University Times

The Graduate School of Public Health has received a $1 million gift for its building campaign, the largest single gift since the campaign was launched in 2009.

The donation from Elizabeth L. Surma (GSPH ’81) and her husband, John P. Surma Jr., will provide matching funds for other major donations. The “Building a Healthier World” campaign supports the construction of a new laboratory facility and upgrades to existing classroom and administrative spaces.

“We are tremendously grateful for the Surmas’ extraordinary commitment,” said GSPH Dean Donald S. Burke, who is the UPMC-Jonas Salk Chair of Global Health. “While the renovations and new laboratory building will certainly benefit our scientists, they also will allow students and teachers to be more efficient and productive. Smart classrooms, modern computer labs and open, inviting common spaces will create cross-disciplinary connections.”

Elizabeth Surma earned a Master in Public Health degree from GSPH, where she developed an interest in care for the aging. Her thesis was an evaluation of geriatric day care in the United States. She worked in hospital administration in area facilities before opting to serve the community through participation on several boards, including GSPH’s Board of Visitors, which provides strategic planning advice.

GSPH’s $87 million construction and renovation project includes a laboratory pavilion scheduled for completion in fall 2013, which will add 58,000 square feet of laboratory space and a 215-seat auditorium. The renovation of the school’s existing facilities, which house the majority of the school’s classrooms, offices and laboratories, will be completed in 2016.