Gurbaksh Esch was named director of the leadership in community and public health certificate program at Michigan State University. Dr. Esch has served in the role on an interim basis for the past two years. She is an assistant professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, a pediatrician at the Hurley Medical Center, and a core faculty member of the Hurley/Michigan State pediatric residency.
Dr. Esch is a graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where she majored in biology with a minor in Spanish. She received her medical degree and completed postdoctoral training in pediatric public health at Michigan State University. She also completed a residency in pediatrics at Corewell Health East in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Torri D. Metz has been named co-chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. Metz has served in several leadership roles with the department since joining the university in 2018, including vice chair for research and division chair for maternal-fetal medicine. Her work focuses on advancing maternal health, strengthening clinical and translational research, and improving outcomes for pregnant patients and infants.
Dr. Metz completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder before earning her medical doctorate at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She earned a naster’s degree in clinical investigation and completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Utah.
Janine Remillard is the associate dean for community, climate, and doctoral education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. She is a professor and chair of the learning, teaching, and literacies division. An expert in mathematics education and classroom practices, Dr. Remillard focuses her research on how teachers learn and change their teaching and how they use curriculum materials and other instructional tools.
Dr. Remillard is a graduate of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and elementary education. She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum, teaching, and educational policy from Michigan State University.
Donna Kushner has joined the faculty of Panola College in Carthage, Texas, as a professor of music and director of the show choir. Most recently, Professor Kushner was the theatre director at Center Independent School District. Earlier, she served five years as a vocal music instructor and choral director at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri.
Professor Kushner earned her bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and her master’s degree in music history and literature from Arizona State University.
Jessica Wojtysiak was appointed vice president of instruction at Bakersfield College in California. Dr. Wojtysiak joined the college’s faculty in 2015. Since then, she has served in multiple leadership roles, including dean of instruction, associate vice president of instruction, and interim vice president of instruction. As a professor, she teaches pre-collegiate coursework as well as public speaking, debate, and argumentation courses.
Dr. Wojtysiak received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and English from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She holds a master’s degree in English and a doctorate in educational leadership from California State University, Bakersfield.
Beth Gugino has been named associate dean for research operations and graduate education in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. In addition to her new responsibilities, Dr. Gugino will continue to serve in her current role as associate director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station. A full professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology, she focuses her work on integrated vegetable disease management, plant pathogen diagnosis, disease monitoring and forecasting, and sustainable crop production.
Dr. Gugino is a three-time graduate of Penn State, where she received her bachelor’s degree in horticulture and her master’s and doctoral degrees in plant pathology.
Mary Klein, associate professor of pharmacy practice at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, was appointed assistant vice president of strategic initiatives and practice innovation at the Texas Pharmacy Association. In addition to teaching at the university, Dr. Klein also serves as director of practice labs and simulation. Her practice interests include family medicine, endocrinology, primary care, and interprofessional education. Her research focuses on diabetes clinical outcomes and educational design.
Dr. Klein holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas Tech University and a doctor of pharmacy degree from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Emily Hunt was named associate vice president for research development and innovation at West Texas A&M University, where she is dean of the College of Engineering. A faculty member since 2005, Dr. Hunt teaches primarily in the thermal fluid sciences, including fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. Her research interests include energetic/explosive material reactions and synthesis, high-speed infrared imaging, and engineering education and assessment.
Dr. Hunt received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University.
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt has joined the University of Michigan faculty as an associate professor in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Pajaro-van de Stadt was the founding violist of the multi-Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet and played with the group from 2008 to 2022. She previously served on the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and was part of the quartet in residence at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Pajaro-van de Stadt is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
Cynthia Laborde was promoted from interim chair to permanent chair of the department of modern languages in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Arlington. An associate professor of French, Dr. Laborde’s scholarly interests include ecocritical studies, intimate literature, medical humanities, trauma studies, visual studies, and women’s studies.
A native of Paris, Dr. Laborde received her undergraduate degree from the Université de Franche-Comté à Besançon in France. She holds a master’s degree in French literature from the University of Wyoming, a second master’s degree in translation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. in French and Francophone world literature from the University of Iowa.