Javed Ali discussed U.S.-Iran nuclear diplomacy on The National Desk and provided national security analysis on LiveNow from Fox.
The World Mental Health Survey Consortium— a general population survey that uses cross-national data—has moved from Harvard University to U-M under the leadership of William G. Axinn.
Jenna Bednar published a major edited volume, The Economy as an Evolving Complex System IV, with The Santa Fe Institute Press. She co-wrote the final chapter, about paradigm change in economics.
Sarah Cohodes, Brian Jacob, and Christina Weiland were ranked among the top 200 university-based scholars in the U.S. for their impact on educational practice and policy in 2025, according to Education Week's 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings.
Yousif Hassan joined the EthicsLab at the University of Cape Town, a cross-disciplinary hub of scholars, artists, and practitioners who investigate the ethical, sociopolitical, and philosophical dimensions of emerging health technologies.
Catherine Hausman, with Owen Kay (PhD '25) and current doctoral student Dasom Ham, published "Transmission lowers US generation costs, but generator incentives are not aligned," published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. (PNAS).
In February, Rusty Hills wrote an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press titled "Michigan GOP can sweep 2026: Stick to issues, avoid Trump."
Paula Lantz is serving as a guest co-editor of a special issue of Milbank Quarterly on state-level policy addressing population health and health equity. She and doctoral student Sofia Hiltner recently published "Addressing Health-Related Social Needs Through Medicaid 1115 Waivers: Challenges and Opportunities" in Health Affairs.
Ambassador Susan D. Page served as the keynote speaker at the Al Ayyam Centre for Cultural Studies and Development & Mahgoub Mohamed Salih Forum.
Shobita Parthasarathy penned her second Expert Voices column for Science magazine entitled "Repairing trust in science requires a more inclusive understanding of innovation."
Natasha Pilkauskas was the keynote speaker for the Charles B. Nam Lecture in the Sociology of Population at Florida State University's Center for Demography and Population Health. She co-authored "Impacts of the 2021 Child Tax Credit advance monthly payments on birth outcomes in the United States: a natural experiment" in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Barry Rabe was named a Fellow of the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario. His paper on the durability of global climate policy for cooling sector chemicals was published in the Balsillie Papers.
Kristin Seefeldt was appointed director of U-M Poverty Solutions.
Molly Spencer is serving on the Faculty Advisory Board at U-M's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.
Kevin Stange and former Economics PhD and IES predoc student Nathan Sotherland wrote "The role of individual institutions in creating effective and efficient transfer pathways from community college to bachelor's degree," which was accepted in Economics of Education Review. Stange also co-authored "What the Migration of College Graduates Means for Earnings-Based Accountability" for the Postsecondary Education and Economics Research Center.
Megan Tompkins-Stange and a team of scholars successfully debated in opposition to the proposition that "modern philosophy is a tool for reputation laundering" at the prestigious Oxford Union.
Christina Weiland recently co-authored a case study on high-quality Pre-K implementation in Mississippi—the first in a new series that examines several states.
Martin Williams wrote Reform as Process: Implementing Change in Public Bureaucracies, published by Columbia University Press. He published "Causal Inference, Agency, and the Problem of Inherent Endogeneity" in the Annual Review of Political Science.
Justin Wolfers testified in January at a hearing for the Michigan House Appropriations Committee about artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Dean Yang edited "International Migration," a report providing an overview of international migration and economic development for VoxDevLit, a continually updated "living literature review." Here is a video of Yang providing an overview of the report.
Congratulations
The University of Michigan honored Samuel Bagenstos with the 2025 President's Award for Public Impact.
Katherine Michelmore was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
Barry Rabe won the prestigious Elinor Ostrom Career Achievement Award.
Luke Shaefer was named the chief executive of Health, Human Services & Poverty Solutions for the City of Detroit.
Fond farewell
Social epidemiologist Paula Lantz, James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy and director of undergraduate programs at the Ford School, is retiring at the end of the spring semester. She has dedicated her career to improving population health and reducing health disparities through social policy research. Paula is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Social Insurance. The Ford School community is grateful for her leadership and wishes her all the best in retirement.
A warm welcome
The Ford School welcomed new courtesy professor Martin Williams, associate professor of Organizational Studies. Williams researches politics and management of policy implementation, public service delivery, and bureaucratic reform.
In memoriam
Professor John Leahy, a renowned economist, beloved professor, and departmental chair at the University of Michigan, passed away in December at age 64. He was a valued colleague and cherished friend, widely respected for his scholarship, mentorship, and collegial spirit. He is remembered for his warmth, wit, and devotion to family.
Related spring 2026 State & Hill stories
← Read all stories in the spring 2026 edition State & Hill