Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH is among 25 people recognized as 2026 “Women of Influence” by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Each year, the awards honor regional leaders driving organizational and community change in Western Pennsylvania. Lichtveld, a National Academy of Medicine member and expert on environmental public health, has led Pitt Public Health as dean since 2021. The honorees will be celebrated at Acrisure Stadium on May 14.
Grace M. Drnach-Bonaventura (EdD ’24), assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, is the 2026 recipient of the Distinguished Early Career Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. Drnach-Bonaventura teaches undergraduate and graduate students and conducts research at the intersection of public health, health equity and education. She earned her doctorate in Social and Comparative Analysis of Education. Her scholarship centers on the role of education in promoting health and well being, particularly for women and girls.
The Public Health Building Resource Center, under the direction of Jocelyn “Jody” Mich-Basso, lab manager in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, has been selected by Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and Office of Sustainability for the University’s 2026 Innovation Award. With Pitt Public Health Facilities Manager Kim Renziehausen, Mich-Basso has repurposed space on the school’s second floor into a resource center for unused lab and office supplies and a recycling hub for Styrofoam, which would otherwise end up in the waste stream. By participating, labs can reduce their environmental impact and help the University achieve its goal of 25% landfill waste reduction by 2030.
Pitt Public Health faculty members Jeanine Buchanich, PhD, MEd, MPH, Mark Roberts, MD, MPP and Steven Albert, PhD, MA, MS
are coauthors of a paper cited in a Congressional Budget Office report on the epidemic of opioid addiction that was released in January. The paper, “Indiana Adults Who Participated in Treatment Court Programs Had Better Health Outcomes than Those Who Did Not,” was published in the September 2025 issue of the journal Health Affairs. Buchanich, vice dean and professor of biostatistics and health data science, is senior author. Elizabeth Van Nostrand, JD, former director of the joint JD/MPH in the Department of Health Policy and Management, is the paper’s first author. Roberts is emeritus professor and Albert is Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences.
Emily Dauria, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, has received a nearly $300,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Gun Violence Research and Education for her project, “Barriers in Healthcare Settings: Investigating the Impact of Law Enforcement in Emergency Departments on Engagement in Gun Violence Prevention Interventions.” The goal of Dauria’s work is to end health inequities experienced among individuals affected by the criminal legal system.
Congratulations to Emily Snyder, an academic advisor for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health Program, who is a 2026 recipient of the University’s Provost’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Student Success. Snyder was recognized for her deep commitment to helping students succeed both academically and personally.
Beth Hoffman, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences, gave a plenary talk, “Fiction, Fact, and Fallout: The Real-World Impact of Health Misinformation,” during Donate Life America’s annual conference held in November 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. Hoffman shared information about her research showing the impact of an organ donation storyline on the HBOMax show “The Pitt,” as well as techniques for addressing organ donation misinformation in the media.
Additionally, Hoffman and Janelle Christensen, PhD, MPH, a project manager in the Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine, are corecipients of a $5,000 civic engagement microgrant from Research!America for a project to develop and pilot a train-the-trainer curriculum to teach students how to address misinformation among older adults.
A project led by Phillip Schnarrs, PhD, MA, professor of behavioral and community health sciences, “Teaming Researchers Up with Stakeholders to Test Trustworthy Measurement and Engagement,” was highlighted during the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s annual conference in October 2025.
Victoria Wyant (PhD, HPM '28) has been selected as a student representative to the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Policy Council. The organization publishes the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.