Santiago Munné (PhD, HUGEN ’91) was appointed the chief scientific officer for Genomic Prediction Inc. Munné is widely regarded as a pioneer of preimplantation genetic testing. In 1993, he developed the first Preimplantation Genetic Test for Aneuploidy (PGT-A), followed by the first PGT-SR for chromosomal translocations and the first PGT-WGS approach capable of detecting de novo mutations.
Ketul J. Patel (MBA, KGSB ’93; MHA, HPM ’97) has been named one of Georgia Trend's 2026 Top 100 Most Influential Georgians. Patel is president and chief executive officer of Wellstar Health System near Atlanta. Georgia Trend is a monthly magazine covering Georgia business, politics and economic development.
Mark Sevco (MHA, HPM ’91) has been named on the Pittsburgh Business Times’ 2026 Pittsburgh Power 100, an annual list recognizing the region’s most influential business leaders. Sevco is president and CEO of the Allegheny Health Network.
Venise White (IDM ’97) and a colleague received the Dynamic Duo Award in Pittsburgh from the Open Forum team at the National Network of Public Health Institutes Conference for their work as consultants in public health.
Stephen Wisniewski (PhD, EPI ’94) was part of a team of Pitt researchers who received an award for outstanding research at the 2025 Military Health System Research Symposium. Wisniewski is associate vice chancellor for clinical trials data coordination, health sciences. He is also professor of epidemiology and codirector of the School of Public Health’s Epidemiology Data Center.
Jennifer Barkin (MS, BIOST ’02; PhD, EPI ’09) has been appointed associate dean for research at East Carolina University College of Health and Human Performance in Greenville, NC. The Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF), a 20-item self-report tool, was developed during her time as a doctoral student at the Epidemiology Data Center. The BIMF has been commercially licensed 13 times, including for clinical trials for postpartum depression medication.
Laura Duncan (MHA, HPM ’08) has started a new position as chief administrative officer, faculty practice plan at Tufts Medicine in Boston. She also serves as board secretary of the National Association of Health Services Executives, the premier minority health care executive professional organization.
Erica Franko (MHA, HPM ’09) has started a new position as chief operating officer at Ventra Health, a physician business-services provider based in Dallas, Texas.
Atilla Soran, MD (MPH, EPI ’05), professor of surgery, School of Medicine, has been named president-elect of the Senologic International Society (SIS), an organization focused on breast health based in Strasbourg, France. Soran is a recognized expert in surgery for metastatic breast cancer, granulomatous mastitis and lymphedema. He has more than 370 publications and presentations in scientific meetings and has more than 50 review articles and chapters in textbooks.
Maria Aguiluz-Abunto (MPH, MSSPH ’16) has been appointed Leader of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in Pittsburgh. Aguiluz-Abunto is founder of AMBA Venture, a consulting firm that provides strategic clinical support to pharmaceutical, biotech and medical-device companies, and a former epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute. Throughout her career she has focused on closing the gap between research and real-world application.
Alysia Davis (MPH, BCHS ’18) has started a new position as director, capacity building, training and technical assistance at the Louisiana Public Health Institute in New Orleans. She previously served as in an administrative position as an equity/special projects coordinator with the Allegheny County Health Department.
Bethany Flage (MS ’18, PhD, IDM ’23) has started a new position as engagement lead at the multinational biopharmaceutical company Ambit Inc.
Rachel Goldberger (MPH, BCHS ’18) has been promoted to associate director, project ECHO at the Chicago-based Alzheimer’s Association. The ECHO program is a tele-education initiative expanding access to dementia care expertise in underserved communities.
Allison Kuipers (PhD, EPI ’11) has been appointed vice chair of basic and translational research at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Kuipers’ current research is focused on evaluating the epidemiologic predictors of cardiac structure and function, and other subclinical cardiovascular disease measures in a population-based, longitudinal cohort study on the Caribbean island of Tobago.
Melina Mermigas (MPH, HPM ’18) has started a new position as senior manager, business consulting at Aetna, a CVS Health Company.
Subhara Raveendran (PhD, HUGEN ’16) recently began a position as director, global health economics and outcomes research at Ascendis Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Brian Washburn (MHA, HPM ’15) was named a 2025 Rising Star (Under 40) by the Spokane (Washington) Journal of Business. Washburn is a regional administrator at Praxis Health Inc. in Pendleton, Oregon, where he oversees the operations of five primary care clinics in North Idaho and northeastern Oregon.
Raynard Washington (PhD, EPI ’12; MPH ’09), has been nominated as commissioner of health for the state of New Jersey by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. Prior to his current appointment, Washington had served as director of the Public Health Department of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and as chief epidemiologist and deputy health commissioner for the city of Philadelphia.
Nolan Cianci (MHA, HPM ’21) has started a new position as director of clinical transformation at The Children's Institute of Pittsburgh, an institution dedicated to specialized pediatric care for nearly 7,000 children and families yearly in seven counties across Western Pennsylvania.
Rebecca Ehrenkranz (PhD, EPI ’23) has started a new position as assistant professor of biostatistics at the Feinstein Institutes, the research arm of Northwell Health in Long Island, New York.
Elizabeth Hassett (MPH, HPM ’21) has joined the UPMC Health Plan as a director of health policy. She previously served as an associate attorney at the Washington, D.C.-based health care law firm Leavitt Partners.
Noelle Spencer (PhD BCHS ’23 has been elected president of the board of directors of the Academy of Communication in Healthcare, a Kentucky-based organization for those who are committed to improving communication and relationships in health care. Spencer is a global health equity researcher.
Alex Sundermann (DrPH, EPI ’22; MPH, IDM ’14), has been elected to the board of trustees for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), a professional society that improves public health by establishing infection-prevention measures and supporting antibiotic stewardship among health care providers.