The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health recognized nine alumni for their outstanding service to the field of public health at an awards ceremony.
“On our school’s 75th anniversary, it’s truly inspiring to reflect on the generations of researchers, teachers and public health professionals who have launched their careers here,” said Maureen Lichtveld, M.D., M.P.H., dean and Jonas Salk Professor of Population Health at Pitt Public Health. “This evening I have the privilege of recognizing nine alumni who embody the spirit of this institution, driving positive change in communities both stateside and worldwide.”
- Aaron Arnold, M.P.H., class of 2013, and Rajesh Pandav, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., class of 2001, will each receive the Alumni Award for Practice. Arnold is executive director at Prevention Point Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing health empowerment services to people who use drugs. A former member of the Pittsburgh AIDS taskforce, he has coordinated efforts to better serve the needs of individuals living with HIV. Pandav is the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. He has served WHO in various capacities for more than 20 years, with roles at the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Unit in the Regional Office for South-East Asia Region, the Country Office for Maldives and the Country Office for Timor-Leste.
- Samar R. El Khoudary, Ph.D., M.P.H., class of 2008, will receive the Alumni Award for Research in recognition of her epidemiologic studies of menopause and cardiovascular disease. Khoudary, a professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health, is a National Institutes of Health–funded researcher who has garnered such honors as a Fulbright Scholarship, a Trudy Bush Fellowship for Cardiovascular Research in Women’s Health and the Endocrine Society’s Early Investigator Award.
- Nancy W. Glynn, Ph.D., class of 1994, and Jill D. Henning, Ph.D., class of 2008, will each receive the Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination in recognition of their significant contributions to sharing knowledge both in and out of the classroom. Glynn, an associate professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health and director of the epidemiology master’s degree programs, provides mentoring, advising and recruitment in support of a roster of more than 100 students. As a researcher, Glynn, a prominent physical-activity epidemiologist, designed and validated the Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale, a gold-standard assessment tool of physical and mental fatigability in older adults. Henning, an infectious diseases researcher and a professor of biology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, studies the prevalence of Lyme disease in ticks, as well as the influence of viruses on the progression of breast and prostate cancers. Henning co-created In This Together Cambria, which provides rural communities with scientifically valid information about health.
- Aishwarya Arjunan, M.S., M.P.H., class of 2013, and Brian Washburn, D.H.A., M.H.A., class of 2015, will both receive the Early Career Excellence Award. Arjunan is a genetic counselor and senior medical science liaison at GRAIL, a healthcare company focused on early cancer detection. An expert in expanded carrier screening, Arjunan is a vocal advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the genetic counseling profession. Washburn is an administrator of the Division of Cardiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Previously, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he completed a one-year business consulting fellowship before joining the institution as a health systems engineer.
- Stacy Hurt, M.H.A., M.B.A., class of 1996, will receive The Margaret F. Gloninger Service Award in recognition of her significant contribution to the community through volunteer service. Hurt, patient ambassador for the clinical research organization Parexel, is a survivor of Stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer and voice for others coping with cancer. Hurt has worked in many facets of the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry and was named among the 2023 Fierce Pharma “Fierce 50.” In her cancer advocacy, she has volunteered for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Colon Cancer Foundation, Colon Cancer Coalition, Fight Colorectal Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
- Louis A. Shapiro, M.H.A., class of 1984, will receive the Impact Award, in recognition of significant contributions to the enrichment of others and betterment of communities. Shapiro recently stepped down as CEO of Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), which he transformed from a boutique New York provider to a global powerhouse that advances musculoskeletal health through patient care, research, innovation and education. Today, HSS treats nearly 200,000 patients annually from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. Prior to joining HSS in 2006, Shapiro served in multiple leadership roles at Geisinger Health System. Recently, Shapiro was honored by the Pitt Alumni Association with the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award.
-Elaine Vitone