University Times

Pitt Nursing Dean Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob has been appointed as chair of the scientific advisory board for the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), a roadmap project of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Part of the NIH “Roadmap for Medical Research,” PROMIS, which is managed by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), focuses on the collection and analysis of chronic disease patients’ self-reported information in order to better quantify symptoms and outcomes that typically are difficult to measure. One of the initiative’s primary goals is to develop a set of publicly available computerized adaptive tests for the clinical research community.

In Fiscal Year 2004, NIH provided $6 million to fund six primary research sites and a statistical coordinating center for the PROMIS network. One of those sites is located at Pitt under the direction of Paul Pilkonis a UPMC researcher in psychiatry.

As chair of the scientific advisory board, Dunbar-Jacob will participate in the evaluation of the activities and progress of the PROMIS sites and provide recommendations to the network and the NIH focusing on a long-term goal of widespread utility and adoption of the PROMIS item bank and computerized adaptive testing in clinical research.

Dunbar-Jacob is a nurse and psychologist who is principal investigator of the NIH-funded Center for Research in Chronic Disorders housed within the School of Nursing.

Dunbar-Jacob said: “PROMIS has the potential to standardize patient symptom assessment in clinical research, using state-of-the-art measurement theory, which should permit smaller sample size studies and comparisons across studies, ultimately resulting in improved care and better outcomes.”

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Robert Hill, Pitt’s vice chancellor for Public Affairs, will be given a 2005 Racial Justice Award from the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh Center for Race Relations.

Hill will be one of five individuals and two organizations to be honored with this year’s awards, to be given at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh members’ meeting and awards dinner Nov. 17.

Also at this year’s ceremony, Edna Chappelle McKenzie, the first black woman to earn a doctorate in history at Pitt, will be honored posthumously.

Now in its 14th year, the Racial Justice Awards are presented annually to recognize individuals, corporations and organizations that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to eliminate racism.

The Center for Race Relations supports deliberate mission-driven education and advocacy that is designed to move the region toward greater equity and inclusion. Its mission is to raise the consciousness and deepen the understanding of racism at the individual level, to create coalitions at the group level and to strategize systemic change initiatives at the institutional level.

Hill is being honored for his lifelong commitment to racial justice.

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Joseph S. Sanfilippo, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the School of Medicine, this month assumed the presidency of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). He previously served the organization in a number of positions, most recently as president-elect.

Founded in 1944, ASRM is an organization of approximately 8,500 physicians, researchers, nurses, technicians and other professionals dedicated to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive biology.

“ASRM is a vital resource for clinicians and scientists in critical fields of research including stem cells, infertility and all facets of reproductive and developmental biology,” said Sanfilippo, who also is division chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility and vice chair of reproductive sciences at Magee-Womens Hospital, where he heads a group of specialists that medically and surgically treat women who are experiencing infertility. “It is an honor to receive such recognition from my peers.”

Before joining Magee, Sanfilippo was the James and Marilyn Gilmore Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Sanfilippo received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, which named him a distinguished alumnus in 1990.

He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.

Sanfilippo is a past president of the Society of Reproductive Surgeons.

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Pitt’s School of Medicine has named Bruce Freeman as professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology, effective Jan. 1.

Freeman joins Pitt following a two-decade tenure at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), most recently serving as vice chair for research in the Department of Anesthesiology. He is noted for his research on cell-signaling reactions and inflammatory processes due to tissue injury, which has had implications for the design of new treatment approaches for such conditions as acute inflammation, respiratory disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Freeman’s work also has led to his involvement in two entrepreneurial ventures: Nitro Lipids, Inc., which supports the pre-clinical development of nitrated fatty acids as anti-inflammatory signaling mediators, and OXIS International, which focuses on the pre-clinical and clinical development of low-molecular weight antioxidants and antioxidant enzyme synthesis.

Among Freeman’s awards and honors is his selection as a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1993.

In 1995-96, he served as president of The Oxygen Society/Society for Free Radical Research. In 2003, he was designated a “highly cited author” in biology and biochemistry by the Institute for Scientific Information, placing him among the 100 most-cited researchers in this area.

He serves on the editorial boards of Critical Care Medicine, Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry, General Pharmacology: The Vascular System and Environmental and Nutritional Interactions.

Freeman’s wife, Margaret M. Tarpey, who previously was the Edward Ernst Professor of Anesthesiology at UAB, will be joining Pitt’s School of Medicine faculty as a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology.

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James P. Bradley, a clinical associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the School of Medicine, an orthopaedic surgeon at UPMC St. Margaret and head team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was named as an active member of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) at its recent annual meeting.

Membership in the AOA signifies honor and accomplishment in orthopaedics as well as commitment to active leadership in the specialty. Bradley specializes in orthopaedic sports medicine and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder, elbow and knee.

He has been head team physician for the Steelers since 1991, is a former president of the National Football League (NFL) Physicians Society and serves on the NFL injury and safety panel.

Bradley completed his orthopaedic surgery residency training at Pitt before completing sports medicine fellowship training at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

Bradley earned his B.S. from Penn State where he was a co-captain of the football team and winner of the 1975 Dapper Dan College Football Award.

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M. Ilyas Kamboh, professor of human genetics in the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), was selected as a founding member of the scientific advisory board of the newly formed Alzheimer’s Disease Research Foundation (ADRF).

The purpose of ADRF is to provide funds for Alzheimer’s disease research with a focus on translational research toward a cure. Currently, about 4 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, but the underlying mechanism of the disease is not clear.

Kamboh is a molecular geneticist/genetic epidemiologist and his research focuses on the genetics of common diseases of public health importance, including coronary heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and lupus.

Kamboh also holds a joint position as professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine.In addition, he directs the human genetics laboratory at GSPH.

He is a fellow of the American Heart Association.

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Tanya J. Fabian, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and psychiatry at Pitt’s School of Pharmacy, has been invited to serve on the selection panel for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation literature awards program. She will serve on the pharmacy practice research award panel through May.

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Charles Mackett III, who recently retired as a colonel in the United States Air Force, has been named associate professor of family medicine and executive vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine in the Pitt School of Medicine.

Mackett said his goals include assisting the chair to enhance the national stature of the department, encouraging outstanding family medicine physicians to stay in western Pennsylvania and expanding the department’s clinical practice sites.

Mackett is a decorated member of the U.S. Air Force, having been awarded the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, among many others.

He was most recently commander of the 6th Medical Group in Tampa and also served as the commander of the Air Force hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, for several months in 2004.

Among his career highlights was a stint as commander, 45th Medical Group, and assistant for bioastronautics for the Department of Defense (DOD) Space Flight Support Operations Office at Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where he coordinated the DOD’s medical response for all space shuttle launches and landings.

Mackett is board certified in geriatrics from the American Board of Family Practice/American Board of Internal Medicine and in family practice from the American Board of Family Practice. He also is a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society.

He was honored with the President’s Commander in Chief Installation Excellence Award in 2004.

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Law professor Harry Gruener has been appointed to serve as Pitt’s School of Law representative to the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Family Law Section Council for 2005-2006.

Also in the law school, professor Stella Smetanka has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association, an appointment that became effective in September.

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Jack L. Daniel, Pitt vice provost for undergraduate studies and former dean of students, was honored with a special tribute Oct. 22 by the Pitt African American Alumni Council (AAAC). Daniel, whose service as Pitt vice provost will end Dec. 31, will remain a professor of communication in the School of Arts and Sciences.

AAAC’s mission is to support African-American alumni, students, faculty, staff and administrators and to strengthen their connection to Pitt through many programs and activities.

Also honored this month by AAAC as distinguished alumni were Herbert P. Douglas, Pitt trustee; Donald M. Henderson, Pitt professor emeritus and former provost, and Jeannette E. South-Paul, Andrew W. Mathieson Professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine in Pitt’s School of Medicine, among other Pitt alums.

Daniel holds three Pitt degrees: a B.S. in psychology and an M.A. and Ph.D. in communication. He was an American Council on Education fellow at Stanford University and is an alumnus of Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.

In his administrative role at Pitt, Daniel has served as chair of the enrollment management steering committee, coordinating a number of campuswide activities related to student recruitment, retention, satisfaction, graduation and placement.

Also among his responsibilities have been new undergraduate academic programs and work with the Chancellor’s Diversity Task Force and Equipoise on issues relating to diversity.

Among Daniel’s honors and recognitions are the National Communication Association’s (NCA) “Spotlight Program on the Contributions of Jack L. Daniel” in 1995, NCA’s Presidential Award for contribution to the black caucus in 1997 and delivery of a Baldwin-Wallace College Marting Endowed Lecture in 1998.

Daniel is or has been a member of the governing board of the College Board, the Commission on Human Resources and Social Change, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the Florida Education Fund’s Council of Elders, and the board of directors of INROADS/Pittsburgh, Investing Now and the Hill House Association.

Trustee Douglas is a retired vice president of Schieffelin & Somerset, a subsidiary of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey Corp., where in 1968 he became the third African-American vice president of a major national company.

Douglas is a former Pitt football and track star, one of the first two black football players here. He also was a three-time Amateur Athletic Union titleholder in track and a bronze medalist in the long jump at the London International Olympic Games of 1948.

Douglas is founder and president emeritus of the International Amateur Athletic Association (IAAA) and established the Jesse Owens International Trophy Award and the Jesse Owens Global Award. Douglas was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the New York Athletic Club, considered the most prestigious athletic club in the United States, this past spring.

Henderson was named associate provost in 1970, vice provost in 1978 and served as senior vice chancellor and provost from 1989 until his retirement in 1993. While at Pitt, Henderson chaired the University-wide planning and budgeting committee. He is given credit, among his many contributions, for his roles in helping to establish the University Center for Social and Urban Research and in planning and developing the University Library System.

In 2001, the University created the Donald M. Henderson Professorship in his honor.

Henderson holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Pitt and earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in sociology from Kent State University.

In addition to being the first woman and first African American to serve as a permanent chair of a department in Pitt’s School of Medicine, South-Paul is medical director of Division of Community Health Services at UPMC.

South-Paul also chairs the Association of American Medical Colleges task force and co-chairs Pitt’s community research advisory board. She is a senior adviser for the American Academy of Family Physicians Committee, with a family practice at the UPMC Matilda Theiss Clinic.

For her mentoring efforts, the Joy McCann Foundation named South-Paul a 2004 McCann Scholar.

A graduate of Pitt’s School of Medicine, South-Paul also received an undergraduate degree in medical technology from the University of Pennsylvania.