70th Anniversary Celebration and Alumni Reunion

Pitt Public Health, 1948–2018

We’re celebrating 70 years of Pitt Public Health by looking not just at our history (although we have a lot to brag about) but by hailing the future of public health education, practice, and research at Pitt Public Health.

On March 16–17, we hosted 725 of our alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends for an anniversary celebration and our second-ever all classes reunion. Outstanding practitioners, researchers, scientists, policy-makers, educators, and thought-leaders proudly celebrated 70 years of public health leadership while talking about the great work our alumni are doing here in Pittsburgh and around the globe, and the contributions our students, faculty, and future alumni who advance the field every day. Read on for highlights.

Reunion Highlights

Alumni-Student Networking Breakfast
An annual event where students practice their networking skills with alumni who volunteer to share their career journeys, discuss areas of expertise, and provide advice to future public health professionals.
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Research and Practice Showcase
An update on Pitt Public Health work making headlines around the world.
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70th Anniversary Rededication and Keynote Lecture
Dean Burke on the past, present, and future of Pitt Public Health, and keynote speaker David Satcher, 16th surgeon general of the United States and former director of the Centers for Disease Control
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Alumni Awards and Recognition Dinner
Annual celebration of alumni achievement and recognition of alumni celebrating 25th and 50th reunions. 
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The Salk Legacy 
Personal accounts from Peter Salk, son of Jonas Salk, on the polio vaccine, his other research, and current work to move his vision forward.
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Local Impact Panel
Faculty and alumni highlight our impact on local communities, touching on areas of LGBT health, health disparities, and community health.
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The Opioid Crisis
Multidisciplinary experts discussing the opioid epidemic research, modeling, challenges, and responses. Moderated by Dean Burke.
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Global Impact Panel
Faculty and alumni focus on areas including research, epidemic response, and community interventions.
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Attendees also had the opportunity to...

  • Meet the staff of the school’s career services office to learn about alumni services available and opportunities to mentor current students
  • Tour the building to see the recently completed renovations
  • Watch Virgil Cantini: The Artist in Public, a short film examining the public art of the famed muralist and sculptor whose art is featured all around Pitt’s campus, including on the facade of Pitt Public Health and Q and A with filmmaker Will Zavala.
  • Build safe sex kits for the Allegheny Health Department with service group Epi Gives Back
The program culminated with open houses and workshops featuring...
70th Anniversary mark

Contact Alumni Affairs:

Pitt Public Health Communications
phcomm@pitt.edu

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Celebrate 70: Roberts presents risk adjustment in pay-for-performance programs (VIDEO) 

Celebrate 70: Roberts presents risk adjustment in pay-for-performance programs (VIDEO)

Providers are financially incentivized to improve the quality and value of care they provide. Risk adjustment can allow researchers to account for the variation in patient characteristics that would predict differences in spending and outcomes, independent of the performance of the provider. ERIC R... (04/19/2018)
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Celebrate 70: DeLucia presents cholesterol regulation of HIV-1 trans infection and HIV-1 disease progression (VIDEO) 

Celebrate 70: DeLucia presents cholesterol regulation of HIV-1 trans infection and HIV-1 disease progression (VIDEO)

Doctoral candidate, DIANA DeLUCIA (IDM '19), presented some of her dissertation research on how the cholesterol levels in immune cells might be impacting HIV infection and disease progression to AIDS. It was found that antigen-presenting cells in nonprogressors have lower cholesterol levels which i... (04/19/2018)
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Celebrate 70: Burke presents on using collaborative filmmaking to explore menstrual practices in Napal (VIDEO) 

Celebrate 70: Burke presents on using collaborative filmmaking to explore menstrual practices in Napal (VIDEO)

On behalf of BCHS doctoral student, SARA BAUMANN (BCHS '19), JESSICA BURKE presented their work in combining filmmaking with community based participatory research. They developed collaborative filmmaking to study chlaupadi in Napal. “It is a local practice where women are banished to sheds during ... (04/19/2018)
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Celebrate 70: The Salk legacy (video) 

Celebrate 70: The Salk legacy (video)

“[Jonas Salk] had no idea what was going to come out of this experiment. He was just terrified that it wasn’t going to turn out to work, but it did,” said Peter Salk of his father's early tests of the first polio vaccines. Jonas Salk developed the first successful polio vaccine while working at Pit... (04/18/2018)
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Celebrate 70: Global health impact (video) 

Celebrate 70: Global health impact (video)

Faculty and alumni spoke on a panel to highlight the public health impact on global communities, including immigration crises, planetary health, climate change, and the importance of health systems. KELLY SALDANA (BCHS ’01) talked about creating resiliency and figuring out what that means both at t... (04/18/2018)
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Celebrate 70: The opioid crisis (video) 

Celebrate 70: The opioid crisis (video)

Experts from across public health disciplines discuss opioid epidemic research, intervention strategies, challenges, and steps for the future. “What we have to start to ask is what is it as a culture that we think is the most important part of what drives us, and that shouldn’t be bottom line, it s... (04/18/2018)
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70th Anniversary celebration keynote (video) 

70th Anniversary celebration keynote (video)

Dean DONALD BURKE talks about the history of Pitt Public Health and looks to a future full of continued success of our alumni and faculty. DAVID SATCHER (HON '01), 16th United States Surgeon General, presents the keynote, "Informing and Influencing Public Health Policy and Practice." Satcher is als... (04/18/2018)
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Celebrate 70: Local impact panel (Video) 

Celebrate 70: Local impact panel (Video)

“It’s not about doing the cool work. It’s about doing the work that is necessary for that community,” says RUTH MODZELEWSKI (HUGEN '96) in a discussion featuring faculty and alumni about their impact on local communities, including collaboration between the private and public sector, the value of c... (04/16/2018)
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