The Michigan Program for Advancing Cultural Transformation at the University of Michigan was established last year through a $79.5 million joint investment by the university and the National Institutes of Health. The program aims to recruit 11 new faculty members by 2026 who specialize in biomedical health sciences and are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their work. This year, the program appointed five new women scholars to tenure-track faculty positions.
Autumn Rae Florimbio has been named an assistant professor of psychiatry in the University of Michigan Medical School’s Addiction Center. Her research focuses on early interventions for substance use among young people, particularly emerging adults and LGBTQIA+ individuals. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist with experience in cognitive behavioral therapies, mindfullness-based approaches, substance use disorder treatment, and psychological assessment.
Dr. Florimbio is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where she double-majored in psychology and criminology. She holds a master’s degree in substance use treatment psychology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee.
Olivia Halabicky has been named an assistant professor in the department of health behavior and biological sciences in the School of Nursing. She is a children’s environmental health nurse researcher who studies early life exposures and human development. Her research focuses on how adverse environmental exposures at sensitive periods shape neurodevelopment and health trajectories and influence health disparities.
Dr. Halabicky received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan, master’s degree in nursing and child health and wellbeing from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, and Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.
Natasha Kumar has been named an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical School. She focuses her work on developing and studying interventions that expand equitable access to obstetric care for marginalized patients. She also studies public health and policy and leads community-based projects to improve care for patients with high-risk pregnancies.
Dr. Kumar received dual-bachelor’s degrees in community health and public policy and American institutions, and her medical degree from Brown University. She also holds a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Anna Maurer has been named an assistant professor of biophysics in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In her research, she studies adeno-associated viral vector biology. Outside of her research endeavors, she is dedicated to mentoring community college students as they pursue STEM degrees at four-year institutions.
Dr. Maurer is an alumna of the University of Michigan, where she majored in cellular and molecular biology. She earned her Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences from Harvard University.
Erica Twardzik has been named an assistant professor of applied exercise science in the School of Kinesiology. She will also serve as a graduate faculty member in movement science. Her research is dedicated to improving the lives, well-being, and inclusion of older adults and people with disabilities through studying the role of neighborhood-built environments and socioenvironmental factors in shaping their mobility, participation, and inclusion.
Dr. Twardzik received her bachelor’s degree in movement science from the University of Michigan and her master’s degree in kinesiology and adapted physical activity from Oregon State University. She returned to the University of Michigan to earn her Ph.D. in kinesiology and epidemiology.