Christina M. Mortellaro has been selected to serve as interim dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey. A faculty member for nearly two decades, she currently serves as an assistant professor of biology and assistant vice president for academic affairs and assessment. In addition to her administrative work, designing programs and leading curriculum revisions, she teaches courses in human anatomy and physiology, as well as related biology electives.
Dr. Mortellaro earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. She holds a Ph.D. in health sciences from Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
Burcu Akinci has been named dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She first joined the university in 2000 and currently serves as the Hamerschlag University Professor and head of the department of civil and environmental engineering. Earlier, she spent six years as associate dean of the College of Engineering. Her research interests include modeling and reasoning about digital twins of buildings and infrastructure systems to streamline construction and infrastructure operations.
Dr. Akinci received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Middle East Technical University and her MBA from Bilkent University. Both educational institutions are in Ankara, Türkiye. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering with a focus on construction engineering and management from Stanford University.
Ebony Gilbreath has been promoted from interim dean to permanent dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University in Alabama. She was the college’s associate dean for academic and student affairs. Since joining the Tuskegee faculty in 2011, she has served in several other roles, such as assistant dean for pre-clinical programs and head of the department of pathobiology. As a veterinarian, she focuses on comparative pathology, neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive physiology.
Dr. Gilbreath is an alumna of Tuskegee, where she earned both her bachelor’s degree in animal and poultry science and her doctor of veterinary medicine degree. She holds a Ph.D. in pathology from Michigan State University.