IDM Alumni Stories

You don’t have to look far to find a School of Public Health (SPH) graduate among the people working within the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) to ensure the well-being of western Pennsylvanians. "The school really is a feeder institution," says LuAnn Brink (EPI '99), PhD, a 12-year ACHD veteran and chief epidemiologist since 2014. Brink supervises the county's Bureau of Data Reporting and Disease Control and oversees surveillance... 

Shauna Clark (IDM '08) awarded 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination in recognition of significant contributions to teaching and dissemination, either in the classroom or in the field.   

Alexandra Bhatti (IDM '11) awarded 2021 Early Career Excellence Award in recognition of significant achievements early in an alumnus or alumna's career.   

KDKA RADIO – Alex Sundermann (IDM ‘14, EPI ‘22) explains that one in thirty patients gets at least one health care-associated infection – one acquired while in the hospital. “Typical tests see what type of organism it is but that test doesn’t tell you, was it transmitted from a patient or from somewhere in the environment? [Genome surveillance is] like fingerprinting for that test – who has that same organism and who is transmitting to who when ... 

The MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center, headquartered at Pitt Public Health, was highlighted in the HRSA, Ryan White Biennial Report published in late September 2021. The article highlights the work of IDM's Linda Frank and her staff, Susan Winters and Ingrid Godfrey in the utilization of the Learner Education and Practice Portal (LEAPP) to reach health professionals in Region 3 of the USPHS for education, technical assistance and co... 

PITTWIRE - Among the latest to be added to Pitt's Board of Trustees is alumna Hui (Debra) Cen (IDM '91). Cen is a biologist, biotech entrepreneur, Rotarian and social entrepreneur who did biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, the University of California, San Francisco and Chiron. Her latest initiative is a program to match successful Chinese immigrant volunteers and mentors with educational and financial literacy programs se... 

Alexander Sundermann (IDM '14, EPI '22), was named a 2021 fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. The status is "a distinction of honor for infection preventionists who are not only advanced practitioners of infection prevention practice, but also leaders within the field." Fellows are selected by their years of experience and contributions to the field of infection prevention. Congratulations!