The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosted the Celebration of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in November, honoring the accomplishments of Pitt innovators and regional businesses that are translating their ideas and innovations into marketable products and services that make a difference in people’s lives and drive economic growth.
“This is the one day we set aside each year to pause briefly from the daily whirlwind of invention disclosure submissions, patent filings, pitch competitions, entrepreneurship education programs, mentorship and coaching consultations, license negotiations, industry outreach, and so much more — to reflect on the impact that Pitt innovators and regional business owners are making on our economy and the world at large,” said Evan Facher, vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship and associate dean for commercial translation at the Pitt School of Medicine.
In addition to recognizing all faculty and students who submitted an invention disclosure, were issued a U.S. patent or had their innovation licensed, there were seven special awards presented:
Marlin Mickle Outstanding Innovator Award: DANIEL BUYSSE, distinguished professor of psychiatry, medicine and clinical and translational science and UPMC endowed chair in sleep medicine. This award is presented to a Pitt faculty member who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to innovation throughout a distinguished career. Buysse’s research focuses on sleep assessment and patient-reported outcomes, evaluation and treatment of insomnia, and sleep in aging. His work produced what became known as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Emerging Innovator Award: YUAN LIU, assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine who has an appointment to the University of Pittsburgh Aging Institute. This award is presented to an early-to-mid-career Pitt faculty member who has demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to innovation commercialization. Her lab is interested in small molecule therapeutic development targeting ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation in age-related diseases. She is a cofounder of Generian Pharmaceuticals Inc., launched by UPMC Enterprises in 2020. In 2022, Generian formed a strategic collaboration and license agreement with Mitobridge, a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc., for the discovery and development of novel small molecules for therapeutic targets for diseases that have limited treatment options.
Student Innovator of the Year: ADI MITTAL, a student at the School of Medicine. Working in the lab of Robert Friedlander, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, he has helped advance a protein-based blood panel of seven cytokines that can accurately predict the rupture risk of aneurysms. Mittal became immersed in the Pitt innovation ecosystem to drive this innovation toward the market. His team took a $15,000 second-place prize at the Randall Family Big Idea Competition, operated by the Big Idea Center for student innovation Last year he won first place in the Collegiate Inventors Competition in Washington D.C., and Astria was awarded a $275,000 Small Business Innovation Research Award (SBIR).
Startup of the Year: SURFACE DESIGN SOLUTIONS. The company emerged from the research of Tevis Jacobs, William Kepler Whiteford Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Science in the Swanson School of Engineering. Jacobs’ lab focuses on surfaces and how to make them perform better, whether that is to be more or less slip-resistant, more bio-compatible, or less bio-compatible. Surface Design has developed a machine-learning platform, optimized with thousands of prior surface analyses, that delivers robust, physics-informed analysis of surface conditions for any production environment.
James “Chip” Hanlon Volunteer Mentor of the Year: BILL GAUSSA, former head of innovation and product management at Philip. At a ceremony earlier this fall, Gaussa was given the award which is given in memory of Chip Hanlon, one of the original entrepreneurs in residence at the launch of the Innovation Institute in 2013. Gaussa has mentored numerous Pitt innovation teams through multiple programs and pitch competitions.
Business of the Year: TURNER DAIRY FARM, a fourth-generation family business founded by Charlie Turner in 1930. Turner’s has won more than 100 awards for taste and quality in national competitions since 1998. For more than 25 years, Turner Dairy Farms has been closely connected with the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, beginning in its early days when it was known as the Family Enterprise Center. This partnership has helped the company grow and innovate, with multiple family members and employees completing the IEE’s Entrepreneurial Fellows Class program.
Small Business of the Year: TERRAGREEN, founded by owner Judy Foster, is a certified woman-owned business specializing in sustainable landscape solutions for residential, commercial, and public spaces in the Pittsburgh region. With more than 40 years of industry experience, TerraGreen is committed to creating beautiful, eco-friendly outdoor environments that promote healthy living. TerraGreen’s growth has been supported by the University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center, which has provided business guidance to help the company enhance its digital presence and grow its business. This partnership continues to help TerraGreen expand while staying true to its eco-friendly mission.
Find more information about the award winners and videos on the Innovation Institute website.