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October 24, 2002

PEOPLE OF THE TIMES

Kathy S. Magdic, instructor, Department of Acute and Tertiary Care, has been named a Distinguished Clinical Scholar by Pitt's School of Nursing, one of the first awards of its kind to be offered in this country.

Generated by contributions from the nursing faculty practice fund, the award will enable clinical track faculty at the school to expand their knowledge in a particular area and incorporate it into a curriculum.

Magdic, who also is an acute care nurse practitioner at UPMC Presbyterian's Cardiac Pavilion Service, is studying issues related to reimbursement for advanced practice nurses. She plans to integrate this information into an existing curriculum that will specifically address issues related to reimbursement.

In addition to presenting her findings with students and faculty at the nursing school, Magdic hopes to incorporate this information into a seminar for advanced practice nurses working in other organizations.

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Susan A. Albrecht, associate dean of development, alumni affairs and student services at the School of Nursing, was elected president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. Albrecht also was elected as an American Nurses Association delegate.

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Nathan Hershey, professor of health law at the Graduate School of Public Health, has been selected for inclusion in the 2003-2004 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Hershey will be among those lawyers honored for being named to the list for 10 or more years since the list was first published in 1983.

Attorneys in Best Lawyers are selected by their peers, a group of 15,000 lawyers throughout the United States who cast their votes based on the legal abilities of other lawyers in the same specialties. Lawyers are not required to pay a fee to be listed.

Hershey, who also is adjunct professor of law at Pitt's School of Law, is a graduate of New York University and Harvard Law School and is a member of the Pennsylvania bar. Before coming to Pitt he was in private law practice in New York City.

Hershey co-authored "Hospital Law Manual" (1959), "Human Experimentation and the Law" (1976) and "Hospital-Physician Relationships: Case Studies and Commentaries on Medical Staff Problems" (1982), and has been editor of the Hospital Law Newsletter since its inception nearly 20 years ago.

He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and has served as president of the American Academy of Healthcare Attorneys. Hershey maintains a limited legal practice in the health field focusing on organizational governance, medical staff and contract issues.

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The Optical Society of America, the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy honored Pitt chemistry professor Sanford A. Asher with the 2002 Ellis R. Lippincott Award.

Asher was recognized for pioneering work in raman spectroscopy, a technique used to identify molecules in gases, liquids and solids by scattering laser light.

The three sponsoring organizations present the Lippincott Award annually to an "outstanding vibrational spectroscopist … in memory of Professor Ellis R. Lippincott to scientists who have made significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy as judged by their influence on other scientists," according to the Coblentz Society's web site.

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Faculty representing the Pitt School of Medicine-affiliated Magee-Womens Research Institute and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic are among 65 new members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

IOM is an organization with a broad mandate involving health care-related research and policy. The National Academies are the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council.

New IOM members include:

— James M. Roberts, director of the Magee-Womens Research Institute, professor and vice chairman for research in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and professor of epidemiology at Pitt's medical school, and

— Karen A. Matthews, professor of psychiatry, epidemiology and psychology at the School of Medicine, director of the cardiovascular behavioral medicine research training program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and director of the Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center.

"The Institute of Medicine is a leading body of accomplished and pioneering medical thinkers. Membership is earned and awarded by peers who are IOM members," said Arthur Levine, Pitt's senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences.

Current active members elect new members from among candidates chosen for their major contributions to health and medicine or to related fields such as social and behavioral sciences, law, administration and economics. Election to the IOM is a sign of respect and an obligation to work on behalf of the organization's governance and studies.

Roberts is a leading expert in research on preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that can have serious — even fatal — consequences.

Matthews's research interests include psychosocial factors in cardiovascular disease and the menopausal transition.

There are 1,358 active IOM members. Including Roberts and Matthews, there are now 15 IOM members among the faculty of Pitt's Schools of the Health Sciences.

Pitt's Office of Public Affairs staff and projects were honored at the annual International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) awards ceremony last week.

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The IABC/Pittsburgh Golden Triangle 2002 award winners from Pitt are:

* The Booster Booster community project received two awards for communication management, the award of excellence in the issues/crisis communication category, and the award of honor in the community/government relations category.

* Pitt Magazine, Robert Hill publisher, was honored with an award of excellence in the 4 or more color magazine category for publications. Hill is vice chancellor for Public Affairs.

* Gary Cravener, creative director for Pitt Magazine, received an award of excellence in publication design for magazines with 4 or more colors.

* Pitt Campaign Chronicle won an award of honor in the newspapers/tabloids category for publication design.

* And an award of honor for publication design went to University Marketing Communications for the publication Unlimited Possibilities in the annual reports category.

Hill recognized Public Affairs staff Chris Jones, Dwight Chambers and Cravener for their design awards, and Bill Young, Terry Capp and Sherry Shrum for their work in preparing the Booster Booster project.


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