Whether it’s in patient care, innovative approaches to education, or new scientific discoveries, the DOM is being awarded. Read about all the latest honors across the department.

Deborah Akanya, MD, is one of 10 Pitt affiliates recognized among Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2026 list of emerging leaders on the “40 Under 40” list. >> Read more

Martina Anto-Ocrah, PhD, has been named co-leader of EMBRACE’s Training Component alongside Ngozi Tibbs. Her research centers on pregnancy, sexual, and reproductive health epidemiology in the US and global populations, including the impact of traumatic brain injury on women’s reproductive wellbeing and obstetric emergencies abroad.

Gavin Arteel, PhD, and Melanie Königshoff, MD, PhD, served as Special Issue Editors of JCI Insight’s first-ever thematic issue, a landmark fibrosis collection featuring reviews and original research spanning multiple organ systems, including contributions from numerous DOM investigators. >> Read the issue

Alexandra Cermak (Kohan Lab) received second place in the Center for Immunometabolism Trainee Awards.

Anna Conboy, MEd, received the Ronald W. Frisch Staff Professional Development Award. She will use the award to pursue her Project Management Professional certification, deepening the project management skills she brings to complex, multi-year research initiatives.

Jennifer Davison, DNP, CRNP, received a DAISY Award. Nominated by a patient’s family, she brought clarity, comfort, and reassurance during an incredibly difficult diagnosis.

Jeff Dueker, MD, MPH, was selected as the new Associate Chief for Clinical Affairs for the GI Division. He was also honored for excellence in healthcare at the Crohn’s and Colitis Night of Steel and served as a speaker at the Pennsylvania Society of Gastroenterology Meeting.

Karlyn Edwards, PhD, received an ISRII 2026 Travel Award to attend the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions’ 14th Scientific Meeting in Newcastle, Australia.

Justin Grotelueschen, DSW, LCSW, received UPMC’s Award for Commitment & Excellence in Service (ACES) in recognition of his dedication to behavioral health care and community partnership.

Parham Habibzadeh, MD, MS, Allyson Lieberman, MD, PhD, and Sarbajeet Nagdas, MD, PhD, have been named Pitt-BWF Scholars this year.

Maritza Harper, MD, MS, received the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Teaching Excellence Award, a competitive honor nominated and voted on by peers in a division full of dedicated educators.

Ilana Hull, MD, MSc was named one of the first-ever INHSU Fellows. She will build her community-based research skills and collaborate with colleagues worldwide to improve health outcomes for women who use drugs. >> Read more

Raagini Jawa, MD, MPH, and her team received the Practice Innovation Award at the 13th Annual Pitt-McGowan Wound Care Consortium for their poster, “WoundWell: A Low-Barrier, Patient-Centered Initiative for Xylazine-Associated Wounds.”

Raagini Jawa, MD, MPH, was also awarded Rustbelt CFAR Pilot Funding for her project, “Detailing Prevention: A Human-Centered Strategy to Scale PrEP in Addiction Clinics.”

Amit Kumar, PhD (Yechoor Lab), received second place in the Postdoc category of the Center for Immunometabolism Trainee Awards.

Nicole Luche, MD, MS, won the Society of General Internal Medicine’s 2026 Distinguished Professor of Women’s Health Best Poster Award, recognizing her outstanding contribution to women’s health research.

Matthew Metzinger, MD, MS, was named a 2026 Society of General Internal Medicine David E. Rogers Junior Faculty Award recipient for his workshop on mindful self-compassion, developed with Leah Koenig, MD; Lauren Navitsky, MD, MS; Gaetan Sgro, MD; and Carly Sokach, MD.

Cristina Murray-Krezan, PhD, was appointed Deputy Director of the Center for Biostatistics & Qualitative Methodology in Pitt’s Division of General Internal Medicine.

Chinenye Odo, MD, MPH, received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Research Proposal Award for her project, “Sex Differences in ICD and CRT-D: Updated NCDR EP Device Implant Registry Analysis (2010–Present).”

Nicole Ponde, PhD (Gaffen Lab), received first place in the Postdoc category of the Center for Immunometabolism Trainee Awards.

Deirdre Quinn, PhD, MSc, MLitt, presented as part of the SVC Research Seminar Series for her work expanding reproductive health care access for women veterans. >> Read more

Matthew Steinhauser, MD, was named the new Deputy Editor for Circulation. He will oversee Translational Science, Therapeutics and Physiology as part of the flagship cardiovascular journal’s new editorial leadership team. >> Read more

Ravy Vajravelu, MD, MSCE, was selected to receive a Medical Student Research Mentoring Merit Award, in recognition of his outstanding mentorship as a summer research mentor during the 2026 Dean’s Summer Research Program.

Kimberly Webb, PhD, was named a 2026 recipient of the American Statistical Association’s Lester R. Curtin Award, a national honor recognizing promising early-career health statisticians.

Kimberly Webb, PhD, was named an AAUW American Fellow, one of the oldest non-institutional sources of postdoctoral funding for women in the US, established in 1888.