Awards & More

The University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics’ Health Literacy Project was recognized by UPMC’s Center for Inclusion as an Inclusion in the Community Champion. The award was presented during the 3rd Annual Partnership Appreciation Event in July, held in UPMC Shadyside’s Herberman Conference Center.

Mary E. Besterfield-Sacre, a University of Pittsburgh professor and Fulton C. Noss Faculty Fellow in Pitt’s Department of Industrial Engineering, has been named one of 12 new fellows of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE); the group was inducted at a special awards ceremony June 29 at the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Ann Dugan, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE) in the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, was recently elected to the Team Pennsylvania Foundation Board of Directors. Dugan is one of only two Western Pennsylvanians elected to the 36-member board. The newly elected members will serve through June 2014.

The following faculty and staff of the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Dental Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy have been recognized for their academic achievements and leadership.

Michael Beach, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, received a $100,000 award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to provide 10 scholarships of $10,000 each for second-degree students for next fall and spring.

Lora E. Burke, a professor in the School of Nursing, received a $699,897 award from the National Institutes of Health for a four-year project titled “Advancing Real Time Data Collection: Adaptive Sampling and Innovative Technology.”

Paul A. Moore, a professor in the School of Dental Medicine, was invited to represent the dental profession on a U.S. Surgeon General’s Expert Panel, “Prescription Drug Abuse in Youth”, held recently in Washington, D.C. He discussed abuse issues in the health care setting.

Alexandre Vieira, an assistant professor in the School of Dental Medicine, was appointed to the board of directors of the Society for Clinical and Translational Science.

Pitt alumnus and trustee Eva Tansky Blum (A&S ’70, LAW ’73) received the Allerton Award for Lifetime Achievement from the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh during the 29th annual Tribute to Women Leadership Awards Luncheon held May 25 at the Westin Hotel, Downtown. Blum is senior vice president and director of community affairs, PNC Bank. Two other Pitt alumnae were award winners as well: Yvonne Cook (CGS ’91), president of the Highmark Foundation, a private corporate foundation that is funded by insurer Highmark, Inc., won in the Business & Industry category; and Bonnie W. VanKirk (SIS ‘2002), a community volunteer, won the Civic & Community Service Award.

Elena Constantin, a University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown assistant professor of mathematics, received the Pitt-Johnstown President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar said Constantin’s “strong interactions with students and her mentoring of them through extracurricular activities clearly demonstrate her dedication and passion for teaching.”