Briefly Noted

Pitt-Johnstown to Host Aug. 9-13 Retreat for Teens “Aging Out” of Foster Care

Approximately 1,000 children across Pennsylvania “age out” of the foster care system each year, and many of these children face uncertain futures.

An Aug. 9-13 Independent Living Youth Retreat at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is designed to help these young people, ages 16 to 21, transition more smoothly to adulthood.

Sponsored by the Pitt School of Social Work’s Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Office of Children, Youth and Families, the retreat will offer 150 participants from across the state a week of educational sessions, group discussions, and social activities

“The retreat will provide foster care youth with a college experience in an effort to motivate them to pursue higher education, where they may reach their full potential,” said Helen Cahalane, principal investigator of the child welfare education and research programs in Pitt’s School of Social Work.”

The participants will live in residence halls and utilize campus facilities as they set goals, discover their options, and make connections with others. Approximately 60 child welfare workers from across the state also will attend.
A banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 in the Living Learning Center Heritage Hall on the Pitt-Johnstown campus. It will include a keynote address by George Duvall, a motivational speaker, consultant, and comedian who is the training specialist for Berea College’s GEAR UP Program, a federally funded partnership designed to encourage young people from low-income families to consider and prepare early for college. Duvall spent 15 years in foster care and youth facilities.
—Sharon S. Blake

Leading Expert on Cell-Cycle Control to Present Dickson Prize Lecture at Pitt’s Science2010

Stephen J. Elledge, a leading scientist in the field of cell-cycle control, will present this year’s Dickson Prize in Medicine Lecture at the University of Pittsburgh’s 10th annual science and technology showcase, Science2010: Transformations. The lecture will begin at 11 a.m. Oct. 7 in Alumni Hall’s Connelly Ballroom.

Elledge is the Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He is one of the most respected and prolific researchers on cell-cycle regulation and cellular response to genotoxic stress, which are fundamental biological processes related to cell division and genetic damage and repair.

Elledge is one of four prominent scientists who will present plenary lectures during the Oct. 7-8 event. All Science2010 events are free and open to the public.

The Dickson Prize in Medicine, which is the most prestigious award presented by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, recognizes individuals who have made significant and progressive contributions to the field of medicine. Established in 1969 by the estates of Joseph Z. Dickson and his wife, Agnes Fischer Dickson, the prize consists of a bronze medal and an award of $50,000.

Complete details about Science2010 and registration can be found online at www.science2010.pitt.edu.
—By Kristin Beaver

PNC Branch to Open in UPMC Presbyterian Hospital

PNC Bank will open a branch in UPMC Presbyterian on Aug. 2. The branch will provide a complete range of financial services, including checking accounts, loans and mortgages, investment services, insurance, and small business banking. It will be located on the second floor of the hospital near the information desk.

Hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. There also will be two 24-hour ATMs.