Four Women Promoted and Granted Tenure at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Muhlenberg College, a selective liberal arts educational institution in Allentown, Pennsylvania, has announced the promotion of five scholars to the rank of associate professor. All five were granted tenure. Four of the promotions went to women.

Kathleen Bachynski was appointed associate professor of public health. Dr. Bachynski focuses her research on injury prevention, sports safety, youth health, and public health ethics. She is the author of No Game for Boys to Play: The History of Youth Football and the Origins of a Public Health Crisis (University of North Carolina Press, 2019). Dr. Bachynski holds a bachelor’s degree and a master of public health degree from the University of Michigan. She earned a Ph.D. at Columbia University.

Heidi Cruz-Austin was promoted to associate professor of dance. She danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet and was a founding member and dancer of BalletX (Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet). Her research involves efforts to soften the curve of ballet instruction to facilitate an easier acclimation process for aspiring dancers. Cruz-Austin holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Mirna Trauger was named an associate professor of Spanish. She specializes in twnetieth- and twnety-first-century Hispanic Caribbean literature, postmodern writing, and theory. Her most recent research focuses on the representation of trauma and illness in Latin American texts and film. Dr. Trauger earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and French at what is now Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree and doctorate in Spanish from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Leah Wilson was promoted to associate professor of neuroscience. Dr. Wilson’s research explores animal behavior from both mechanistic and functional perspectives. Students in her lab investigate the neural systems that regulate social behavior in zebrafish. Dr. Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in Ohio, a master’s degree in biology from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, and a doctorate in biology from Indiana University – Bloomington.