New Endowed Faculty Appointments for Six Women in Academia

Catherine Dulac is the new Xander University Professor at Harvard University. A faculty member in the department of molecular and cellular biology since 1996, she previously held the Samuel W. Morris University Professorship. In her research, she uses molecular, genetic, and electrophysiological techniques to explore the molecular and neuronal basis of instinctive social behaviors in mice.

Dr. Dulac earned a Ph.D. in developmental biology at the University of Paris in France and did postdoctoral research at Columbia University in New York City.

Catherine E. Lang was named the inaugural Barbara J. Norton Professor of Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is associate director of the university’s movement science program and a full professor of neurology and occupational therapy. As a leading scholar in the field of stroke recovery and rehabilitation, Dr. Lang has conducted extensive research on the use of wearable movement sensors to quantitatively measure patients’ movement in daily life.

Dr. Lang earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Vermont. She holds a Ph.D. in movement science from Washington University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester in New York.

Talia Young has been named the William H. and Johanna A. Harris Professor of Environmental Studies and Entrepreneurial Studies at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. She previously was a visiting assistant professor of environmental studies at the college. Outside of academia, she is the founder and director of Fishadelphia, a Philadelphia-based community seafood program that connects diverse families with regional seafood producers.

A graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Dr. Young holds a teaching certificate from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in ecology and evolution from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Boel Fransson has been appointed as the William R. Jones Endowed Chair in Companion Animal Medicine and Surgery at Washington State University. She first joined the faculty in 2006 and currently serves as head of the small animal surgery section at the university’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Her research centers on the area of minimally invasive surgery, with special expertise in simulation training of laparoscopic skills.

In addition to a master’s degree from Washington State University, Dr. Fransson holds a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a Ph.D., both from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Flora Cassen has been named the inaugural Lavine Family Director of the Brandeis Center for Jewish Studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Slated to begin her role on January 1, she will also serve as director of the Sarnat Center for the Study of Anti-Jewishness and hold a faculty appointment in the Near Eastern and Judaic studies department. Currently, Dr. Cassen is an associate professor at Washington University and a senior faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.

A native of Antwerp, Belgium, Cassen earned her bachelor’s degree in history and law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, a master’s degree in comparative history from Brandeis University, and a doctorate in Hebrew and Judaic studies from New York University.

Allison McLarty is the new General Ting Feng Cheng Endowed Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery in the School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York. A faculty member since 1997, she specializes in adult cardiac and thoracic surgery. She has held numerous leadership roles, including chief of thoracic surgery at the Northport VA Medical Center and associate program director for the general surgery residency program.

Dr. McLarty received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Swarthmore College and her medical degree from Columbia University. She completed general surgery training at Columbia and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Jennifer L. Burris Named President of Buffalo State University

Dr. Burris has served as provost of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina for the past four years. She is slated to become the next president of SUNY's Buffalo State University on July 1.

Lisa Thompson Named President of Union Theological Seminary

Dr. Thompson's appointment marks a return to Union Theological Seminary, where she previously taught for three years. Most recently, she was the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Black Homiletics & Liturgics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Five Women Selected to Lead Academic Professional Organizations

Julie Sanford of the University of Alabama, Eileen Boris of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Itohan Osayimwese of Brown University, Jane Grant-Kels of the University of Connecticut, and Rani Sullivan of Mississippi State University have been appointed to leadership positions with professional organizations in their academic fields of study.

Sylvia Torti Appointed President of Westminster University in Salt Lake City

For the past two years, Dr. Torti has served as president of the College of the Atlantic in Maine. Earlier, she was dean of the Honors College at the University of Utah.

Staci Martin Named Sole Finalist for Presidency of Kilgore College in Texas

Dr. Martin has led Kilgore College on an interim basis since November 2025. She has been an administrator with the community college for the past 25 years.

Research Assistant Professor, Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics

The selected candidate should have expertise and experience in theoretical models in labor and public economics as well as in microeconometrics and programming.

Director, School of Music

The University of Arizona School of Music seeks a visionary and collaborative Director to lead its comprehensive music program through a time of opportunity and transformation.

Assistant Professor, Clinician Educator track, in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure clinician educator track.