Accolades

HR names new director of employee and labor relations

Yvonne Powers has been named director of employee and labor relations in the Office of Human Relations. Powers will be responsible for the management of the collective bargaining agreements and oversight of the personnel policies for the University. She will work closely with University leadership, managers and union representatives to build collaborative relationships for the oversight of employee and labor relations.

Powers is a licensed attorney with senior level experience in higher education, the private sector and the federal government. She has worked on a variety of HR functions including diversity and inclusion, recruitment, employee relations, employment law, civil rights law, mediation, arbitration, and union contract negotiations/policy development. Most recently, Powers was the assistant vice president of human resources at the Community College of Allegheny County.

Pitt Cyber announces new affiliate scholars

Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security welcomes Jacqui Lipton and Jennifer Keating as its newest affiliate scholars. 

Lipton is an assistant professor of legal writing at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Her scholarship focuses on law and digital technology. 

Keating is a senior lecturer and the writing in the disciplines specialist in the William S. Dietrich II Institute for Writing Excellence in the Composition Program in the Department of English. Her work includes exploring the influence of advancing technology on society and the politics of language.

Pitt Cyber affiliate scholars are drawn from faculty across the University of Pittsburgh and are selected for their excellence in cyber-themed research and teaching. Affiliate scholars are a source for transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation across Pitt and beyond.  

Anna Balazs elected to National Academy of Science

Anna C. Balazs, a distinguished professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, is among 120 newly elected members to the National Academy of Sciences, which recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Balazs, who also holds the John A. Swanson Chair of Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, is internationally recognized for her theoretical and computational modeling of polymers. For the past decade, her research has focused on mimicking biological processes in polymeric materials which could contribute to the advancement of soft robotics or “squishy robots.”

“Throughout her career, Anna has advanced the field of materials and computational modeling, and we are so proud that the National Academy of Sciences has bestowed her with this honor,” said James R. Martin II, dean of Engineering. “Her research has built the foundation for future materials and their use in ways that even only a decade ago were science fiction.”

Balazs, a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Materials Research Society, has also received some of the leading awards in her field, including the Royal Society of Chemistry S F Boys ­– A Rahman Award (2015), the American Chemical Society Langmuir Lecture Award (2014), and the Mines Medal from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (2013). In 2106, she was the first woman to receive the prestigious Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society.

Honors College staffer Schultz releases indie horror film

Matt Schultz (A&S ’10), manager of recruitment in the University Honors College, recently debuted “The Boonies,” a feature-length horror film shot primarily in Cambria, Somerset and Allegheny counties. 

Schultz co-wrote and acted in the film, which was released widely in April and had a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles. The plot follows campers who find themselves fighting for survival against cannibals in the Appalachian woods.

Watch the trailer or download the full film on Amazon, iTunes and other video on demand sites.

Pitt-Bradford named Military Spouse Friendly School

The Pitt–Bradford has been named a Military Spouse Friendly School by Viqtory Media for being at the forefront of colleges and universities supporting the goals of military spouses. 

The group evaluated institutions using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey and 194 were selected for the Military Spouse Friendly Schools list.

Pitt-Bradford won the designation for its leading practices, outcomes and effective programs for military spouses. Pitt-Bradford is the only campus in the University of Pittsburgh system and one of only three public universities in Pennsylvania to earn the Military Spouse Friendly designation. 

“Military Friendly is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process,” said Kayla Lopez, national director of military partnerships for Military Friendly. “Schools who achieve designation show true commitment and dedication in their efforts.” 

In February, Pitt-Bradford received the Military Friendly School designation for its 11th year.

Steven Little to received third Controlled Release Society award

Steven R. Little, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the Swanson School of Engineering, will receive the Controlled Release Society’s Distinguished Service Award at its virtual annual meeting this July.

Little is internationally recognized for his research in drug delivery systems that mimic the body’s own mechanisms of healing and resolving inflammation.

This is Little’s third honor from the Controlled Release Society. In 2018, he received the society’s Young Investigator Award, and in 2020 was elected to its College of Fellows for “outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of delivery science and technology over a minimum of ten years.”

“Dr. Little's leadership of the focus groups of the Controlled Release Society has been transformational for the society as a whole,” said nominator Justin Hanes, professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “I have never seen the young rising superstars of our field so engaged in the CRS, and their engagement is key to the long-term success of this remarkable scientific society. Dr. Little has also been a highly valued member of the CRS board of directors.  He is a visionary and a natural leader. We are so grateful to him.”

Rather than traditional drug treatments that are distributed throughout the entire body, Little’s controlled release research focuses on time-released microcapsules that target specific cells on site. In 2020, Little published a groundbreaking discovery of a new immunotherapy system that mimics how cancer cells invade the human immune system and thereby reduces the risk of transplant rejection. He has also made advancements to the fundamentals of delivery science with predictive models enabling rational design of drug delivery systems, leading to the founding of Qrono Inc., a specialty pharma company in Pittsburgh.

Pitt wins APLU Innovation & Economic Prosperity University Award

Pitt has won the Place award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ eighth annual Innovation & Economic Prosperity University Awards.

The “Place” award recognizes a university that is excelling in community, social, and cultural development work. It is one of four awards given out each year.

Pitt was honored for its partnerships in and with the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homewood, which have become a centerpiece of the University’s place-based community and economic engagement strategy.

“Pitt has taken a multifaceted approach to cultivating talent in Homewood, promoting innovation, and creating an environment fostering economic prosperity through its 20,000 square foot neighborhood-based Community Engagement Center and associated programs at the Manufacturing Assistance Center, BioShelter, and K12 outreach,” the award recognition said. “Building on long-standing involvement in Homewood by various faculty and schools, Pitt made a long-term institutional commitment to partner the breadth of its engagement assets, across all 16 schools and various business units, with community-based partners to pursue impact and opportunities for the residents of Homewood for the next 25 years.”

Examples of work done by Pitt include the School of Social Work partnering with community organizations and the three neighborhood schools to provide holistic support to students and their families; theInstitute for Entrepreneurial Excellence offering a six-month counseling and training program which has graduated 50 entrepreneurs in Homewood and provided consulting services to 21 area businesses since 2017; and the School of Education’s Justice Scholars Program, which has enrolled more than 40 high school students into college bearing classes, qualitative research experiences, and service-learning opportunities all focused on social justice.

To be eligible for an IEP award, an institution must first earn the Innovation and Economic Prosperity University designation from APLU, which recognizes institutional commitment to regional economic development. To earn the IEP designation, universities conduct a rigorous self-study of their economic engagement activities that includes input from external stakeholders. 

Sixty-six institutions have been named IEP Universities since the program was launched in 2012.

 

Valire Copeland named to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Valire C. Copeland, a professor in the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Public Health, and associate director of the Public Health Social Work Training Program at Pitt, has been appointed to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a major federal funder within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Copeland was appointed as a standing member of the Healthcare System and Value Research study section at the agency, which focuses on building evidence to make healthcare safer, more accessible, and more equitable.

“(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) often asks for reviewers for a single meeting depending on expertise, but an appointment as a standing member is a high recognition that Dr. Copeland is at the top of her field and therefore trusted to make judicious decisions about what work the federal government should be funding in the areas of healthcare access and equity,” said Shaun Eack, associate dean for Research in the School of Social Work. “It also means that the expertise Dr. Copeland brings is viewed as especially deep, as she will sit on study section for all proposals that the Healthcare System and Value Research study section will receive.”

Copeland’s work as a standing member of a study section will involve providing scientific, budgetary and human subjects review of grant proposals related to healthcare safety, access and equity with a panel of other accomplished scholars to inform the federal government of the merits of project proposals received by the agency. 

 

Darris Means receives Outstanding Publication Award

Darris Means, associate professor in educational foundations, organizations and policy, has received the Outstanding Publication Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) for a co-edited 2020 book, “Case Studies for Student Development Theory: Advancing Social Justice and Inclusion in Higher Education.”

Means and his co-authors were a part of the 2017 Emerging Scholars Program for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA): College Student Educators International. He describes the book as a team effort that also involved more than 70 others who contributed to the case studies.

“We came up with the idea to write a book that would contribute to the field of student development and be helpful to practitioners, students and faculty alike,” said Means. “The book explores the intersection of student development theory and social justice.” 

The book consists of 12 sections of case studies organized by topic. Means edited the sections on spirituality and religion and on social class. The case studies on spirituality and religion, he said, tie to his decade of research on queer Black men in higher education and spirituality. 

Princeton Review names Pitt among best schools for making an impact

University of Pittsburgh once again made the Princeton Review’s top 200 list of Best Value Colleges. Pitt ranked #17 on the Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact list. 

The Princeton Review chose these schools based on data collected from fall 2019 through fall 2020 via their institutional and student surveys, and on alumni and salary statistics from PayScale.com. They created a return-on-investment rating by weighing more than 40 data points covering academics, costs, financial aid, debt, graduation rates and career/salary data. The 50 schools that received the highest rating were included on the Top 50 Best Value Colleges list.

In conjunction with Best Value Colleges, the Princeton Review also lists the top 20 public schools and top 20 private schools in: Best Value Colleges for Students With No Demonstrated Need, Best Alumni Networks, Best Schools for Internships, Best Career Placement, Best Schools for Financial Aid, and Best Schools for Making an Impact.

Further information can be found on the Princeton Review’s website.

Max Laun named director of new online graduate law program

Max Laun (LAW ’88) has been named director of the new International Business Law and Dispute Resolute Online Graduate Certificate Program  in Pitt’s School of Law.  

Laun serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc., the organization that oversees 16 organizations the provide civil legal services to the indigent in Pennsylvania and the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, the nationwide organization committed to improving legal access in both criminal and civil matters.

He was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to serve on the PA Continuing Legal Education Board and serves on the Advisory Council to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Center for International Legal Education. 

Laun retired in April 2020 as vice president, general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer of Arconic Inc., following the split of Fortune 150 integrated aluminum company Alcoa Inc., into Arconic and Alcoa Corp. He was vice president and general counsel for Alcoa from 2012-16, following 25 years in roles of increasing responsibility in Alcoa’s legal department. 

His major area of legal practice was international mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, and over the course of his Alcoa career, he led transactions on six continents, including major greenfield investments by the company in Saudi Arabia and Iceland, state privatizations in Hungary, Italy, Spain, Russia, China and Venezuela, and other private transactions in more than 15 countries across Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Adam Slivka honored by Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Society

In May 2021, Adam Slivka will receive a top honor from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the Master Endoscopist Award. 

This award recognized clinicians who spend the majority of their time in patient care and are recognized regionally or nationally for their expertise and contributions to the practice of GI endoscopy. 

Slivka is professor of medicine, associate chief of clinical affairs in the division of GI, hepatology and nutrition, and medical director of the GI service line for the UPMC health system. 

Nicholas Rescher honored by University of Tehran

The University of Tehran held a Zoom webinar in honor of Pitt's Nicholas Rescher, on April 11, 2021. 

Rescher, now 92 years old, is a German-American philosopher, polymath and author, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh. He is chair of the Center for Philosophy of Science and was formerly chairman of the philosophy department in the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.

In the webinar, Nadia Maftouni, a prominent Iranian academic, author, artist and Yale senior research scholar hosted Rescher and talked with him about his achievements. 

Maftouni said: “Rescher’s 'A Journey through Philosophy in 101 Anecdotes' is an actually successful framework to reach a broader audience in the field. At first glance it seems easy to write. But at least in philosophy, it’s easy to write in a complicated style and it’s hard to write in a simple, clear and readable fashion.

Christel N. Temple wins College Language Association Book Award

Christel N. Temple, a professor with Pitt’s Department of Africana Studies in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has received the 2021 College Language Association's (CLA) Book Award for “Black Cultural Mythology.”

Founded in 1937 by a group of Black scholars and educators, CLA is an organization of college teachers of English and world languages that serves the academic, scholarly and professional interests of its members and the collegiate communities they represent. Part of the CLA’s mission is to encourage scholarly research in and the teaching of Black literatures and cultures as necessary aspects of higher education. The association will also publish a journal.

Temple’s “Black Cultural Mythology” surveys more than 200 years of figures, moments, ideas and canonical works by such visionaries as Maria Stewart, Richard Wright, Colson Whitehead and Edwidge Danticat to map an expansive yet broadly overlooked intellectual tradition of Black cultural mythology and to provide a new conceptual framework for analyzing this tradition.

Among other comments, judges said the book is “a very necessary and long overdue call for the development of a Black (Africana) Cultural Mythology. It is extraordinarily well researched, having been some 10 years in development, and builds on the idea of black culture as ‘a sacred inheritance.’”

Temple, former chair of Pitt’s Africana Studies department, is also an affiliate of the Graduate Program for Cultural Studies, the Critical European Culture Studies doctoral program and the African Studies Program. Her major fields of interest are Africana Cultural Memory Studies, Comparative Africana Literature, Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism and Afroeuropean Studies. 

Sandra Murray speaks at annual African Summit in Morocco

Sandra Murray, professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Cell Biology, was one of five Americans invited to speak at the second annual African Summit in Morocco.

The summit, held April 5-7, 2021, focused on “Made in Africa: African Women’s Success Story” and there were more than 60 speakers from 40 different countries.

Murray spoke on the role of the adrenal glands in stress and disease and gave strategies based on using movement to control stress-related health problems that affect not only woman but all. Her presentation was based on research that shows that heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and many other conditions are linked to stress and the findings that women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of stress.

The goal of the African Summit was to support and organize women leaders and young people of Africa. The summit is sponsored by the Trophy Foundation of Africanity to honor those who contribute to the development of Africa, particularly between Morocco and its African sister countries in the human, social, cultural, spiritual, economic and sports fields.

Pitt Cyber announces new affiliates

Ahmed Ibrahim is joining the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security as an affiliate scholar, and Lt. Col. James J. Straub Jr. is joining the institute as an affiliate practice scholar.

Ibrahim is an assistant professor in the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems in the School of Computing and Information. His research is primarily focused on improving cybersecurity education.

Straub is commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 730 at the University of Pittsburgh and also serves as department chair and professor of aerospace studies. He is a cyber operations officer and a joint cyberspace and communications subject matter expert.

Pitt Cyber affiliate scholars are drawn from faculty across the University of Pittsburgh and are selected for their excellence in cyber-themed research and teaching. 

Taofeek K. Owonikoko named new chief of Hematology Oncology

Taofeek K. Owonikoko will join the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh as chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Owonikoko, a physician-scientist board-certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine, also will serve as associate director for translational research and co-leader of the Cancer Therapeutics Program at Hillman. He will hold the Stanley M. Marks—OHA Endowed Chair in Hematology/Oncology Leadership and will begin his appointment on July 1, 2021.

“Taofeek has an extraordinary track record of clinical and academic success and a deep commitment to helping early career researchers and clinicians achieve their fullest potential,” said Robert Ferris, director of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “We are thrilled he is joining the senior leadership team at Hillman.”

Owonikoko will lead a division of more than 65 faculty members, who are recognized leaders in hematology and oncology clinical care and research. He will oversee translational research and efforts to expand clinical trial access across the Hillman network of more than 70 sites. 

“I’m very excited to join such an exceptional team of physicians and scientists at Hillman,” said Owonikoko. “I look forward to being an active and engaged member of this community with a strong culture of improving patient’s lives through translation of cancer research from the bench to bedside.”

Owonikoko has co-authored numerous publications and serves on the editorial boards of several organizations. He has also received many awards, including the Michaele C. Christian Oncology Development Lectureship and Award from the National Cancer Institute in 2020, the Heine Hansen Award for Small Cell Lung Cancer research from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the Leadership Development Program award from the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO). He will begin a four-year term on the ASCO Board of Directors in June 2021.

Nicole Sekel joins American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Nicole Sekel, first-year doctoral student and research assistant in the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, has joined the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). 

The ASBMR membership comprises basic research scientists and clinical investigators in bone and mineral metabolism and related fields along with physicians and other healthcare practitioners. Current worldwide membership numbers approximately 4,000. 

Sekel graduated from George Mason University with a master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Food Studies. Her research interests include vitamin D deficiency among collegiate athletes and members of the military. 

Helen Cochrane recognized by Women Who Advance Associations

Helen Cochrane, the program director of the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, is one of the 21 Women Who Advance Associations across the international association community. 

Women Who Advance Associations is honoring 21 female association leaders in 2021. According to the organization, "As representatives of civil society, association leaders act as role models and engines for transformation."

Cochrane was recognized during Women's History Month this March.

Alyson Stover receives Occupational Therapy advocacy award

Alyson Stover, assistant professor of occupational therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, received the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Lindy Boggs Award for advocacy leading to far-reaching change. This award will be conferred at a recognition ceremony on April 26, 2021. 

The Lindy Boggs Award, established in 1982, recognizes the significant contributions by an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant in promoting occupational therapy in the political arena by increasing recognition of occupational therapy in federal or state legislation, regulation and/or policy or by increasing appreciation and understanding of occupational therapy by elected or appointed officials.

Read more about Stover's work in Pittwire.