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Pitt Public Health marks notable retirements at close of 2018-19


The 2018-19 academic year marks a number of notable retirements among Pitt Public Health faculty and staff.  

Cheryl Austin, IDMCheryl A. Austin, MPH (31 years at Pitt) was a grants manager for the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, handling all the details of budgets, grant applications, and funding for the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) which was just renewed for nearly $4 million annually through 2026.  Cheryl worked in IDM for 23 years after previously working in a research lab herself. A very caring person, she would do anything to help out a coworker in need.  Pitt Public Health is proud to count her among our alumni (BCHS ’87).

Joyce T. Bromberger, epidemiologyJoyce T. Bromberger, PhD  (31 years) retired with the rank of professor emeritus of epidemiology and psychiatry.  A psychiatric epidemiologist, she has examined the relationship between depression and physical of middle-aged women with a particular focus on depression and anxiety, the psychosocial and hormonal factors that influence these symptoms/disorders, and their health consequences. In particular, she served for two decades as co-investigator/co-PI of the Pittsburgh site of SWAN, the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, a longitudinal multisite, multiethnic study of menopause and aging supported by NIA. She has also served as PI of the SWAN ancillary study on mental health, “Menopausal Transition, Mental Health and Ethnicity” funded by the NIMH.
View photos from emerita reception.

Barb Folb, Pitt Public HealthBarbara L. Folb, MM, MLS, MPH (24 years at Pitt) served as the Public Health Informationist at Pitt’s Health Sciences Library System. As liaison to the Graduate School of Public Health, she provided reference, information services, and training to the school. Upon retirement, Folb was the first Pitt librarian to be honored with emeritus status. Folb continues to work as an instructor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences. Areas of interest include evidence-based public health, program evaluation, public health practice, systematic review search methods, disaster preparedness, and grant funding. 
View photos from farewell reception.

Susanne M. Gollin, human geneticsSusanne M. Gollin, PhD, FFACMGG (31+ years at Pitt) became a professor emerita upon her retirement from the Department of Human Genetics.  A clinical cytogenetics consultant in the Pittsburgh Cytogenetics Laboratory, she was a researcher, teacher, board certified by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Her research interests included cytogenetic alterations as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers for cancers; mechanisms involved in chromosomal instability; defects in the DNA damage response in cancer cells; and cancer patient advocacy. She was on a mission to cure cancer, or at least make it a chronic disease rather than a deadly one.
View photos from emerita reception.

Nick Malenka (37 years at Pitt) was a building engineer who kept Pitt Public Health’s facilities running, everything from balancing competing air conditioning needs to re-routing around the latest construction detours.  He’s known for his big smiles, warm greetings to everyone, and his year-round willingness to go above and beyond to provide a comfortable work environment for all.

Trevor Orchard, epidemiologyTrevor Orchard, MBBCh, MMedSci, FAHA, FACE (39+ years at Pitt) was named a distinguished professor of epidemiology in 2015 and granted emeritus status on his retirement. Well known for his ability to bridge the gap between trials and translation, his research interests included diabetes and cardiovascular epidemiology, with particular emphasis on insulin-dependent diabetes and lipids, management of lipid disorders, and diabetes prevention. His nearly 400 publications have focused mainly on the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and diabetes complications with a further focus on lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular disease. For the last 10 years, Orchard has assisted in the development of diabetes care in Rwanda. 
View photos from emeritus reception.

Wesley Rohrer, health policy and managermentWesley M. Rohrer, PhD, MBA (42+ years), retired as an associate professor emeritus in the Department of Health Policy and Management and as assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences. He taught and mentored over one thousand students in health care management and policy at the graduate level. Scholarly Interests included global comparative health systems and policy and organizational studies and management, including leadership theory and managerial ethics as applied to health care. Rohrer was recognized as the recipient of the James T. Craig Teaching Excellence Award for 2016/17. He has been an active participant in the in the University Faculty Assembly and the Senate Council, and continues as chair of the Senate Budget Policies Committee.

Jeanette Trauth, BCHSJeanette Trauth, PhD, MPA (31 years) retired as an associate professor emerita in the departments of health policy and management and in behavioral and community health sciences. Her research focused on the social determinants of health, especially those that create healthier and more equitable communities by promoting social connections. Her contributions to the Working for Kids: Building Skills program, a community-based participatory training initiative that equips parents and childcare workers with knowledge about early child brain development and skills to facilitate healthy growth and development among children in low-income communities in order to facilitate school readiness.

Find out more at utimes.pitt.edu/news/retirements-represent.



6/11/2019
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