Celebration of Human Genetics Student Awards 2025
Congratulations to this year's winners!
Tales from the bench
From the academy to industry
Health Sciences award recipients at Faculty Honors Convocation
On April 3, five Pitt Public Health faculty members were celebrated at Pitt’s Faculty Honors Convocation for their outstanding achievements.
Susanne M. Gollin, Hillman Cancer Center researcher, dies at 71
A clinical cytogeneticist, student mentor and professor emerita of human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Susanne M. Gollin pioneered major advances in cancers of the head and neck.
In memoriam: Susanne M. Gollin, PhD
A respected cytogeneticist and teacher, Susanne Gollin was professor emerita of human genetics and one of the first faculty members to join what is now the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Gene ‘silencer’ in junk DNA prevents fatal neurological disease
“The function of gene silencers is only now being understood and, in this case, it is allowing us to tell some patients who previously would have been given a fatal prognosis that they will not die of a cruel and debilitating disease,” said senior author Dr. Quasar Padiath, professor and chair of the Department of Human Genetics.
Student Spotlight: Eli Harter
Talking to Public Health Genetics MPH student Eli (Eh-lee) Harter is an engaging experience—be ready to think deeply and take notes. Harter’s perspective is both insightful and thought-provoking, shaped by a diverse research background in genetics and applied sciences.
Public Health and Engineering team up on five research projects
Pitt’s School of Public Health, Swanson School of Engineering, and Clinical and Translational Science Institute have joined up to award $450,000 to five transdisciplinary pilot investigations focused on precision public health, a field that uses data science to develop targeted interventions by person, place and time.
Human Genetics student earns American Heart Association Fellowship
Afshin Bahramy, a pre-doctoral student in the Department of Human Genetics at the School of Public Health, has been awarded the American Heart Association (AHA) Pre-doctoral Fellowship for his groundbreaking research on hippocampal sclerosis (HS).
Grubs received Pitt Public Health Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination
Robin E. Grubs, MS, PhD, LCGC, class of 2002, received the Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination. Grubs is an associate professor of human genetics at Pitt Public Health.
Event promotes school-wide practice projects
Sixteen graduate students from four departments at the School of Public Health took part in the first-ever Public Health Practice Showcase held Friday, Nov. 15, at the Community Engagement Center in the Hill District.
Pitt Public Health honors alumni at awards ceremony
The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health will recognize seven alumni for their outstanding service to the field of public health at an awards ceremony on Nov. 22.
Pitt’s 2024 Global Health Case Competition Winners
Pitt’s 2024 Global Health Case Competition awarded first place to an interdisciplinary team that included students from Pitt’s Schools of Public Health and Nursing and the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.
HUGEN MPH candidate investigates genetic links to childhood dental health
Kathryn Ryan, a Master of Public Health candidate in the Department of Human Genetics, is leading a project to uncover genetic factors tied to early childhood caries (ECC).