University Times

Pitt has named Marc Malandro of its Office of Technology Management (OTM) as the associate vice chancellor for technology management and commercialization, effective Oct. 9. 

Malandro had been the director of OTM since spring 2005; before that, he served as a technology licensing manager for OTM.

The office works with Pitt faculty, staff and students on all aspects of commercialization, from protecting potentially commercial ideas through the patenting process to soliciting licensing contracts and creating spin-off companies.

OTM recently has focused its efforts on encouraging faculty in all disciplines to think of commercial applications for their discoveries.

In announcing the appointment, Provost James Maher said, “This new title better reflects the strategic role of Dr. Malandro’s responsibilities regarding the University’s technology management and transfer efforts, including the direction of the OTM and the Office of Enterprise Development, Health Sciences (OED).” 

OED is a service of the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, and is a resource for health sciences faculty pursuing entrepreneurship and interactions with industry. It is a central link that brings Pitt’s researchers together with the life sciences business community. 

Malandro earned a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Florida College of Medicine and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Human Molecular Genetics at Case Western Reserve University.

Prior to joining Pitt, he co-founded Sagres Discovery, a functional biology company focused on the understanding of the molecular basis of cancer. 

His responsibilities as vice president of technology and strategic alliances for Sagres Discovery included managing company intellectual property, technology licensing and overseeing scientific collaborations. 

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Michael S. Sacks, William Kepler Whiteford Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, has been selected by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers executive committee of the Bioengineering Division as technical editor of the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 

The five-year appointment takes effect next July.

Sacks was recognized for his international leadership in biomechanics research and education. His research centers on the quantification and modeling of the structural-mechanical properties of native and engineered soft tissues, with a focus on tissues of the cardiovascular and urological systems. 

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Chancellor Mark Nordenberg has been named chair of a new 13-member committee charged with identifying ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness of city and county government.

The citizens advisory committee to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of county and city government, convened by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, will look into the potential benefits of merging government services.

The goal of the committee, which includes representatives from business, nonprofits and cultural organizations, is to suggest ways that both city and county government can save money and attract more development to the region.

Nordenberg said, “We are grateful to County Executive Onorato and Mayor Ravenstahl for giving us this special opportunity to work with them to build an even stronger future for our home region. We will review existing studies, identify best practices and develop information as needed.”

The committee’s work will begin immediately and will be funded privately, Onorato and Ravenstahl said.

The committee vice chairs are Kathleen McKenzie, the deputy county manager, and Yarone Zober, the city chief of staff.

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Nancy A. Baker, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, has been invited to serve as a member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapy Evidence-Based Practice International Advisory Group. 

Baker’s research focuses on musculoskeletal discomfort, with emphasis on that arising from computer use.

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Megan Spence, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences, has received a 2006 Eli Lilly Analytical Chemistry Grant of $35,000. 

The Lilly award is in recognition of Spence’s research interests, publication record and her impact in the field of analytical chemistry.

Spence’s research focuses on peripheral and integral membrane proteins with nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. 

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Susan M. Meyer, associate dean for education and professor at the School of Pharmacy, has been appointed to the editorial board of the International Journal of Pharmacy Education.

Meyer’s activities in the areas of pharmacy education and academic affairs focus on curricular and institutional quality improvement, instructional design and assessment and faculty development.

She has managed the development of the scholarly teaching development program for health professions educators, and has supervised the development and periodic revision of educational outcomes to guide curriculum development in pharmacy education. 

She has authored manuscripts on pharmacy education, presented at national and international meetings and addressed academic audiences at U.S. universities and colleges and schools of pharmacy.

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The University recently named four new Legacy Laureates, alumni recognized for outstanding personal and professional accomplishments.

The laureates — Derrick Bell, Ellsworth T. Bowser, Michael R. Grever and Hakjoon Kim — were honored Oct. 19, Legacy Laureate Day at Pitt. They participated in a laureate leadership panel discussion with Pitt alumni and student leaders and attended the opening of Pitt’s Legacy Gallery, interactive displays in Alumni Hall that highlight the accomplishments and achievements of Pitt alumni and faculty. The Pitt Legacy Laureate program was launched in 2000.

Bell earned his law degree at Pitt in 1957. He currently is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law here and a visiting professor at New York University School of Law.

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Bell embarked upon his legal career by joining the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department. He went on to serve as first assistant counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and later became deputy director of the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

In 1969, he joined Harvard Law School as the school’s first tenured black professor. Among his many honors are the 2003 Lamplighter Award for Civil Rights from the Black Leadership Forum; a 1997 American Book Award for “Gospel Choirs: Psalms of Survival in an Alien Land Called Home,” and a 1985 Teacher of the Year Award from the Society of American Law Schools.

Bowser received his BA in 1958 and his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1960 from Pitt.

A recipient of the 2001 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Pitt’s School of Dental Medicine, Bowser is a life member of the Pitt Alumni Association and past president of the Dental Medicine Alumni Association. He also served on the School of Dental Medicine board of visitors. He established in Pitt’s dental school the T.F. Bowser Memorial Lecture Series to honor his father, Theodore Bowser. With his wife, Joanne, he also created at Pitt the Captain David E. Bowser U.S. Marine Corps Scholarship Fund in memory of their son, who was killed during flight training exercises over Nevada.

Bowser is a member of the American Dental Association, the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped and the Syria Shrine. He is a board member of the National Aviary, chair of the American Automobile Association east central regional board and an active member and past president of the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh.

Grever earned his BS in chemistry in 1967 and his MD degree in 1971 at Pitt. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to drug discovery and development, particularly for achievements in the development of new chemotherapeutic agents to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Grever has held various positions at the National Cancer Institute, including deputy director of the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis and, within that division, chair of the operating committee for cancer drug development. He joined Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1994, serving as a professor of oncology and director of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies.

In 1999, he joined the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, where he serves as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and associate dean for medical services and holds the Charles A. Doan Chair of Medicine.

A fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American College of Physicians, Grever also was named to the peer-reviewed list of “Best Doctors in America” in 2005.

Kim earned his PhD in political science at Pitt in 1972. He has been publisher of Dong-A Ilbo, a South Korean daily newspaper, since 2001, and is the author of “On Korean Politics,” which won the Best Book Prize from the Korean Political Science Association, and “North and South Korea: Internal Politics and External Relations Since 1988.” 

Kim began his career at Seoul National University, where he served for 16 years as a professor in the Department of Political Science. During that time, he was a visiting scholar at a number of universities and colleges, including Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, King’s College in London and the University of California at Berkeley, as well as the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Kim’s appointments have included service as a professor and chair of the board of directors at Dankook University and as president of the University of Inchon.

Elected to the National Assembly of South Korea in 1985, he later was the chief policy assistant and chief press secretary for then-South Korean president Roh Tae Woo.   

                                     

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Pitt has named nine researchers to its Clinical Research Scholars Program (CRSP) for 2006-2009. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, CRSP seeks to prepare scientists from a broad range of disciplines, specialties and subspecialties for independent careers in clinical research.

The 2006 CRSP scholars are: Aletha Y. Akers, assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences; Julie M. Donahue, assistant professor of health policy and management, Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH); T. Clark Gamblin, assistant professor of surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery; Mary A. Garza, GSPH visiting assistant professor, behavioral and community health services; Jordan F. Karp, assistant professor of psychiatry; Eswar Krishnan, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatology; Bruce Y. Lee, assistant professor of medicine in decision sciences and clinical systems modeling; Sara R. Piva, assistant professor of physical therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Marc A. Simon, assistant professor of medicine, heart failure and transplant cardiology.