University Times

Pitt's Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance (PSLA) has launched the first in a network of Faith Tech Centers at Saint James Episcopal Church, Penn Hills. The project is expected to establish six Faith Tech Centers in Episcopal churches in southwestern Pennsylvania the first year and an additional six the following year. The partnership between PSLA and the […]

Researchers at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) will begin a series of studies to test a new, wearable medical device that will allow them to monitor participants' vital signs as they go about their daily activities. SenseWear, developed by Pittsburgh-based BodyMedia, Inc., may offer a way to record and analyze everything from sleep patterns […]

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg has appointed a 12-member committee to consider whether the University should extend health benefits to partners of gay and lesbian faculty and staff. According to a May 29 Pitt announcement, "The group will report its findings and recommendations to the chancellor at the conclusion of the study." No further details were available. […]

Last week, Pitt and the American Civil Lib- erties Union announced an agreement where-by a special committee will consider whether the University should extend health benefits to employees' same-sex partners. The group will report its findings and recommendations to Chancellor Mark Nordenberg. Meanwhile, Pitt and the ACLU have suspended litigation in the case. The following […]

Average salaries of Pittsburgh campus full-time faculty haven't gained or lost much ground since last year, compared with salaries at other Association of American Universities (AAU) schools. Salaries of full, associate and assistant professors in Oakland continue to rank in the bottom third among 59 private and public AAU universities in the United States, and […]

Applications to pharmacy schools nationwide are in a six-year downward spiral, one factor contributing to concern about a national shortage of pharmacists. But Pitt's School of Pharmacy is bucking that trend, said a school official, and Pitt is producing graduates who meet the growing patient-care responsibilities of the professional pharmacist. According to the American Association […]

One advanced technology that serves to free pharmacists' time for patient care and consultation is the McKessonHBOC Automated Healthcare's ROBOT-Rx, a centralized drug distribution system that automates storage, retrieval and dispensing of inpatient medications. Now in place at UPMC Shadyside and soon to be used at UPMC Presbyterian, ROBOT-Rx is programmed to dispense scheduled medicines […]

Accountability, standardized tests, outcomes — today's educational buzz words — are all well and good, said the dean of Pitt's School of Education. But they can't be viewed in the abstract devoid of social realities and evolving instructional methods. "There is an argument that highly standardized tests really matter when people take them seriously and […]

If it's warm in Pittsburgh, it must be road construction season. Several local and regional construction projects, ranging from months-long overhauls to surface facelifts, are ongoing or scheduled, according to officials at PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation). Traffic into Oakland from all directions will be affected. PennDOT has established information hotlines and web sites with […]