- Earliest epidemiological studies of steelworkers in the 1950s and their increased risk for lung cancer, which led to the first safety standards implemented by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- Leader of early studies on immunization showing gamma globulin injection was effective in preventing polio. These trials laid the theoretical groundwork for the development of the first Salk polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh.
- Provided biostatistical leadership in seminal clinical trials of surgical and systemic treatments for breast cancer. These important studies led to the adoption of lumpectomy over radical mastectomy, and improved survival through widespread use of effective chemotherapies and hormonal therapies, such as tamoxifen, for treatment of early stage breast cancer.
- Publication of the first book to propose using science to assess the value, impact and outcomes of public health programs, such as Head Start, Model Cities, and various health-planning efforts in the 1960s.
- Led a study that evaluated the health care provided to uninsured low-income children in southwestern Pennsylvania, which ultimately swayed Congress to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to all 50 states.
- Home to one of the nation’s first genetic counseling programs, which was formed in 1971, and one of the few uniquely housed in a school of public health.
- Developed the world’s first certificate program in LGBT health and wellness, which focuses on the social, cultural and individual factors that influence the health and well-being of LGBT communities.
- Investigated and recommended global occupational safety initiatives in response to the Bhopal gas tragedy in the 1980s that killed between 3,000 and 11,000 people – considered one of the worst industrial accidents in history.
- Conducted one of the longest-running studies in University Pittsburgh history, the Pitt Men’s Study, which was developed in 1983 and continues to this day. The study serves as one of the nation’s earliest and most extensive investigations into AIDS, contributing data that has transformed the lives of people living with AIDS.
- Development of molecular genetics testing that has identified and characterized genes for several diseases including lymphedema, Alzheimer’s and lupus.
- Establishment of long-term, large-scale clinical trials on type 2 diabetes, heart disease, aging and cancer, and the relationship of lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and smoking to disease susceptibility.
- Founding of the Community Violence Prevention Project by the Center for Health Equity to understand the reasons for homicide through collaborations with local Pittsburgh-based organizations including the courts and jail, social service providers, trauma physicians, anti-gun violence advocates and community members.