Among the Pitt Schools of the Health Sciences faculty members whose work has recently been acknowledged with awards and accolades are the following.

• Jeffrey A. Kant, professor of pathology in the School of Medicine and professor of human genetics in the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), received the Association for Molecular Pathology’s (AMP) 2005 Leadership Award. Kant is the inaugural recipient of the award, which recognizes an AMP member for exceptional leadership in advancing the mission and goals of the association. Kant, who also is director of the division of molecular diagnostics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), was a leader in establishing the organization and served as its first president from 1995 until 1996. Kant also is a past chair of the association’s education and journal oversight committees.

• Joanne Kowiatek, adjunct professor in pharmacy and therapeutics in the School of Pharmacy and UPMC’s pharmacy manager of medication safety, received a Cheers Award from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) for her contributions to improving patient safety. Kowiatek was honored for her volunteer work with the institute, particularly her service on the advisory board for ISMP Nurse Advise-ERR™, a monthly medication safety newsletter for nurses who transcribe medication orders, administer medications, and monitor the effects of medications on patients. According to ISMP, Kowiatek has consistently demonstrated a commitment to helping the institute learn more about medication errors and error-prevention strategies.

• Scott Mark, assistant professor of pharmacy and therapeutics in the School of Pharmacy, has been invited to serve a two-year term on the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Foundation Research Advisory Panel. In that role, he will help guide the foundation in its research efforts and assist the board and staff in establishing research priorities and identifying funding opportunities. Mark is one of only 11 health-system pharmacists nationwide selected to serve on the panel.

• At its 2005 annual meeting, the Society for Public Health Education named Sandra Crouse Quinn, GSPH associate dean for student affairs and education, as Health Education Mentor of the Year. Quinn, who also is an associate professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, was recognized for her work in helping to prepare health educators for successful careers and incorporating links between research and practice in her teaching. Yvonne Ferguson, currently a doctoral student in public health at the University of North Carolina (UNC), and UNC alumna Jean Breny Bontempi led Quinn’s nomination effort, which also included input from a number of her students at Pitt and at UNC, where she previously taught.

• The National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers selected Elaine Trefler, assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2005. For 20 years, Trefler has been involved in coordinating the International Seating Symposium, allowing suppliers of wheelchairs and lifts, for example, to participate in the same training programs as occupational and physical therapists and other health care professionals. The symposium, along with other educational programs that she has spearheaded, has enabled suppliers to communicate more effectively with therapists on behalf of persons with disabilities.