Awards & More

The Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy has recognized two Pitt School of Law alumni with its annual awards for service. Elizabeth Cook (A&S ’10, LAW ’15) has been awarded the 2015 Dick Thornburgh Prize for Legal Service, given to a student who worked with low-income individuals at a legal services organization while in law school and who intends to continue on that career path. Cook serves as an attorney within the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office.

Casey L. Martinez (LAW ’15) has been awarded the J. Evans Rose, Jr. Prize for Public Service, granted annually to a School of Law alumnus who seeks a career in public service. Martinez, who graduated cum laude from Pitt’s School of Law in May 2015, is an attorney with the Executive Office of Immigration Review, U.S. Immigration Court, in Las Vegas, Nev. The award is named for the late Pitt School of Law alumnus and University trustee J. Evans Rose, Jr.

Carissa A. Low and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal have been awarded the 15th annual Steven D. Manners Faculty Development Awards, which honor promising research projects in the social, behavioral, and policy sciences at Pitt. Low, an assistant professor of medicine and psychology, Biobehavioral Oncology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is working on a technology-based assessment of stress during cancer treatment.

Votruba-Drzal, an associate professor of psychology, is researching how race and socioeconomic status intersect in early family life and what role they play in  racial and economic skill gaps. The awards honor their namesake, Steve Manners, a sociologist who began working at UCSUR in 1974 and served as its assistant director from 1989 until his death in September 2000. 

Charles “Chip” Burke III, a clinical associate professor in Pitt’s School of Medicine and a UPMC orthopaedic surgeon, received the Excellence in Safety Award during the 2015 USA Hockey’s Annual Congress’ Night of Tribute Awards Dinner in Colorado Springs. He was recognized for his contributions in improving safety and reducing injury in youth sports. Burke’s most notable contribution to National Hockey League safety was his development of the NHL Concussion Program, the largest study of head injuries in sports.