News
Staff Awards: Love grew from student worker to study coordinator
Monica Love, project coordinator in epidemiology at Pitt Public Health, started her undergraduate degree at Pitt in 1997 and never left, thanks to a student job at the school in the spring of 1998. “I've been in epidemiology ever since,” says Love, “and I never looked back,” though she had once planned to study law. “I'm glad my life worked out this way.”
Imagining a more just Pittsburgh through art and community
What might Pittsburgh’s future look like if everyone had a voice in shaping it? This question, posed to participants at the 2026 Pittsburgh Environmental Summit, evolved into something none of the collaborators could have created alone: an imaginative vision of Pittsburgh shaped by community voices, public health perspectives and artistic interpretation.
Pitt Public Health welcomes long-time donors Tony and Wendy Segreti
For nearly three decades, Anthony “Tony” Segreti (MS, BIOST ’75) has maintained a special connection to the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. On Oct. 12, he and his wife, Wendy, returned to campus to visit with school leaders and meet two students whose education they help support through the Biostatistics Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Overheard: Air pollution, from person to person
A study led by Pitt Public Health’s Sally Wenzel, professor and chair of environmental and occupational health, identified variants in seven genes that may help explain why some people with asthma are more vulnerable to air pollution. The findings were published in eBioMedicine.
Pitt Public Health's Dara Méndez helps shape historic county parental leave policy
When Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato signed paid parental leave legislation into law on Oct. 22, it marked a milestone for families and public health. For Dara D. Méndez, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology and associate director of the Center for Health Equity at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, it was also the culmination of months of work bringing research, community voices and public health expertise into policymaking.
Horne receives F31 grant to study chikungunya virus host cell entry mechanisms
Mae Horne, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study viral determinants of host entry factor engagement in chikungunya virus infection.
2026 40 Under 40 Honoree: Alexander Sundermann
Alexander Sundermann, DrPH, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, has been named to Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2026 40 Under 40 list. Sundermann leads UPMC’s pathogen genomic surveillance program, using genetic sequencing to identify hospital outbreaks and helping advance efforts to prevent infections.
Two Pitt Public Health staff members named Women of Excellence
Christine McClure and La’Vette Wagner of Pitt Public Health have been named among the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Women of Excellence for 2026. The annual awards recognize African American women in the Greater Pittsburgh area for their leadership, professional achievements and contributions to their communities.
Pitt Public Health study on H5N1 in cats earns First-Place Best Paper Award
A Pitt Public Health study examining H5N1 avian influenza infections in domestic cats has received the 2025 Best Paper Award – First Place from Emerging Microbes & Infections. The research was led by Suresh Kuchipudi, PhD, MVSc, MBA, professor and chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology.
When science meets public service
Pitt Public Health alumnus Igor Linkov (PhD, EOH ’95) drew on his interdisciplinary training to help federal officials anticipate hospital and resource needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, he applies his expertise in resilience and environmental health to complex challenges in government.
Pitt Public Health researcher analyzes trends in naloxone administration
A new study in JAMA co-authored by J. Travis Donahoe, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Pitt Public Health, examines national emergency medical services data to investigate whether increased naloxone use drove the historic decline in U.S. opioid overdose deaths.
Three Pitt Public Health community members receive Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Awards
Three members of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health community have been selected to receive 2026 Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Awards for Staff, recognizing their contributions to research, university engagement and early career achievement.
Health Policy and Management alumnus named CEO of Maui Health
Alumnus Wade Ebersole, FACHE (MHA ’09), has been named CEO of Maui Health after serving as interim CEO since May 2026. “Wade’s dedication to not just serving but bettering the communities he lives and works in shows what it means to be a true leader,” said Julie Donohue, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. “We are proud to call him an alum and an example to our students of how to create impact, wherever you are.”
Overdose deaths have plunged. We need to know why
J. Travis Donahoe, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Pitt Public Health, and his co-authors examine the historic decline in U.S. opioid overdose deaths and its implications for public health.