Padma Raghavan has been named executive director for science and technology strategy in the Office of the Chancellor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to her new role, she was Vanderbilt’s vice provost for research and innovation and chief research officer. A faculty member since 2016, she currently holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Computer Science. Her academic expertise centers on high-performance computing.
Dr. Raghavan received her bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from Pennsylvania State University.
Audrey Corbett has been named interim chair of the department of internal medicine in the School of Community Medicine at the University of Oklahoma. She first joined the school’s faculty in 2017 and currently serves as an associate professor, associate dean for clinical affairs, and chief medical officer for OU Health Physicians-Tulsa. Her academic interests include patient safety and quality improvement, especially related to education.
Dr. Corbett holds a medical doctorate from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA in healthcare administration from Oklahoma City University.
Michelle Harkins has been promoted to the rank of distinguished professor at the University of New Mexico. She serves in several capacities at the university, including professor of medicine; chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine; associate chief for the Adult Center for Critical Care; and co-medical director of the Post-COVID Primary Care TeleECHO program. An expert on asthma, she has developed several state-wide initiatives to treat both adults and children with the condition.
Dr. Harkins earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M University and her medical degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
Brittney May has been appointed associate director of choral activities at the University of Nevada-Reno, where she teaches as a lecturer of voice in the School of Music. With 15 years of experience directing choral and instrumental ensembles, she previously served as the artistic director of the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus in California.
May holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Wartburg College in Iowa and a master’s degree in music education from the University of Nevada-Reno.
Wendy Townsend has been named associate dean for academic success in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She currently serves as a professor of ophthalmology in the department of veterinary clinical sciences. Her research interests include equine ophthalmology, golden retriever pigmentary uveitis, and ocular drug delivery.
Dr. Townsend holds a master’s degree from Purdue University and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Auburn University in Alabama.
Farah Jasmine Griffin has been named a University Professor at Columbia University. The distinction is the university’s highest faculty honor. Dr. Griffin currently holds the title of William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and of African American Studies. She previously served as the inaugural chair of the department of African American and African diaspora studies. Her scholarship examines the Black experience in the United States, spanning the fields of literature, music, history, and politics.
Dr. Griffin received her bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard and her Ph.D. in American studies from Yale.
Karen Doherty has been promoted to senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University in New York. A faculty member in the department of communication sciences for nearly three decades, she most recently served as the college’s associate dean of faculty affairs. Her research focuses on understanding how age-related hearing loss affects communication and exploring ways to enhance hearing aid use among older adults.
Dr. Doherty holds a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree in audiology from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in audiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.