- University of Pittsburgh

Steven T.
DeKosky
a trustee on Pitt’s board,
won a 1996 MacArthur
Fellowship, also known as
a “genius award,” given
for exceptional creativity.
Called a “social entrepreneur” by Harvard
University—where he has
lectured in the business
school—Strickland (CAS
’70), is president and
CEO of two innovative
Pittsburgh learning communities: the Manchester
Craftsmen’s Guild, which
he founded, and the
Bidwell Training Center.
The guild has produced
three Grammy Award-winning music albums.
Robert
Brandom,
Thomas Hales,
who is the Andrew Mellon
Professor of Mathematics,
won the international
2003 Chauvenet Prize
from the Mathematical
Association of America
for an article describing his computer-based
proof of the centuries-old
Kepler Conjecture, a longunsolved mathematical
problem. The prize has
been awarded since 1925
to some of the world’s
most distinguished mathematicians.
Toi
Derricotte,
professor of English,
is an award-winning
poet and writer whose
honors include a 2004
Guggenheim Fellowship
for “exceptional creative ability in the arts.”
Derricotte’s memoir,
The Black Notebooks,
was a 1998 New York
Times Notable Book of
the Year.
Distinguished Service
Professor of Philosophy,
received—among
other honors—the
2004 Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation
Distinguished
Achievement Award
for his contributions to
humanistic scholarship.
The award is among the
largest given for individual academic achievement—$1.5 million.
PI T T M A G A Z I N E
These portraits are part of a treasured gallery of Pitt people
who have brought world-class distinction to the University
during the past decade. In their steps, we follow.
30
Chester A. Mathis
and William E. Klunk
were cowinners of the 2004 MetLife Foundation Award for Medical
Research in Alzheimer’s Disease for their joint development of
“Pittsburgh Compound B,” a chemical substance that makes it possible, using an imaging process, to detect the disease—and its extent—
in living patients. Previously, the disease’s presence could only be
confirmed through autopsies. This breakthrough, which has won
numerous accolades, may enable earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments. Klunk (right) is an associate professor of psychiatry
and neurology in the medical school, director of psychiatry in the
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and director of the Laboratory
of Molecular Neuropharmacology in the medical center’s Western
Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Mathis is a professor of radiology and
pharmacology in the medical school, a professor of pharmaceutical
sciences in the School of Pharmacy, and a senior chemist and director
of the University’s Positron Emission Tomography Facility.
Lasting Impressions
Photographs by Harry Giglio (taken in the Cathedral of Learning)
Winter 2006
William E.
Strickland Jr.,
received the 2005 Ronald
and Nancy Reagan
Research Institute
Award from the national
Alzheimer’s Association for
outstanding contributions to
research, care, and advocacy on behalf of Alzheimer’s
patients and their caregivers. DeKosky, professor
and chair in the School of
Medicine’s Department
of Neurology, directs the
University’s Alzheimer’s
Disease Research Center.
His work has attracted many
honors.
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National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) provides engineering leadership to the nation
through the knowledge and insights of its members—eminent experts in their fields. Election to the
academy is among the highest distinctions in the engineering profession. Two of Pitt’s NAE members elected during the past decade appear here.
Bernard
Cohen,
professor emeritus
of physics, is known
for his fundamental
contributions to the
world’s understanding
of low-level radiation.
A leading figure in the
field of nuclear physics,
he developed one of the
first radon detectors.
Rory Cooper
(front) was honored for his outstanding rehabilitation research
with the 2003 Paul B. Magnuson
Award and the 2002 Olin Teague
Award, both from the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs.
He directs the National Center
of Excellence for Wheelchair
and Associated Rehabilitation
Engineering at Veterans Affairs
Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
He is the Distinguished Professor
and FISA/PVA Endowed Chair
in Rehabilitation Engineering
in Pitt’s School of Health and
Rehabilitation Sciences. He is
also a professor in the schools of
engineering and medicine.
Yuan Chang and
Patrick S. Moore
were awarded the 2003 Charles
S. Mott Prize for discovering
the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma,
a deadly cancer commonly
found in AIDS patients. The
General Motors Cancer Research
Foundation bestows the $250,000
prize annually for the most outstanding recent contribution to
preventing cancer or finding its
cause. In the School of Medicine,
Chang (left) is a pathology professor and Moore (right), who
directs the Molecular Virology
Program in the University of
Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is a
professor of molecular genetics
and biochemistry.
Savio L-Y. Woo
is an expert in the biomechanics of soft tissues such as cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Among his many honors is
an Olympic Gold Medal awarded at the 1998 Winter Games
in Nagano, Japan, for his distinguished contributions to
sports medicine. He is William Kepler Whiteford Professor of
Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering in the School
of Engineering and professor of rehabilitation science and
technology in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Woo also directs Pitt’s Musculoskeletal Research Center and is
active in the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Alumni
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Herb Boyer FAS ’63,
’60, who pioneered recombinant
DNA technology, won both the
Shaw Prize in Life Science and
Medicine—known as the “Nobel
Prize of the East”—and the Albany
Medical Center Prize in Medicine
and Biomedical Research.
Michael Chabon CAS
’84 won the Pulitzer Prize in
2001 for his novel The Amazing
Adventures of Kavalier and
Clay. He also wrote the popular
Wonder Boys, which was adapted to film.
Wayne Franklin FAS
’72, ’68 received a 2004
Guggenheim Fellowship, which
supports advanced professionals in the natural sciences,
social sciences, humanities, or
creative arts.
Paul C. Lauterbur
FAS ’62 won the 2003
Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine for his research
that led to the development
of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.
Wangari Muta
Maathai FAS ’65
won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 2004 for her grassroots
peacekeeping efforts in Kenya.
She’s the founder of the Green
Belt Movement, which has
planted 30 million trees.
Maestro Lorin
Maazel CAS ’50,
music director of the New
York Philharmonic, won two
2005 Grammys for best
orchestral performance and
best classical album.
William Magwood
FAS ’91 received the 2004
James N. Landis Medal from
the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers for his
innovative work with nuclear
energy in the international
community.
Winter 2006
PI T T M A G A Z I N E
prestigious honors
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National Academy of Sciences
Institute of Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is an honorary society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research. Academy members—who include
200 Nobel Prize winners—are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the academy is one of the highest
honors possible for a scientist or engineer. Pitt’s NAS members appear here.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an honorary organization of
scientific experts who provide guidance in health, medicine,
and biomedical science to national leaders and the general
public. The University of Pittsburgh has 16 IOM members.
The six members shown here were inducted during the past
decade.
Ellen Frank
developed Interpersonal
and Social Rhythm Therapy, a
groundbreaking treatment for
bipolar disorder. She has won
numerous awards, including the
2001 Distinguished Researcher
Award from the Association
of Psychologists in Academic
Health Centers. A professor of
psychiatry in the medical school
and a professor of psychology in
the School of Arts and Sciences,
she directs the Depression and
Manic Depression Prevention
Program at Western Psychiatric
Institute and Clinic.
David A. Brent
(right) holds the
University’s Endowed Chair
in Suicide Studies, the first
in the United States. His
honors include the 2004 Jed
Foundation Voice of Mental
Health Award and the
2003 American Psychiatric
Association Ittleson Award
for Research in Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry. He
is professor of psychiatry and pediatrics in the
School of Medicine and a
professor of epidemiology
in the Graduate School of
Public Health.
Susan Amara
is the Thomas Detre
Professor and Chair of
Neurobiology in Pitt’s
School of Medicine. She
codirects the University’s
Center for Neuroscience
and conducts groundbreaking research in neurochemistry, particularly
in relation to addictive
and therapeutic drugs.
Robert
Drennan,
Distinguished Professor of
Anthropology, is an international authority on the
origins and development
of complex societies (especially chiefdoms), regional
settlement patterns, and
household archaeology.
PI T T M A G A Z I N E
is R.K. Mellon Professor of
Chemistry and Physics. He
is one of the world’s leading
experts on surface chemistry, which is important to the
development of semiconductor processing. His work
has won numerous accolades. He also is founder
and director of Pitt’s Surface
Science Center.
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Dan Marino CAS
’83, Miami Dolphins
quarterback for 17
seasons, entered the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 2005. As a Panthers
quarterback, he led Pitt
to a 1982 Sugar Bowl
championship.
Holmes Rolston
III FAS ’68 won the
2003 Templeton Prize and
its award of roughly $1.2
million. The prize rewards
“progress toward research
or discoveries about
spiritual realities.”
Trecia-Kaye Smith
SHRS ’02G, EDUC
’99 is the reigning world
champion in the women’s
triple jump after a leap
of about 49.5 feet at the
2005 World Championships
in Helsinki.
James Roberts
Thomas E. Starzl,
John A. Swanson
ENGR ’66G
received the American
Association of Engineering
Societies 2004 John Fritz
Medal, widely regarded
as the highest honor in
engineering.
transplantation pioneer, recently
received the National Medal
of Science—the nation’s highest honor for American scientists, awarded annually by the
President of the United States.
Starzl, a Distinguished Service
Professor of Surgery in Pitt’s
School of Medicine, is
considered the “father of transplantation” for laying the groundwork in this field and for continuing to push beyond known
boundaries. Holding more than
200 awards and honors, he is
director emeritus of the Thomas
E. Starzl Transplantation Institute
at the University of Pittsburgh
and UPMC.
Thomas Detre,
Karen Matthews
has won many awards including the 2005 American
Psychological Association Award
for Distinguished Scientific
Applications of Psychology. She
directs the School of Medicine’s
Cardiovascular Behavioral
Medicine Research Training
Program and its Pittsburgh MindBody Center. She is a professor
of psychiatry in the School of
Medicine, as well as a professor
of epidemiology in the Graduate
School of Public Health and of
psychology in the School of Arts
and Sciences.
an internationally respected psychiatrist, has been honored with
a campus building that bears
his name—Thomas Detre Hall.
He is the visionary founder of
one of the nation’s top academic
health systems—the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center—and
he notably strengthened Pitt’s six
Schools of the Health Sciences.
A talent scout and resource
builder, he laid the foundation
for the thriving academic medical complex that exists today. He
is Emeritus Distinguished Vice
Chancellor for Health Sciences
and Emeritus Distinguished
Service Professor of Psychiatry.
holds many honors including the
2004 Duane Alexander Award for
Academic Leadership in Perinatal
Medicine from the National
Institute of Child Health and
Human Development. His academic roles include Elsie Hilliard
Hillman Chair in Women’s and
Infants’ Health Research and professor of obstetrics, gynecology,
and reproductive services in the
School of Medicine. He is also a
professor of epidemiology in the
Graduate School of Public Health.
Winter 2006
John T. Yates Jr.
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