Two Nursing faculty named to Pittsburgh Magazine list
Two faculty members from Pitt’s School of Nursing were among seven honored by Pittsburgh Magazine for Excellence in Nursing.
The winners include:
- Jennifer Lingler, professor and vice chair for Research, Health & Community Systems.
- Catherine Grant, assistant professor and family nurse practitioner; owner, Associates in Family Health Care
Katz MBA program rises in Poets & Quants rankings
For the sixth year in a row, Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business MBA program is ranked among the top 20 in U.S. public universities by Poets & Quants.
Katz was number 39 in the U.S. and number 17 among U.S. publics in the Poets & Quants 2019-20 MBA rankings. Pitt saw the largest rise among the top 40 schools, up five spots from last year’s ranking.
Katz is one of only 42 business schools across the country that placed in all major MBA rankings this year, an honor shared by just 5 percent of all Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited schools and less than 0.3 percent of schools worldwide that grant business degrees.
To learn more about Pitt’s highly ranked MBA programs, visit the Katz programs page.
Feng Xiong receives Career Award for AI energy efficiency project
Feng Xiong, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, received a $500,000 Career Award from the National Science Foundation for his work developing the missing element in spiking neural networks (SNN), a dynamic synapse, that will dramatically improve energy efficiency, bandwidth and cognitive capabilities of SNNs.
A human brain — which is still more proficient than CPUs at cognitive tasks like pattern recognition — needs only 20 watts of power to complete a task, while a supercomputer requires more than 50,000 times that amount of energy. The project aims to make computers complete cognitive tasks using less energy.
Chris Driscoll of Pitt Businss named 2019 Preservationist of the Year
Chris Driscoll, director of IT for Pitt Business, was named 2019 Preservationist of the Year by the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh.
The organization advocates for the preservation of historic sites and structures in the Greater Pittsburgh region. The annual award recognizes significant contribution in the area of historic preservation.
Driscoll is part owner and founder of the restaurant Revival on Lincoln, which is housed in a historic mansion in Bellevue. The previously dilapidated building required extensive restoration to be recognized as an historic landmark by Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Driscoll was presented the award in November.
Library system acquires poet Jorge Luis Borges’ papers
Manuscripts by Argentinian writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges have been acquired by the University Library System (ULS). The new items include two poems and two essays — "El otro tigre (The Other Tiger)"; "La nadería de la personalidad (The Nothingness of Personality)"; "Poema conjetural (Conjectural Poem)"; and "Anotación al 23 de agosto de 1944 (Annotation to the 23rd of August of 1944)."
In March 2018, ULS acquired the Cuaderno Avon (Avon notebook) and several loose accompanying pages (Páginas sueltas), which included the story "La espera (The Wait)" and the notes for "El escritor argentine y la tradición (The Argentine Writer and Tradition)."
Borges, considered one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century, was born on Aug. 24, 1899, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and died on June 14, 1986, in Geneva, Switzerland. He wrote essays, poems and short stories and was also a translator.
These new materials will contribute to the enrichment of the Eduardo Lozano Latin American Collection at the ULS and will be housed in Archives and Special Collections. Other pieces of Borges’ original work are held at the University of Virginia Library, the New York Public Library, Michigan State University, the National Library of Spain, the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Geneva and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.
Janice Pringle to receive Excellence in Patient Care Award
Janice Pringle, founder and director of the Pitt School of Pharmacy Program Evaluation and Research Unit, received the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation’s Excellence in Patient Care Award.
Pringle was recognized for her work at the 21st annual NACDS Foundation dinner on Dec. 4, 2019, in New York City.
Pringle’s research helped combat opioid abuse and improved individual and population health outcomes in Blair County, Pa.
Pringle is a professor of pharmacy and therapeutics in Pitt’s School of Pharmacy. Her research has helped develop health care policy research and briefs that have been used to inform policy development at both the state and federal levels.
Pitt Pharmacy unit wins ‘Best Professional Abstract’ at expo
An abstract co-created by the Pitt School of Pharmacy Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) won the “Best Professional Abstract” award at the American Public Health Association annual meeting and expo.
The abstract, “Pharmacy Student’s Knowledge and Perceived Competency in Conducting SBIRT for Substance Use Disorders,” was written in collaboration with Heather Santa, senior research specialist at Pitt’s School of Pharmacy, and project partners at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. The abstract presented results from a training grant with the University of the Sciences with more than 314 student pharmacists trained to proficiency.
The abstract was the highest scoring entry out of 74 submitted.
New institute will improve pediatric health and research
The Institute of Infection, Inflammation and Immunity in Children — i4Kids for short — is a new strategic research effort focused on improving pediatric health by combating infectious and inflammatory diseases through accelerating new multi-disciplinary collaborations across the health sciences, natural and physical sciences, and computer science.
The institute is being led by John Williams, Henry L. Hillman Endowed Chair in Pediatric Immunology and professor of pediatrics at Pitt.
Infection is the leading cause of death in children under 5 years old worldwide, and infectious and inflammatory diseases are the leading causes of child hospitalization in the U.S. The i4Kids project aims to become the epicenter of research, discovery, prevention and treatment of these diseases in children as the foundation of improving the health of future generations.
The institute will host a launch symposium from 2 to 6 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Rangos Research Auditorium at Children’s Hospital. The institute is working with the Children’s Hospital Foundation to invite leaders of foundations and philanthropists across the nation.
For more information on i4Kids, visit their website.
Two Pitt researchers named fellows for National Academy of Inventors
Rob Rutenbar, senior vice chancellor for Research, and William Federspiel, professor of Bioengineering, were recently named fellows for the National Academy of Inventors’ 2019 fellowship class.
The fellows program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election as a National Academy Inventors fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.
Rutenbar and Federspiel have a combined 26 patents to their names, and have more than 300 peer-reviewed journals and papers published.
The complete list of fellows is available on the National Academy of Inventors’ website.
Healthy Lifestyle Institute hosts second annual summit, announces ‘Schools on the Move’ initiative
The Healthy Lifestyle Institute hosted its second annual summit on Dec. 6 on the Pittsburgh campus. The summit consisted of presentations and updates from researchers across campus on their work to transform lifestyle research into health and well being for people in all stages of life.
Housed within the School of Education, the Healthy Lifestyle Institute was founded in 2017 with a mission “to develop, translate and implement health and wellness programs” for the Pitt community and around the Pittsburgh region.
At the summit, the institute’s founding director John Jakicic (EDUC ’95G), introduced the Schools on the Move initiative, which will provide grants to support innovative physical activity programming at 43 K-12 schools in the Pittsburgh area.
“We’re asking teachers to get creative. We’re not just providing schools with basketballs and nets,” said Jakicic, who also serves as chair of the Department of Health, Physical Activity, and Exercise in the School of Education. “We’re really interested in seeing how these projects unfold.”
Falk School teacher and Pitt grad Barnett wins Carol R. Brown award
Cameron Barnett, who teaches language arts and world history to elementary students at Pitt’s Falk Laboratory School, is the recipient of this year’s $15,000 Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Emerging Artist.
Barnett, 30, is the author of the 2017 book of poetry “The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water.” He studied poetry at Pitt with Terrance Hayes, Yona Harvey, Lynn Emmanuel and Dawn Lundy Martin.
Receiving the award will allow him to attend a writers’ retreat next year, pay off some student loans and do more in-depth research on his family history, he told the Post-Gazette.
The awards are sponsored by the Heinz Endowments and the Pittsburgh Foundation. Barnett and Adriana Ramirez, winner of the $15,000 Carol E. Brown Established Artist award, will be honored at a free, open-to-the-public event from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse.
Pitt Nursing faculty stand out in statewide awards
Three Pitt School of Nursing faculty members were recognized in November at the 30th annual gala and celebration of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. Each faculty member who was nominated for her category received the award.
Brenda Cassidy (NURS ’86G, ’97G, ’11G), assistant professor, won the Doctorate of Nursing Practice award; Jennifer Lingler (NURS ’98G, ’04G; A&S ’03G), professor, won the Nursing Research award; and Patricia Tuite (NURS ’85, ’92G), assistant professor, won the Nursing Education-Academia award.
The Nightingale Awards are a statewide program designed to recognize excellence in nursing. Over the past 30 years, more than 100 nursing professionals who best exemplify compassionate care, clinical expertise, education and leadership have been celebrated at the awards ceremony.
Alex Toner recognized as Western PA Rising Star
Alex J. Toner (SCI ’11G), assistant director of community engagement in the Office of Community and Governmental Relations, was recognized as a 2019 Western PA Rising Star by Get Involved!, Inc., at its 10th annual Pittsburgh Service Summit on Sept. 12.
The Rising Star awards recognize 21 local young professionals who “dedicate their time and talent to community organizations and who are making a positive difference in the region.”
In addition to his role at Pitt, Toner serves as a high school mentor at Brashear High School through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentor 2.0 program, is an active member of Brookline Together and is pursuing a masters of public policy and management from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
According to its website, Get Involved!, Inc. “provides leadership and development programs and initiatives that engage, energize, educate and empower students, young professionals and lifelong learners to make a positive difference in their communities and to become civically engaged.”
Gina Garcia appointed to board of directors of National Higher Education Organization
Gina Garcia, assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, has been elected to the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).
With more than 2,000 members, ASHE is a national organization for scholarship in higher education administration. Garcia’s appointment will run from 2019-2021.
Garcia focuses her research on Hispanic-serving institutions (not-for-profit, degree-granting colleges and universities that enroll at least 25 percent or more Latinx students) in post-secondary education, Latinx college student experiences, and the effects of racism and microaggressions in collegiate settings. Pitt celebrated the launch of her book, “Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges and Universities,” on Oct. 15.
Peter Strick honored for brain research
Peter Strick, founding scientific director of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, was selected for a 2019 Krieg Cortical Kudos Discoverer Award in recognition of his contributions to the understanding of the cortical circuits involved in motor control.
He was presented the award by the Society for Neuroscience at the Cajal Club in Chicago. Each year, neuroscientists at senior, intermediate and beginning stages in their careers are honored by the society for outstanding research on the structure and connections of the cerebral cortex.
Strick's research focuses on four major areas: the generation and control of voluntary movement by the motor areas of the cerebral cortex; the motor and cognitive functions of the basal ganglia and cerebellum; the neural basis for the mind-body connection; and unraveling the complex neural networks that comprise the central nervous system.
Laskas pens 'The Mister Rogers No One Saw' essay in New York Times
Jeanne Marie Laskas, distinguished professor of English in the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences and founding director of Pitt’s Center for Creativity, published an essay in the New York Times Magazine on her friendship with Fred Rogers.
Laskas first met Rogers after finishing graduate school and remained friends with him until his death in 2003.
“Fred Rogers’ philosophy guided me to teach in the way that I do now. He gave me the confidence to become a writer,” said Laskas, a New York Times best-selling author of eight books.
During Pitt’s Year of Creativity, Laskas said we can all learn a lot from Rogers. “Fred believed that the creative process was a fundamental function at the core of every human being,” Laskas wrote in her essay.
Her essay appeared in the Nov. 24 New York Times Magazine. In addition to serving as a contributing writer for the New York Times, Laskas is also a correspondent at GQ. Her bylines have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Esquire.
Study on hearing loss and social participation receives award
Catherine Palmer, associate professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at Pitt, has been approved for a $2.23 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study hearing aids’ role in participation in senior communities.
Through this three-year award, Palmer and her team in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) will find out if people are more satisfied with their social participation when more hearing support is available, and if people with hearing loss find their quality of life improves when they have access to hearing help more frequently.
Palmer’s study was selected for PCORI funding through a highly competitive review process in which patients, clinicians and other stakeholders joined clinical scientists to evaluate the proposals. Applications were assessed for scientific merit, how well they will engage patients and other stakeholders and their methodological rigor among other criteria.
Palmer is also director of the SHRS Audiology Program, director of the Center for Audiology and Hearing Aids at UPMC and the current president of the American Academy of Audiology. Other Pitt researchers who will work with Palmer in this study include audiology associate professor Elaine Mormer, occupational therapy associate professor Natalie Leland and physical therapy professor Charity Patterson.
Pitt–Bradford named National Guard-friendly school
Pitt–Bradford has been named one of 30 colleges and universities in the initial group of National Guard-friendly schools by the Pennsylvania National Guard Associations.
“Guardsmen have unique responsibilities that active duty troops and reservists do not have, and this creates different challenges for them when pursuing a degree,” said retired Brig. Gen. George Schwartz, chairman of the association’s Education Council. “These 30 schools have made a deliberate effort to be flexible, accommodating and supportive of guardsmen-students and deserving of recognition.”
At Pitt-Bradford during the 2018-2019 academic year, the National Guard provided $64,888 to students for educational expenses.
Pitt-Bradford offers military science classes through the U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Seneca Battalion at St. Bonaventure University in nearby Allegany, N.Y. Entry-level ROTC classes taught by National Guard instructors are available on the Pitt-Bradford campus for a student’s first two years.
After that, students travel to St. Bonaventure to take advanced leadership courses with juniors from the five other colleges in the Seneca Battalion, all located in New York: St. Bonaventure, Alfred State SUNY College of Technology, Alfred University, Houghton College and Jamestown Community College.
Pitt-Bradford students serving in the Pennsylvania National Guard are able to drill monthly with Company C Armory at the nearby Bradford Regional Airport.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Army National Guard at Pitt-Bradford, contact Robert Dilks, assistant vice president of enrollment management, at 814-362-7693 or dilks@pitt.edu.
Pharmacy’s Hernandez wins emerging leader award
Inmaculada Hernandez, of the Pitt School of Pharmacy, was been awarded the 2019 Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award by the American Journal of Managed Care during the Patient-Centered Oncology Care meeting on Nov. 8 in Philadelphia.
In 2016, Hernandez joined the Pitt faculty as an assistant professor of pharmacy and therapeutics and as associate director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing. She also serves as associate editor for the journal BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. Hernandez’s research program is focused on the intersection of pharmaceutical health services and outcomes research, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmaco-economics and pharmaceutical policy.
Pitt honored at Healthiest Employers of Pittsburgh Awards
The University of Pittsburgh has been named an honoree for the Healthiest Employers Awards.
Since 2009, the Healthiest Employers Awards aim to recognize leaders in corporate wellness across the U.S. The Healthiest Employers company researches more than 8,000 employers nationally to assemble trends, challenges and practices to enhance corporate wellness programs. Employers are assessed on their health and wellness programs using six fundamental areas of health programming:
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Culture and leadership commitment
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Foundational components
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Strategic planning
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Communication and marketing
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Programming and interventions
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Reporting and analytics
Assistant Vice Chancellor of University Benefits John Kozar is helping develop Pitt’s health and wellness program for faculty, staff and students. “This honor helps create an awareness of the University’s wellness efforts. It also further supports our designation as a Live Well Allegheny Workplace by the Allegheny County Health Department,” Kozar said.
Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Dave DeJong agrees. “Pitt is dedicated to bringing the best health and wellness services and resources to its faculty, staff and students. As a healthy employer, we are paving the way for other higher education organizations to follow our lead and support their employees in health.”
Pitt was recognized for its dedication and commitment to employee health and wellness as a large employer in the Western Pennsylvania region. One such example is the Wellness for Life program for faculty and staff, which focuses on proactive health management, positive lifestyle choices and physical activity. Pitt employees can visit the on-campus UPMC MyHealth@Work Health and Wellness Center to treat a variety of health issues, partner with a health coach to make healthy lifestyle changes and get in shape and explore Life Solutions services to help balance work and the stresses of daily life.