Pitt’s HexAI lab receives grant to address challenges in total joint arthroplasty research
The Pitt Health + Explainable AI (HexAI) Research Laboratory, which is studying how to improve healthcare with artificial intelligence, earned a grant to improve care and diagnosis for total join arthroplasty (TJA).
With funding from Oracle for Research, the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences lab aims to develop and validate AI models to tackle clinically significant challenges in TJA research. This could lead to more accurate and effective joint replacement treatment in the future.
Pitt’s HexAI lab, directed by Assistant Professor of Health Informatics Ahmad P. Tafti, has already conducted research into machine learning and AI models to predict and improve outcomes for various total joint replacement operations.
Oracle for Research project awardees receive cloud credits — which can be used to access AI programs, cloud computing, cloud storage, database services and more — and hands-on support to accelerate and simplify the technical components of research.
Pitt researchers earn EPA grant to study health impacts of increased rainfall
Three Pitt faculty members are on a team that earned an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to study the health impacts of increased rainfall among residents in predominantly Black, low-income neighborhoods.
The $1.3 million grant will fund new data collection among homes in a Black, disinvested urban neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Researchers have been studying the cohort for the past decade. This project builds on that infrastructure to focus on bacterial and fungal pathogens and indoor air quality in the residential basements.
Sarah Haig, assistant professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, will lead the project; also on the team are Daniel Bain, associate professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and Emily Elliot, professor in the Dietrich School and director of the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education and Outreach.
The team — which also includes researchers from the Rand Corporation, Homewood Children’s Village and the Black Environmental Collective — will also generate community-based solutions to address health risks related to wet basements and heavy rainfall.
Pitt-Bradford named a Top 10 Military Friendly school
Pitt-Bradford was named a Top 10 Military Friendly School among small public universities.
The Viqtory Media list, now in its 13th year, uses data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations to help provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses. Pitt-Bradford has been recognized for 13 consecutive years, though this is the first time the regional campus has earned the Top 10 designation for embracing military students and their families.
Final ratings were determined by combining survey scores with an assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for retention, graduation, degree advancement or transfer, job placement, loan repayment and loan default rates for all students as well as for student veterans specifically.
“The Military Friendly School designation is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of many different offices and people at Pitt-Bradford who actively help returning veterans and their dependents to be successful in their pursuit of higher education,” said James Baldwin, vice president of enrollment management at Pitt-Bradford.
Support at Pitt-Bradford for veterans includes academic coaching and tutoring, disability resources, writing and mathematics centers, an academic advising center, and career and counseling services.
The 2023-24 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine.
Gina Bleck joins Business and Operations as vice chancellor for planning, design and construction
Gina Bleck joined Pitt’s Business and Operations as vice chancellor for planning, design and construction.
As leader the University’s new Office of Planning, Design and Construction, Bleck will oversee the completion of projects and develop long-term strategies consistent with Pitt’s Campus Master Plan and Institutional Master Plan. She will engage internal University partners as well as local stakeholders, such as the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation and the City of Pittsburgh.
Bleck most recently served as university architect at Georgetown University, where she also earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning. During her tenure there, Bleck led projects to renovate all existing residence halls and construct new residence halls, athletic and academic buildings on campus with careful attention on accessibility and sustainability.
An alumna of Boston Architectural College, Bleck is a member of the American Institute of Architects, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and the Association of University Architects.
Jason Togyer co-authors book about local journalism during 2020 events
Jason Togyer, communications manager for Pitt’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI), authored a book that uses reporting by local journalists to reexamine the events of 2020, including the presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice protests.
“American Deadline: Reporting from Four News-Starved Towns in the Trump Era” highlights Togyer’s coverage of McKeesport, Pa. Along with founding the nonprofit news website and internet radio station Tube City Online, Togyer has worked as a journalist across Western Pennsylvania, including in Washington, Greensburg and Pittsburgh.
Prior to joining OEDI, Togyer also worked for the University as associate editor of Pitt Magazine and senior editor of Pitt Med Magazine.
Preorder “American Deadline,” out in May from Columbia University Press.
David Hickton advisor at Center for Strategic and International Studies
David Hickton has been invited to join the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. The founding director of Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security will serve as a nonresident senior advisor to the bipartisan think tank’s Strategic Technologies Program (STP).
The STP brings together technologists, policymakers, civil society and business leaders to develop policy recommendations around changing technology like cybersecurity, digital governance frameworks, 5G networks and telecommunications, surveillance and privacy, and how technology impacts power and conflict.
During his tenure as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Hickton created a dedicated section to focus on cybercrime and national security. As leader of Pitt Cyber, Hickton oversees research to answer critical questions and fill policy gaps around subjects like networks, data and algorithms.
Celiwe Jones joins Pitt’s CECs as workforce development career counselor
Celiwe Jones (SOC WK ’00) will help job seekers revamp their resumes and find jobs within the Pitt as the new workforce development career counselor for the University’s Community Engagement Centers (CEC).
The new position will work with communities in Homewood and the Hill District, offering career counseling, resume and cover letter support and employment workshops. Along with providing resources for job seekers, Jones will connect local residents with opportunities within the University.
The career counselor will meet with community residents in-person at the Homewood CEC on Mondays and Wednesdays and at the Hill District CEC on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments are available 9 a.m.-noon, or you can visit during walk-in hours 2-4 p.m. You can also meet with Jones virtually on Fridays by appointment only.
To schedule an appointment, email Celiwe Jones at crj44@pitt.edu.
Pitt Law alumnus Todd Clark named dean of Delaware Law School
Todd Clark (LAW ’03) was named dean of Widener University’s Delaware Law School, which holds a historic reputation as the state’s only law school.
The professor of law at St. Thomas University in Florida is a recognized expert in corporate governance, contracts, employment discrimination, hip-hop law and sports law. During his tenure as senior associate dean of academic affairs, he also co-chaired the school’s Center for Pandemic, Disaster and Quarantine Research. Clark also taught at North Carolina Central University School of Law after receiving his J.D. from Pitt’s School of Law.
Delaware Law School has graduated more than 200 judges, including a sitting Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and a sitting Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. Clark, who was president of the Black Law Students Association while studying at Pitt, will lead the school as it faces its first competitor — Wilmington University’s School of Law — since its first class graduated in 1975.
Three Pitt leaders named to PA higher education Power 100 list
Three Pitt leaders were included on City & State PA’s Power 100 list of higher education innovators across the commonwealth.
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher was recognized for helping to steer Pitt through the COVID-19 pandemic, fostering research and expanding facilities on campus. His Pitt Success Pell Match program has also invested more than $95 million into low-income students, helping to make tuition more affordable.
Diversity and justice initiatives in Pitt’s School of Education earned Valerie Kinloch a recognition from the magazine. The Renée and Richard Goldman Dean’s research centers Black and Hispanic voices, and she has led initiatives to encourage Black students to become teachers.
Anantha Shekhar, dean of Pitt’s School of Medicine, earned a spot on the list for introducing an MD/PhD program and the school’s success in securing federal research funding. As vice chancellor for the health sciences, Shekhar also leads Pitt’s six schools, which rank consistently among the nation’s top universities in securing NIH grants.
The Power 100 lists are created based on research by City & State PA’s editorial staff and input from its advisory board.
GSPIA’s Santucci named to Biden’s Intelligence Advisory Board
Julia Santucci, senior lecturer in Intelligence Studies in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, has been appointed to President Biden’s Intelligence Advisory Board, according to a March 3rd statement from the White House.
The advisory board is an independent element within the executive office that advises the president on the effectiveness of the U.S. intelligence community, and if it is meeting the nation’s intelligence needs.
“Deeply honored to have been appointed by President Biden to the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. The PIAB plays a unique role in our intelligence system, and I'm excited to serve in this capacity,” Santucci said.
Santucci is director of both the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum. She also is an affiliate scholar of the University’s Institute of Cyber Law, Policy and Security. Santucci teaches courses centered around the U.S. intelligence community, diplomacy and the Middle East. As director of the Johnson Institute and Hesselbein Forum, she leads GSPIA’s research and teaching efforts to develop leadership skills in the next generation of public officials.
Santucci served in the Obama-Biden administration as a senior advisor in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues from 2015 to 2017, where she worked to advance gender equality as a core U.S. foreign policy priority. From 2012 to 2014, she was director for Egypt at the National Security Council. She served for 10 years as a Middle East leadership analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency.
Yvette Conley named associate dean for School of Nursing research and scholarship
Pitt's School of Nursing named Yvette Conley to a newly created position, associate dean for research and scholarship.
Conley, a professor of nursing and human genetics and nationally recognized researcher, will establish a new infrastructure for research within the school. “This truly is my dream role,” she said.
Pitt Nursing has been recognized by The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research as the No. 7 recipient of competitive federal research grants received in 2022 among public universities and No. 12 overall after securing nearly $5.7 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 2022.
“I look forward to stimulating new research endeavors while supporting current research in the school, and I’m really looking forward to recruiting new research faculty to join us during this exciting time at Pitt Nursing,” said Conley.
In 2022, Conley earned the Eastern Nursing Research Society Distinguished Research Award, which is awarded every year in recognition of sustained and outstanding contributions to nursing research by a senior investigator. She has also been recognized as an Honorary Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing — a prestigious appointment held by few non-nurses — and has received an International Society of Nurses in Genetics Founder Award, one of the organization’s highest forms of recognition.
$750,000 NSF grant goes to Swanson School professors' circular economies study
Eric Beckman and Melissa Bilec, professors in the Swanson School of Engineering, will be co-principal investigators on a study of circular economies that earned a $750,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.
NSF’s Convergence Accelerator is funding projects to advance the circular economy, a model which keeps products and materials in continual use by design. Beckman and Bilec, along with project lead and University of Georgia Professor Jenna Jambeck, will analyze data from Pittsburgh and Atlanta. The project, "A Tale of Two Cities: Optimizing Circularity from Molecules to the Built Environment," aims to build a more circular economy in the cities — and beyond.
"We’re connecting and converging a path forward toward a circular economy across multiple materials and scales, and we’re doing it in two large metropolitan areas in geographically different regions," said Bilec, who is also a co-director of Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. "If we are successful, this model could be translated to other locations through the U.S. and globally, and maybe eventually scaling to thousands of cities."
The success of a circular economy depends on collaboration between government, businesses, local stakeholders and many more individuals and organizations. The team will examine circularity at all levels, from molecular optimization for recycling to reusing deconstructed building materials.
Jewish Healthcare Foundation funds School of Medicine research on adverse drug reactions
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation will fund a study from Pitt’s School of Medicine that aims to reduce preventable adverse drug events among patients who transition between the hospital and skilled nursing facilities.
Through the Medication Error Avoidance at Region Scale (MEARS) study, a team in Pitt’s Department of Biomedical Informatics will develop a clinical decision support intervention that will help pharmacists assess risks for individual patients and monitor safety at a population level.
The Pitt MEARS study team will also collaborate with the Carnegie Mellon University Initiative for Patient Safety Research to develop and test predictive and analytic models focused on patient safety and medication error avoidance. The study will help clarify the most important data elements for accurately determining risk for patients as they transition between care settings.
Adam Shear wins Renaissance Society of America Digital Innovation Award
Adam Shear, associate professor in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, worked on a project that won a Digital Innovation Award from the Renaissance Society of America (RSA).
Footprints, a database that tracks the circulation of early modern Hebrew and Jewish books, was recognized for its excellence in supporting the study of the Renaissance. The open-source and open-access tool follows texts from their origins in the printing house to the present-day.
Shear, chair of the Department of Religious Studies, co-directed the project with peers from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. He is the second Pitt faculty affiliated with the Early Modern Worlds Initiative to win an RSA prize in as many years — Associate Professor Christopher Nygren earned the 2022 Phyllis Goodhart Gordan Prize for best book in Renaissance studies.
Association for Asian Studies awards book prize to Dietrich School's Ruth Mostern
Ruth Mostern, professor in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, won a book prize from the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) for her history of China’s Yellow River.
One Joseph Levenson Prize is awarded each year to an English-language book whose focus is on China before 1900. The AAS recognizes nonfiction books that increase understanding of the history, culture, society, politics or economy of China.
Mostern’s “The Yellow River: A Natural and Unnatural History” describes 3,000 years of how humans have shaped the natural system, and vice versa. The director of Pitt’s World History Center also incorporated her innovative digital history work into “The Yellow River,” which is informed by archival research and geographical information system records.
Mostern will be honored at the AAS 2023 Awards Ceremony on March 18.
Amit Sethi receives NIH grant to study improving hand function in stroke survivors
Amit Sethi, associate professor in Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R21 grant for a project aimed at improving hand function in stroke survivors.
The $425,000 award from NIH will fund work within Pitt’s Neuromotor Recovery and Rehabilitation Laboratory, of which Sethi is principal investigator.
More than two-thirds of stroke survivors in the United States have residual paralysis of the upper limb, and few treatment options are appropriate or effective. Sethi’s project will test whether noninvasive brain, nerve and hand stimulation can improve hand movement after moderate-to-severe stroke.
School of Nursing's Lingler earns $2.1 million to study patient reactions to Alzheimer’s diagnoses
Jennifer Lingler, vice chair for research in Pitt's School of Nursing, will lead a study to advance understanding of real-world patient and family member reactions to biomarker-informed Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses. The research, which earned a $2.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, will inform best practices to monitor and support those most in need.
The study — co-led by Joshua Grill of the University of California, Irvine — seeks to better understand the psychological and social impact of using Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in clinical practice. Researchers will remotely interview a diverse, real-world representative population of 500 patients with memory impairment and one of their family members.
Lingler leads the School of Nursing’s Aging and Gerontological Research HUB as well as the Outreach, Recruitment and Education Core at Pitt’s Alzheimer Disease Research Center.
Pharmacy school's Amy Seybert elected president of ACPE board of directors
Amy Seybert, dean of Pitt’s School of Pharmacy, was elected as 2023 president of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) board of directors.
The professor of pharmacy and therapeutics has served on the board of the ACPE, which is recognized as the national agency for accreditation in pharmacy education, for the past five years. Seybert was elected to the board by the American Pharmacists Association.
Seybert, who also oversees clinical pharmacy faculty services as pharmacy residency administrator at UPMC, has more than 19 years of accreditation survey experience.
Along with accrediting pharmacy degree and continuing education programs in the United States, the ACPE offers certification to international degree programs and pharmacy technician education and training programs.
Three Pitt leaders named to Pittsburgh Business Times Power 100 list
Pitt was well-represented in the 2023 Power 100 list, a ranking of influential business leaders from the Pittsburgh Business Times.
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher is on the list for the putting Pitt on a path of “growth, expansion and momentum.” The publication cited the University’s growth in research and grant funding, an increase in gifts and new facilities as some of his accomplishments in the role.
Evan Facher, Pitt’s vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship and associate dean for commercial translation, is recognized for helping faculty and students reach the commercial and societal potential of their discoveries. Don Yealy, chair of Pitt’s Department of Emergency Medicine, made the list for managing 40 hospitals as chief medical officer at UPMC.
View the full Power 100 list, which also include 18 Pitt alumni.
Pitt podcast nominated for Ambie award
A history podcast out of Pitt’s Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (REEES) was nominated for Best DIY Podcast at the Awards for Excellence in Audio, or the Ambies.
REEES Digital Scholarship Curator Sean Guillory wrote, edited and produced the six-part series “Teddy Goes to the USSR.” The audio documentary, which is Guillory’s first venture into the genre, examines everyday life in the Soviet Union in 1968 through the eyes of an American who spent three months in the country. The podcast was supported with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Guillory also produces “SRB Podcast,” which features interviews on Eurasian politics, history, and culture with writers, filmmakers and policy figures from around the world. The show boasts more than 1.7 million downloads.
The 2023 Ambies award ceremony is March 7; it will be streamed live from Las Vegas on the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch.