Kvalsund Family has traveled extensively around the world and now lives in Lusaka, Zambia, in Southern Africa, as she continues her research. Some of their family adventures include visiting the Skeleton Coast in Namibia, feeding giant tortoises in Seychelles, and most recently sledding the Korketrekkeren, a 1.5 mile-long toboggan run down the former luge track for the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, Norway.

Kvalsund was most recently cited for the development of the first electromyography lab in Zambia, part of her push for neurological innovation in underserved areas. As a 2018-20 National Academy of Medicine Fellow, Kvalsund, a global health neurologist and assistant professor of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, said she plans to work on initiatives that emphasize the intersection of global health, neurology, and nutrition, as well as policy initiatives.