Academic Accolades AY 2019-2020

Duck Publishes New Book, ‘Tacit Racism’

Waverly Duck, an associate professor with Pitt’s Department of Sociology, is co-author of a new book, “Tacit Racism.”


SHRS Professors Named Fellows of the APTA

Janet Freburger, professor, and Sara Piva, associate professor, have been named Catherine Worthingham Fellows of the American Physical Therapy Association.


McKone Selected as a 2020 Beckman Young Investigator

James McKone, assistant professor of chemical engineering, was selected as a Beckman Young Investigator by the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation.


Deitrick Appointed to UAA Distinguished Service Honor Roll

Sabina Deitrick, associate dean of GSPIA, was inducted to the Urban Affairs Association Distinguished Service Honor Roll.


Chu Wins Distinguished Educator Award

Charleen T. Chu, professor of pathology and the A. Julio Martinez Endowed Chair in Neuropathology, received the 2020 Robbins Distinguished Educator Award from ASIP.


Research Team Receives Grant to Debunk False COVID Info

Yu-Ru Lin, associate professor in SCI, Adriana Kovashka; assistant professor in SCI; and Wen-Ting Chung, research assistant professor in the School of Education, have been awarded a RAPID Grant from the NSF to develop a debunking system for COVID-19 related misinformation.


Little Elected into College of Fellows

Steven Little, William Kepler Whiteford Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, was recently elected to the Controlled Release Society’s College of Fellows.


Celedón Named President of ATS

Juan C. Celedón, Niels K. Jerne Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and chief of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, was recently named president of the American Thoracic Society for the 2020-21 term.


Ghilani Selected for Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Award

Jessica Ghilani, associate professor of communication at Pitt-Greensburg, was named the 2020 Aviation Space Writers Foundation Award Winner by the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.


Matilla Awarded Public Policy Fellowship

Joshua Matilla, assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt Public Health, was selected for the 2020-2021 class of Public Policy Fellows at the American Association of Immunologists.


Bahar Elected to NAS

Ivet Bahar has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Bahar is a distinguished professor and the John K. Vries Chair of the Department of Computational and Systems Biology in the School of Medicine.


Kuebbing Named ESA Early Career Fellow

Sara Kuebbing, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Science, has been named a 2020 early career fellow of the Ecological Society of America.


Three Researchers Inducted into AIMBE

Heng Huang, Alicia Koontz, and Douglas Weber have been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.


Hatfull Elected to the AAAS

Graham Hatfull, Eberly Family Professor of Biotechnology in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been elected a 2020 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.


Singh Named President of AAPT

Chandralekha Singh, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and founding director of the dB-SERC, has been appointed as the 2020 president of the American Association of Physics Teachers.


Chandrasekaran Appointed to NIH Study Section

Bharath Chandrasekaran, a communication science and disorders associate professor and vice chair of research in SHRS, was appointed a charter member of the Language and Communication Study Section of the Center for Scientific Review.


Harvey Wins Fellowship for Poetry

Yona Harvey, faculty member in the Department of English, has been awarded a fellowship from the George A. and Eiiza Gardner Howard Foundation at Brown University for the 2020-21 academic year.


Murphy Named Distinguished Fellow of AAPA

Emily Murphy, assistant professor of physician assistant studies in SHRS, has been recognized as a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.


Inman Named Fellow of the SCP

J. Jeffrey Inman, associate dean for research and faculty and Albert Wesley Frey Professor of Marketing, has been named a fellow of the Society for Consumer Psychology.


Kinloch Released New Co-Edited Book

Valerie Kinoch, the Renée and Richard Goldman Dean of the School of Education, has released a new co-edited book: Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Instruction.


Imbrenda Wins National Literacy Research Award

Jon-Philip “Jay” Imbrenda, faculty member in the School of Education, is the recipient of the 2019 Arthur Applebee Award for Excellence in Research on Literacy.


Sotomayor-Miletti Receives International Literary Award

Áurea María Sotomayor-Miletti, professor in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, won the Casa de las Américas Prize in the essay category.


Solar Project Selected for U.S. DOE Prize

A project led by Paul W. Leu, associate professor of industrial engineering, has been selected for the American-Made Solar Prize.


Booth Honored for Work with Teens

Assistant Professor of Social Work Jaime Booth was awarded the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award from the SSWR.


Adal Receives NEH Grant

Raja Adal, assistant professor in the Department of History, received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Bidanda Elected IISE President

Bopaya Bidanda, the Ernest E. Roth Professor and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering, has been elected president of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.


Pitt Faculty Named 2020 Sloan Research Fellows

Susan Fullerton, Michael Hatridge, and Robin E.C. Lee were recognized for their work by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.


Derricotte Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Toi Derricotte, professor emerita in the Department of English, is the 2020 recipient of the Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry.


Sachdeva Named NEA Fellow in Literature

Anjali Sachdeva, lecturer in the Department of English, was named a Literature Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).


Palevsky Named President-Elect to Foundation Board

Paul M. Palevsky, professor of medicine and clinical and translational science, was named president-elect of the National Kidney Foundation’s board.


Mitchell Named United States Artists Fellow

Pitt Jazz Studies Director Nicole Mitchell is one of 50 national artists across 10 disciplines to win the award this year.


Bioethics Researchers Elected Fellows to Hastings Center

Lisa S. Parker and Robert M. Arnold are two of 12 newly elected fellows recognized for their outstanding accomplishments informing scholarship and public understanding of complex ethical issues.


Shertzer Awarded NSF Grant

Allison Shertzer, associate professor in the Department of Economics, has received a three-year, $607,000 National Science Foundation grant to examine the evolution of real estate values and the standard of living in the U.S.


Coutanche Named Rising Star by APS

Marc Coutanche, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and research scientist at the LRDC has been named an Association for Psychological Science Rising Star.


Hanson Wins American Psychological Foundation Award

Jamie Hanson, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and research scientist at the LRDC received the 2019 American Psychological Foundation Robert L. Fantz Memorial Award.


SOE Wins Gates Foundation Grant

The Gates Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to the School of Education and Remake Learning to develop a network of educators and learning scientists focused on transforming research and development conduct in education.


McCarthy Receives National Research Award

Tessa McCarthy, assistant professor in the School of Education, received the 2019 Alan J. Koenig Research in Literacy Award.


Rawski Earns Lifetime Achievement Award

The American Historical Association bestowed a lifetime achievement award upon Evelyn Rawski, distinguished university professor emerita in the Department of History.


Mitnick Wins Ideas Worth Teaching Award

The Aspen Institute recognized Pitt Business professor Barry Mitnick’s course Market Manipulations with its Ideas Worth Teaching Award.


Two Named Fellows for NAI

Rob Rutenbar, senior vice chancellor for research, and William Federspiel, John A. Swanson Professor of Bioengineering, were elected to the National Academy of Inventors' 2019 fellow class.


Three Researchers Named to AAAS

Kathryn Albers, Tao Han, and Rob Rutenbar have been named to the American Association for the Advancement of Science 2019 fellowship cohort.


Campbell Selected for National Recognition

Nurse researcher and faculty member Grace Campbell included in the inaugural cohort of fellows of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.


Hernandez Earns Emerging Leader Award

Inmaculada Hernandez, assistant professor of pharmacy and therapeutics, was presented the 2019 Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award.


Palmer Receives PCORI Funding Award

Catherine Palmer, associate professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders, awarded $2.23M to study hearing aids’ role in participation in senior communities.


Garcia Elected to ASHE Board

Gina Garcia, assistant professor in the School of Education, has been elected to the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.


Strick Honored for Brain Research

Peter Strick, founding scientific director of the Brain Institute, was selected for a 2019 Krieg Cortical Kudos Discoverer Award.


Pitt Nursing Faculty Stand Out

Three School of Nursing faculty members were recognized with Nightingale Awards for excellence in nursing.


Bodnar Named NAM Committee Member

Lisa Bodnar, Department of Epidemiology professor, has joined the National Academy of Medicine's committee on feeding recommendations for infants and young children.


Leu Receives $1M DOE Award

Paul Leu, associate professor of industrial engineering at the Swanson School of Engineering, will lead a collaborative study to improve performance of OLEDs.


Abramowitch Honored for Diversity Work

Steven Abramowitch, associate professor of bioengineering, received the 2019 Diversity Lecture Award for outstanding contributions to improving gender and racial diversity in biomedical engineering.


John Elected President of Pennsylvania Medical Society

Lawrence R. John, a clinical instructor for the Department of Family Medicine has been sworn in as the 170th president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.


NSF Funding to Study Brain in Rehabilitation Research

A research team from Pitt and Northeastern received a combined $1,181,757 from the NSF to develop a brain-computer interface system as a tool in support of their work.


High-Risk High-Reward Grants for Research

Scientists Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis and Caroline Runyan have won NIH Director’s Awards for pursuing major opportunities and gaps in biomedical research that require trans-NIH collaboration to succeed.


Highest First-Time Passing Rate for PA Bar Exam

The rate of first-time takers who passed the Pennsylvania bar exam from Pitt’s School of Law in 2019 is 91.36%—the highest in the state.


Doswell Named 2019 Woman of Excellence

Willa Doswell, associate professor in the School of Nursing, has been named a 2019 Woman of Excellence by the New Pittsburgh Courier.


Gobat Honored for Best Book

History Professor Michel Gobat has been recognized by the American Historical Association with the Friedrich Katz Prize.


Derricotte Receives Award from Modern Language Association

Toi Derricotte, professor emerita in the Department of English within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has been recognized by the Modern Language Association with its Phyllis Franklin Award for Public Advocacy of the Humanities.


Birnbaum, Haines Receive NEH Grants

The National Endowment for the Humanities granted awards to two Pitt professionals for their work in Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities and Landmarks of American History.


Porter Named Outstanding International Educator

Maureen Porter, associate professor in the School of Education, received the David Portlock Outstanding International Educator Award.


Torres-Oviedo Receives CAREER Award Grant

Gelsy Torres-Oviedo, assistant professor of bioengineering in the Swanson School of Engineering, received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to apply a novel approach to improve locomotor learning in stroke patients.


Swanson School’s Rizzo to Receive Durelli Award

The Society for Experimental Mechanics has selected Piervincenzo Rizzo, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Swanson School of Engineering, to receive the 2020 A.J. Durelli Award. 


Millstone Wins Career Excellence Award

Jill Millstone, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, has been awarded the 2019 Greater Pittsburgh Women’s Chemists Committee Award for Career Excellence in the Chemical Sciences.


Brooks, Palacios-Barrios Named 2019 Ford Foundation Fellows

Robin Brooks, an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies, and Esther Palacios-Barrios, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology who also works with the Learning Research and Development Center, have been accepted to the 2019 Ford Foundation Fellowship Program.


New Jazz Studies Director Mitchell Tops Jazz Polls

Two significant honors were recently announced for Nicole Mitchell, Pitt’s new William S. Dietrich II Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies: The prestigious 2019 Downbeat International Critics Poll named Mitchell the winner in the flute category, and members of the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) named Mitchell “Flutist of the Year.”


Gellad Receives Presidential Award for Scientists and Engineers

Walid Gellad, associate professor of medicine and health policy, was named a winner of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).


Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Receives NSF Funding for New Tech

The National Science Foundation has awarded $10 million to the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a joint research center between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, to build a new supercomputer.


Meyer Receives Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award

Susan Meyer, associate dean for education and professor in the School of Pharmacy, recently received the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award.