Two Health Sciences researchers named 2023 AAAS Fellows
Two University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences faculty members have been elected 2023 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Deborah Polk, visiting associate professor of dental public health, School of Dental Medicine, and Bennett Van Houten, Richard M. Cyert Professor of Molecular Oncology and professor of pharmacology and chemical biology, School of Medicine, are among the 502 scientists, engineers and innovators recognized by AAAS for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.
A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS fellow is a lifetime honor. Distinguished past honorees include W.E.B. DuBois, Ellen Ochoa, Steven Chu, Grace Hopper, Alan Alda, Mae Jemison and Ayanna Howard. Polk and Van Houten join 214 fellows from the University of Pittsburgh who have received the prestigious award since its inception.
AAAS noted Polk’s “distinguished contributions in the fields of clinical psychology and oral health sciences, particularly in deepening our understanding of behavioral factors of patients and practitioners in improving oral health.” Polk, also a faculty member in the School of Public Health’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, and lab members evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to help providers follow guidelines.
AAAS honored Van Houten as a fellow for “outstanding contributions to the field of DNA damage and repair, particularly the development of several novel methods for understanding the choreography of the DNA repair processes.” Van Houten and his lab study the formation and repair of DNA damage in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, paying particular interest to the structure and function of proteins that mediate nucleotide excision repair and the role of oxidative stress in human disease.
Team led by Stephen Chan receives American Heart Association award
Stephen Y. Chan, professor of medicine and director of Pitt’s Vascular Medicine Institute, will lead a University of Pittsburgh and Prairie View (Texas) A&M University research team as part of a $15 million award from the American Heart Association’s Strategically Focused Research Network on Inflammation in Cardiac and Neurovascular Disease.
Pitt joins with teams from Northwestern University Chicago Campus and the University of Michigan on the ambitious project to better understand the body’s response to inflammation and crosstalk between the heart and brain, as well as how to prevent or treat inflammation-driven cardiovascular diseases.
Chan’s team will conduct three different projects aimed at identifying and treating interrelated conditions of the brain and vascular pathology. They’ll also study cellular mechanisms that impact memory in hopes of developing new medications to boost brain function for people who have experienced a heart attack.
Read more in the AHA press release.
Bambha named fellow of Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Pitt Medicine's Kiran Bambha has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The association bestows the recognition upon members who have made a significant contribution to the knowledge and practice of liver and biliary diseases and are considered leaders in the field.
Bambha is a transplant hepatologist with a strong interest in liver transplantation, living donor liver transplantation, chronic liver diseases, liver transplant policy and allocation systems. She teaches in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in Pitt’s Department of Medicine.
AASLD fellows are committed to continued leadership and service to the hepatology community and supporting cultivation of the next generation of leaders.
New seminar series honors late chemical engineering professor Shiao-Hung Chiang
The legacy of Shiao-Hung Chiang, emeritus professor of chemical engineering, will endure through a newly named seminar series in the Swanson School’s Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.
The Shiao-Hung Chiang Seminar Series is funded through a gift from Chiang’s children — Annette, who conducts research in Pitt’s Department of Biological Sciences; Grace; and Justin. The newly endowed fund will “provide program support to bring outstanding researchers, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the field of chemical engineering to the Swanson School of Engineering community for an exchange of ideas.”
Chiang, who also was executive chair of the Pittsburgh Coal Conference from 1973-1999, was well published for his research in clean coal processes and earned several patents. He was a generous educator, researcher, and mentor according to Department Chair Steven Little, Distinguished Professor and William Kepler Whiteford Endowed Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.
Chiang died Dec. 14, 2022, at 94. See full story on the Swanson School website.
Emily Elliott selected as fellow of the Ecological Society of America
Emily Elliott, a professor of geology and environmental science in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has been elected a fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the organization announced April 30.
ESA, the world’s largest community of professional ecologists, awards the recognition to members who make “outstanding contributions” in applying or advancing ecological knowledge across academia, government and the nonprofit and private sectors.
Elliott, who also serves as the director of the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education and Outreach, which she co-founded, is one of nine academicians and scientists to receive the honor. Her research has advanced the use of stable isotopes to unravel nutrient dynamics in ecosystems; she also directs the Pitt Isotope Tracers Lab.
Elliott, along with the other awardees, will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony at ESA’s annual meeting this August in Long Beach, California.
2 Pitt Medicine faculty earn Gastroenterological Association mentor awards
Two University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine professors have been honored with American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute Council Section Research Mentor Awards.
Robert E. Schoen is a professor of medicine and epidemiology, with research interests in early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. A primary investigator in numerous colorectal medical trials, he has worked with the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, Mayo Clinic, the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium, and more. Schoen received his award in the clinical practice section.
Dhiraj Yadav is a professor of medicine and vice chair for clinical research within the Department of Medicine. His research has focused on the epidemiology of pancreatic diseases, including the role of alcohol and tobacco; incidence, prevalence and hospitalizations; risk and burden of readmissions; and the natural history of pancreatitis. Yadav was awarded in the pancreatic disorders section.
The winners will be recognized at Digestive Disease Week in Washington, D.C., May 18-21.
Anthony Grace is among ScholarGPS’ Highly Ranked Scholars
Anthony A. Grace, distinguished professor of neuroscience in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has been named a ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar. The ranking recognizes scholars for exceptional performances across fields, disciplines and specialties.
Also a professor of psychiatry and psychology, Grace was recognized for his prolific publication record, the impact of his work and the quality of his scholarly contributions. These factors led to his placement in the top 0.05 percent of scholars worldwide.
Grace was named the No. 1 scholar in the field of dopaminergic pathways and was in the top five in the fields of dopamine, haloperidol, pathophysiology and neurons. He was also ranked 39th internationally in the field of psychology, as well as 85th in the social sciences.
Chandralekha Singh named Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Awardee
Chandralekha Singh, Distinguished Professor of Physics in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, was named as the 2024 John David Jackson Excellence in Graduate Physics Education Awardee by the American Association of Physics Teachers.
The award will be presented at the 2024 summer meeting of the association from July 6 to 10 in Boston. The John David Jackson Award for Excellence in Graduate Physics Education is presented to physicists and physics educators who, like John David Jackson after whom the award is named, have made outstanding contributions to curriculum development, mentorship, or classroom teaching in graduate physics education.
Singh’s pioneering research in the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics has played a significant role in advancing physics education research in advanced courses. In addition to educational research in advanced courses, she has conducted research on cognitive issues in learning physics, improving student problem solving and reasoning skills as well as improving equity and inclusion in physics learning environments.
Two Pitt alums are 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners
Two alumni from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences are among the 2024 winners of Pulitzer Prizes.
Brandon Som (A&S ’02G) earned this year’s Pulitzer Prize in poetry for “Tripas,” a collection of poems about his multicultural, multigenerational childhood home. The poems highlight the “dignity of his family’s working lives, creating community rather than conflict,” the Pulitzer Board wrote, and engage with his dual Mexican and Chinese heritage. The book was also a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Poetry.
Som is an associate professor of literature and creative writing at the University of California, San Diego. His first collection of poems, “The Tribute Horse,” won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award in 2015. He earned his MFA in poetry from Pitt and a PhD in literature and creative writing from the University of Southern California.
Brett Murphy (A&S ’13) is part of a team at the nonprofit news organization ProPublica, which won the Pulitzer in the public service category of journalism for a series of articles titled “Friends of the Court.” The series investigated how influential billionaires courted the favor of U.S. Supreme Court justices with gifts and travel. Their “groundbreaking and ambitious” reporting, the Pulitzer Board noted, prompted the court to adopt its first code of conduct.
A reporter at ProPublica since 2022, Murphy previously worked as an investigative reporter at USA Today, where he was a finalist for a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for stories on labor abuses in California’s port trucking industry. Murphy earned his BA in nonfiction writing at Pitt and then went on to earn his master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.
2 Pitt faculty are on the New Pittsburgh Courier’s 40 under 40 list
The New Pittsburgh Courier has honored two University of Pittsburgh faculty members in the 2024 FAB 40 Under 40 list. Brooke Rawls, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, and Lawrence Uradu, assistant professor of radiology in the School of Medicine, are both members of this year’s class of young African American professionals in Greater Pittsburgh.
Rawls, who also serves as academic coordinator for the Child Welfare Education for Baccalaureates (CWEB) program, has been at Pitt since 2021. Her professional experience includes casework at a county child welfare agency, medical social work, nursing home services, grief and loss support, and individual and couples counseling. Rawls’ CWEB program, of which she is herself a graduate, gives students the chance to experience internships in one of the commonwealth’s 67 child welfare agencies, then complete their training in Mechanicsburg at the Child Welfare Resource Center, which is overseen by Pitt personnel.
Uradu has been at Pitt since 2018. A specialist in diagnostic radiology, he received his MD at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. The Nigerian native is passionate about increasing diversity and representation in medicine, which he’s pursued since his time as a medical student, when he stared a program to introduce underrepresented undergraduate students to careers in medicine.
Hernández and Torres inaugural recipients of Michele Reid-Vazquez Commitment to Community Award
Last week, Doreen Hernández and Belkys Torres were announced as the inaugural recipients of the Michele Reid-Vazquez Commitment to Community Award from the Center for Ethnic Studies Research (CESR).
The award is the namesake of Reid-Vazquez, a former associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies who was also the faculty advisor for the Latinx Student Association and the founding director of the CESR. A place where “access and opportunity connect,” the center provides students and faculty with community-building spaces and opportunities through collaborative research, professional development and investigative projects. Each explores race and ethnicity within communities central to ethnic studies, including the diasporas of Latinx, Asian American, Indigenous and African American/U.S. African diasporas peoples.
In an announcement about the awards, professional soprano opera singer and CESR co-director Zuly Inirio (SOC WK ’23G) described Reid-Vazquez as: “a beacon of light for those navigating the complexities of identity, culture and community.” She added that her “work and unwavering dedication have not only paved the way for countless scholars and activists but have also significantly contributed to a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the diverse tapestries that constitute our societies.”
Recipients of the award must exemplify an unwavering commitment to community, truth and building an equitable future for all. Hernández and Torres have displayed these virtues in their respective roles at Pitt and in their efforts to develop Latinx programming at the University and across colleges in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Hernández is the administrator for Pitt’s Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Torres, a teaching assistant professor of Latinx and gender studies in the English Department, is also the associate vice provost for inclusive excellence in education. In the latter position, she focuses on increasing educational equity for students most often impacted by structural barriers.
Yvonne Brewster Way honored with the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award
Yvonne Brewster Way, director of finance & academic operations for the School of Medicine's Department of Surgery, has received the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award.
The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.
Surgery’s Timothy Billiar honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
Timothy R. Billiar, chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, has been awarded the Society of University Surgeons’ Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023. This recognition honors his contributions and dedication to the field of academic surgery.
Billiar was presented with the award at the 19th annual Academic Surgical Congress in Washington, D.C., in February.
Leasa Maley earned the President’s Award for Staff Excellence
Leasa Maley, assistant director of auxiliary services at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, will receive the 2024 President’s Award for Staff Excellence. Maley, who has worked at Pitt-Bradford for 37 years, will receive the award during the university’s Honors Convocation ceremony on April 12.
“I have worked closely with Leasa for decades and have admired and appreciated her dedication to our campus,” said Rick Esch, Pitt-Bradford’s president, who was Maley’s supervisor for many years when he was vice president for business affairs. “I always said, ‘If you want something to get done and done well, you ask Leasa to do it.’ Her brand is going above and beyond. That’s just who she is.”
The President’s Award for Staff Excellence was established to recognize staff members who have demonstrated exemplary performance and made outstanding individual contributions to campus. The award includes a framed certificate and $1,500 to be used to enhance professional development.
Maley was nominated for the award by Alan Hancock, who works in the Computing, Telecommunications and Media Services office but at one time had worked with Maley in the Panther Shop when she was the manager.
“It didn’t take long to see her leadership, competency, compassion and selflessness that she used to build a successful team,” Hancock wrote in his nomination. “Leasa has been an integral part of Pitt-Bradford’s continued success.”
And Hancock noted that Maley does so much more. For decades, she advised the Pitt-Bradford ski group and helped to coordinate and accompany students to Killington, Vermont, for the annual spring break ski trip. She was an adjunct instructor for the campus’ ski and snowboarding classes, organizing and taking students to Holiday Valley. Maley also served as the advisor for Pitt-Bradford’s women’s bowling club before it became a varsity sport.
She has hemmed formal dresses for students, hosted international and out-of-state students in her home until they transitioned into careers and visited with alumni in distant cities and countries.
“With all the remarkable things she does,” Hancock said, “one cannot help but notice how Leasa has retained students and staff … because she cares.”
Maley has dedicated most of her career to Pitt-Bradford. In 1987, she was hired as the assistant manager of what was then the Book Center. Two years later, she was promoted to manager of what became the Panther Shop, a position she held for 30 years, and manager of the Mail Center, a position she still holds. Maley also earned a bachelor’s degree in human relations in 2003.
In 2019, she was named interim assistant director of auxiliary services. A few months later, she was named assistant director. In addition to her work at Pitt-Bradford, Maley volunteers at the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department in New York.
2 faculty win Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards
Pitt faculty members Bridget Keown and Ben Rottman were chosen as recipients of the 2024 Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards, presented annually to outstanding and innovative undergraduate instructors in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.
The honor was established in 1998 with a gift from David Bellet (A&S ’67) and his wife, Tina, and endowed in 2008 through the family's further generosity. Students and faculty can submit nominations in the fall. Awardees selected by a committee each receive a cash prize of $10,000.
Keown, an assistant teaching professor in Pitt’s Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program, is leading a initiative to foster an interdisciplinary program in gender and science at Pitt. Her current research examines the history of kinship among gay and lesbian groups during the AIDS outbreak in the U.S. and Ireland. While earning her PhD at Northwestern University, she focused on the experience and treatment of war-related trauma among British and Irish women during World War I and the Irish War of Independence as well as the construction of history through trauma.
Rottman is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and a research scientist studying causal learning, reasoning, judgment and medical decision-making in Pitt’s Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC). In September, he received a Course Transformation Award from the discipline-Based Science Education Research Center to adapt a large-enrollment Research Methods course to offer students more active learning. Rottman and other LRDC scientists recently contributed to a special edition of the Journal of Cognitive Research that focused on the development and retention of medical expertise.
2024 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring winners announced
The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring recognizes outstanding mentors who substantially impact students seeking research doctorate degrees.
Each year, the Pitt office presents up to four awards, including a $2,500 prize to the graduate faculty member responsible for training the next generation of researchers. The prize is in its 19th year.
This year’s awardees included:
- Giannis Mpourmpakis, Swanson School of Engineering
- Caterina Rosano, School of Public Health
- Sunil Saxena, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
- Elizabeth Skidmore, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
School of Medicine increases female representation in endowed chairs
In 2021, JoAnne Flynn, distinguished professor of microbiology and molecular genetics and now chair of that department, looked into the demographics of the School of Medicine’s endowed chairs, and found that out of 84, only 13 were held by women. Yet women make up 44 percent of the faculty.
Flynn and colleagues, who had formed a task force, met with Dean Anantha Shekhar to discuss their findings; and he committed to expanding leadership opportunities and support for women faculty. Since then, the school has named three more women as endowed professors.
Patricia Opresko, a leading telomere researcher, is the Dr. Bernard F. Fisher Professor of Breast Cancer Discovery Science. Opresko also serves as co-leader of the Genome Stability Program at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Wendie Berg, whose work focuses on optimizing breast cancer screening technologies, is the Dr. Bernard F. Fisher Professor of Breast Cancer Clinical Science. She works to improve breast cancer detection in women who have a history of breast cancer or dense breast tissue.
Raquel Buranosky, known for her work in women’s health and curriculum development, is the Dr. Leo H. Criep Professor in Patient Experience. Nationally regarded for her work in medical education, she is also the associate dean for clinical education in the Office of Medical Education.
“(Shekhar) is committed to raising the profile of women,” Flynn said. “And so far, I have to say, he’s doing a good job.”
Amy Williams will be honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Amy Williams, professor in the Department of Music, is among four composers to receive a 2024 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (AAAL).
The $10,000 prize acknowledges artists who have arrived at their own voice. Williams will also receive an additional $10,000 grant to fund a recording of her work, which will also be presented during a spring concert at the AAAL library.
A new music composer, Williams often writes specialized pieces, with a specific performer’s abilities in mind. She is also an active chamber musician and a member of the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, an ensemble dedicated to performing challenging and under-performed repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Danny Chu named president-elect of the Society of University Surgeons
Danny Chu, professor of cardiothoracic surgery in the School of Medicine, has been named president-elect of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS). He has served as secretary of the society since 2021.
SUS is generally recognized as the world’s premier academic organization dedicated to the advancement of surgical sciences and supporting surgical leaders. Its members have played crucial roles in nearly all the critical developments within the field of modern surgery, from the most basic scientific breakthroughs to technological advances used at the bedside and in the operating room.
Pitt professors of surgery have a strong tradition of SUS leadership. Allan Tsung (2018), David A. Geller (2009), George K. Gittes (2005), Timothy R. Billiar (2000), Richard L. Simmons (1977), and Henry “Hank” T. Bahnson (1965) have previously led the society with distinction.
Chu, also director of cardiac surgery at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, is a recognized expert in the Ozaki procedure, an innovative aortic valve-replacement technique using tissue from the sac around the heart instead of mechanical or animal tissue replacements. In keeping with the School of Medicine’s tradition of educational and clinical excellence, Chu hosts surgeons from around the world at Pitt for formal proctorships.
“We’re privileged to work with Danny, who is not only an outstanding heart surgeon but also an influential surgical leader with a deep passion for advancing our field,” says Ibrahim Sultan, chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery as well as professor and executive vice chair in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. “His relentless advocacy for surgeon engagement and leadership in prominent societies like SUS have been invaluable to our department and Pitt.”
Chu will assume the presidency in 2025.
Bill Kline recognized by fellow Pitt-Bradford staffers
Bill Kline, director of computing, telecommunications and media (CTM) services at the Pitt-Bradford campus, received the school’s annual staff recognition award from his peers.
Kline, who has worked at Pitt-Bradford since 1984, was nominated by systems analyst Steven Ellison.
During his time working in CTM, Kline (UPB ’86, SCI ’00G) has had a significant role in adding ultramodern computing labs, improving cellular coverage and making sure anything with plugs is in working order.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a seven-person team in creating the technology solutions needed for remote working and learning to happen.
“I have immensely enjoyed the last 40 years working at Pitt-Bradford,” Kline said. “It’s always about a team effort in CTM; it’s never about one person. We would not be where we are in technology at Pitt-Bradford without this great team.”
In addition to his official role, Kline has served as president of the Pitt-Bradford Staff Association and as an unofficial staff technology educator, teaching courses in programs like Microsoft Excel. He serves as an adjunct instructor and is always willing to help on campus where needed.