University Times

Eric Moe, professor in the Department of Music and composer, has been chosen by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) as an ASCAPLUS Award recipient. These awards reflect ASCAP’s continuing commitment to assist and encourage American composers.

Awards are granted by an independent panel and are based upon the value of each writer’s catalog of original compositions, as well as recent performances in areas not surveyed by the society.

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Lynn Emanuel, professor of English and director of the writing program, has been named the 2009 Elliston Distinguished Poet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati. She will receive an award of $20,000.

In addition to teaching an intensive five-week course for graduate students at the McMicken School of Arts and Sciences at Cincinnati, Emanuel will give a poetry reading and two public presentations.

Emanuel has been the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships for her poetry volume “Then Suddenly—” and the Eric Matthieu King Award from the Academy of American Poets.

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Mark S. Roberts and Cindy L. Bryce recently were elected as officers of the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM). During the organization’s 30th annual meeting, Roberts was installed as president of SMDM and Bryce was elected to a three-year term as a trustee.

SMDM has more than 1,000 members nationwide, and its mission is to improve outcomes in health care through systematic approaches to clinical decision making and policy formation.

Roberts is professor of medicine, health policy and management, and industrial engineering. He also serves as chief of the section of decision sciences and clinical systems modeling in the Division of General Internal Medicine. His research concentrates on the application of decision sciences and mathematical modeling to problems in health care.

Bryce is associate professor of medicine and health policy and management. Her research focuses on gender-related and race-related disparities in access to liver transplantation services. She also explores complex issues concerning the importance that patients place on end-of-life treatment in the intensive care unit. Bryce’s studies are designed to assess the quality of death as well as the quality of life.

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Paul L. Rogers, professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Critical Care Medicine and director of the multidisciplinary critical care training program (MCCTP), has been named one of four recipients of the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award, which is sponsored jointly by the Association of American Medical Colleges and Alpha Omega Alpha. The national recognition, which honors Rogers’s work in medical student education, was bestowed Nov. 1.

Arthur S. Levine, senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences and dean of the medical school, said of Rogers: “He is one of the most creative teachers in the School of Medicine and is highly skilled at engaging the medical students in the critical thinking process.”

As director of MCCTP, Rogers revamped a program for fellows in internal medicine, surgery, anesthesiology and critical care medicine to include problem-solving workshops and online self-assessments.

Rogers also is vice president of the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System, director of the surgical intensive care unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and an intensivist at UPMC Presbyterian. He is a founding member of the School of Medicine’s Academy of Master Educators.

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Recipients of the 2008 Excellence in Education Awards were announced by the School of Medicine.

The Kenneth E. Schuit Award, recognizing the dean’s master educators, was presented to Goutham Rao, associate professor of pediatrics, and John B. Schumann, associate professor of neurobiology. The award recognizes clinical and basic science faculty for education-related contributions (teaching, planning and organization of courses or course sections) to the medical school curriculum.

The Donald S. Fraley Award was presented to Kathleen McIntyre-Seltman, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and Charles F. Reynolds III, professor of psychiatry. This award recognizes extended service as a medical student mentor at the School of Medicine and significant mentoring contributions that extend beyond a single student or group of students.

The Sheldon Adler Award for significant innovative contributions to medical education at the School of Medicine was presented to Raquel A. Buranosky, assistant professor of medicine; Peter F. Ferson, professor of surgery; Jonathan D. Finder, associate professor of pediatrics; James R. Johnston, professor of medicine; McIntyre-Seltman; Rita M. Patel, professor of anesthesiology; Jason B. Rosenstock, assistant professor of psychiatry; Petronilla Vaulx-Smith, assistant professor of psychiatry, and Basil J. Zitelli, professor of pediatrics.

The 2008 Award for Excellence in Clinical Skills Instruction was presented to James C. Dewar, visiting assistant professor of family medicine, and Phillip E. Lamberty, assistant professor of medicine. This award recognizes faculty who consistently provide outstanding clinical skills instruction for first- and second-year medical students. 

The 2008 Award for Excellence in Clinical Precepting was presented to Sachin Bahl, clinical instructor of medicine; Lawrence J. Butler, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics; Deborah Gilboa, clinical assistant professor of family medicine, and Anthony Spinola, clinical assistant professor of medicine. This award recognizes clinical preceptors who consistently provide outstanding clinical instruction in a community setting for medical students.

The 2008 Clerkship Preceptor of the Year Award was presented to Shawn T. Beaman, assistant professor of anesthesiology; Judy C. Chang, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences; Michael J. Decker, assistant professor of pediatrics; Suman Golla, associate professor of otolaryngology; Giselle G. Hamad, assistant professor of surgery; Erika L. Hoffman, assistant professor of medicine; Joe Suyama, assistant professor of emergency medicine; James D. Tew, assistant professor of psychiatry; Evan L. Waxman, assistant professor of ophthalmology; Dawna H. Woodyear, assistant professor of family medicine, and Dianne M. Zalenski, assistant professor of medicine.

This award was established to recognize faculty clinical preceptors who consistently provide outstanding clinical instruction in the clerkship setting for medical students.

The 2008 Clinical Educator of the Year Award was presented to Karin E. Byers, assistant professor of medicine; Johnathan A. Engh, visiting assistant professor of neurological surgery; Joseph E. Losee, associate professor of surgery; Peter D. Murray, assistant professor of psychiatry; P. Sudhakar Reddy, professor of medicine, and Mukesh Sah, assistant professor of psychiatry.

This award recognizes faculty who consistently provide outstanding clinical education in a third- or fourth-year elective course setting for medical students.

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Two pharmacy faculty members recently were appointed to national committees.

Deanne Hall, assistant professor of pharmacy and therapeutics, was named the 2008-09 chair for the clinical practice affairs committee of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Hall is an ambulatory care clinician with a special interest in anticoagulation management.

Billy Day, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, was elected to a two-year term (2009-11) as the member-at-large of the executive committee of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Toxicology.

Day directs Pitt’s Proteomics Core Lab, which provides mass spectrometric analyses of the protein component of cells, tissues and organisms.

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On Nov. 1, 66 nurses from area health care facilities, nine schools of nursing and one international facility, were honored at the 10th annual Cameos of Caring awards gala. Pitt’s School of Nursing sponsors the awards program.

Awardees are nominated by their colleagues in recognition of their profound impact on the lives of patients, family members and co-workers.

Awardees with Pitt affiliations were: Kevin Eklund, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and Evelyn Lawler, University of Pittsburgh Physicians Department of Anesthesiology.

In addition, Lisa Bernardo, associate professor in nursing’s Department of Health and Community Systems, was a nurse educator awardee, and Elisabeth George, an adjunct faculty member in nursing, was an advanced practice awardee.

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The People of the Times column features recent news on faculty and staff, including awards and other honors, accomplishments and administrative appointments.

We welcome submissions from all areas of the University. Send information via email to: utimes@pitt.edu, by fax at 412/624-4579 or by campus mail to 308 Bellefield Hall.

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