University of Pittsburgh

People

Leadership

fabioaDirector
Anthony Fabio, PhD, MPH

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health

Secondary Appointments:

  • Medicine, Biostatistics, and Clinical and Translational Science
  • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

412-624-4612
afabio@pitt.edu

wisniewskisAssociate Director

Stephen R. Wisniewski, Ph.D.

  • Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health
  • Associate Dean for Research, Graduate School of Public Health
  • Co-Director, Epidemiology Data Center

Secondary Appointments:

  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical and Translational Sciences

412-624-5218
wisniew@edc.pitt.edu

songertTraining Core Director

Thomas J. Songer, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health

Secondary Appointments:

  • Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine

412-624-5326
tjs@pitt.edu

riccieOutreach Core Director

Edmund M. Ricci, PhD, MLitt

  • Professor of Sociology in Public Health
  • Director, Institute for Evaluation Science in Community Health
  • Associate Director, University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging

412-624-6393
emricci@pitt.edu

bhatnagarChildren’s Injury Prevention Core Director

Sonika Bhatnagar, MD, MPH

  • Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

412-692-6000
sonika.bhatnagar@chp.edu

Administrator

Jessica L. Duell, MPH

  • Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health

412-624-4387
jld110@pitt.edu

Core Faculty

kolkodDr. David J. Kolko, Ph.D., ABPP

  • Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Pediatrics, School of Medicine
  • Director, Special Services Unit, Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic

Secondary Appointments:

  • Professor of Psychology, School of Medicine
  • Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine

412-246-5888
kolkodj@upmc.edu

albertsSteven M. Albert, PhD

  • Professor, Department of Behavior and Community Health Sciences
  • Associate Chair for Research and Science, Department of Behavior and Community Health Sciences
  • CAPH Co-Director

412-383-8693
SMAlbert@pitt.edu

sweeneypPatricia Sweeney, JD, MPH, RN

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy & Management
  • Associate Director of Law and Policy, Center for Public Health Practice

412-383-2231
psweeney@pitt.edu

newmanaAnne B. Newman, M.D., M.P.H.

  • Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine
  • Chair, Department of Epidemiology
  • Director, Center for Aging and Population Health

412-624-3056
newmana@edc.pitt.edu

Joyce A. D’Antonio, MS, PhD

  • Associate Director, Early Childhood Partnerships
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology in Education, School of Education

412-244-5386
jad155@pitt.edu

sharmarRavi K. Sharma, PhD

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health
  • Associate Director for Public Health Informatics, Institute for Evaluation Science

412-624-3615
rks1946@pitt.edu

Kristen Mertz, MD, MPH

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health

412-624-5710
mertzk@edc.pitt.edu

keanecChristopher R. Keane, ScD, MPH

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

412-624-3128
crkcity@pitt.edu

bergerrRachel P. Berger, MD, MPH

  • Child Protection Team, Pittsburgh Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
  • Director, Child Abuse Research, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh
  • Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

412-692-8664
rachel.berger@chp.edu

bellemMichael J. Bell, MD

  • Director, Pediatric Neurocritical Care, University of Pittsburgh, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
  • Director, Pediatric Neurotrauma Center, University of Pittsburgh, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
  • Associate Director, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research for Pediatric Neurointensive Care, University of Pittsburgh
  • Associate Professor, Critical Care Medicine and Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

412-692-5164
bellmj4@upmc.edu

Students Currently Trained by CIRCA Faculty

Jason DeChant PhD Genetic Markers related to Prognosis following Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Yll Hyseni MS/PhD Role of State Driver’s Licensing Policies and Mandated Physician Reporting Requirements on Older Driver Safety

Stephen Strotmeyer PhD Surveillance for MuyThai Fighter Injury

Nicholas Soulakis PhD Syndromic Surveillance for Anthrax in Emergency Department Settings

Michael Bazaco PhD Association between Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Adverse Health Effects and Delinquency

Charlotte Tu PhD Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Shape of the Age/Crime Curve

Chung-Yu Chen PhD Child Passenger Safety in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Alvaro Sanchez MS Traumatic Brain Injury Registries in Latin America

Nahom Beyene PhD Driver Capability Sensing to Enhance Driver Rehabilitation Services

Daniel Patterson MS Sleep, Fatigue and Patient and EMS Provider Safety

Matthew Weaver PhD 1st year student

Andrea Arrington PhD 1st year student

Collaborating and Injury Related Centers

logo_pph01The Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH)

Established in 1948, the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. In 2011 GSPH was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top-ranked schools of public health. GSPH ranks third in NIH funding. CIRCA is a close partner with GSPH as evidenced by primary and secondary GSPH appointments of faculty, and CIRCA support for GSPH seminars and courses. Dr. Wisniewski, the Associate Director of CIRCA is the Associate Dean for Research.

Department of Epidemiology

The Department of Epidemiology is heavily involved in both research and prevention activities which are incorporated into the academic environment. It has over 60 primary faculty and more than 145 students, to whom it offers two master’s degree programs (MPH or MS) and two doctoral degree programs (PhD or DrPH). One of the major areas of concentration within the department is injury research, headed by Dr. Songer and Dr. Fabio. Drs. Fabio, Wisniewski, Songer and Mertz have primary appointments in the department, teach several injury related classes, and mentor masters and doctoral level students in injury research

logo_edc01Epidemiology Data Center (EDC)

The EDC is a part of the Epidemiology Department at the GSPH. Founded in 1980, the EDC is one of the premier Data Coordinating Centers in the United States. Presently the EDC employs over 100 faculty, staff and students, and coordinates data management and analysis activities for approximately 20 research projects. CIRCA Associate Director Dr. Stephen Wisniewski, is the Co-Director of the EDC.

Center for Aging and Population Health (CAPH)

Building on the resources of its funding as a CDC Prevention Research Center, CAPH orchestrates epidemiologic and public health research on ageing, trains professionals in population research methodology, and conducts community outreach. The Center is directed by Anne B. Newman, MD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology chair, and co-directors, Jane A. Cauley, DrPH, Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Epidemiology, and Steven M. Albert, PhD, Professor and Associate Chair for Research, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences.

logo_cphp01Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP)

The Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP) was established in 1995 in the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. CPHP’s areas of expertise include continuing education and training, leadership and organizational development, law and policy analysis, program planning and implementation, translation of research into practice, and evaluation design and methodology. Dr. Sweeney is a member of CPHP. Dr. Potter is the Director of CPHP.

Institute for Evaluation Science in Community Health

The Institute for Evaluation Science in Community Health has as its primary goal to advance evaluation science, scholarship, and practice through research, training, and consultation. Services of the Evaluation Institute include evaluation of research design, survey design and execution, community need assessment, qualitative/ethnographic data collection analysis, and assistance in community-based participatory research. Edmund M. Ricci, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology in Public Health, former chair of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences (BCHS), directs the Institute and is the Director of CIRCA’s Outreach Core.

logo_wpic01Western Psychiatric Clinic and Institute (WPIC)

Western Psychiatric Clinic and Institute (WPIC) is a national leader in mental health care, addiction treatment, and psychiatric research. As a member of the UPMC Health System, the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll ranks the UPMC psychiatric program in the top ten in the nation. WPIC houses Pitt’s Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine, in which Dr. Kolko resides.

Allegheny County Data Warehouse (ACDW)

Created in partnership with the private sector, local universities and other community stakeholders, ACDW is a central repository of 15 million client records, 17 internal sources and 8 outside sources. Using unique identifiers, the data warehouse matches information with Department of Human Services (DHS)-contracted providers and programs to understand and coordinate services. Authorized DHS staff can also use the data to identify and coordinate services for consumers served by multiple program offices. CIRCA is further collaborating with DHDSW to sustain and grow Pittsburgh LINCS (Linking Injury Networks for Community Surveillance).

Carnegie Mellon University, H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management

Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III College offers top-ranked graduate degree and executive education programs in public policy and information systems. Featuring a forward-thinking faculty, a comprehensive and innovative curriculum, cutting-edge research, excellent graduate career outcomes, and an outstanding roster of students, staff and alumni, Heinz College sets the standard for educating the next generation of global leaders. Dr. Fabio has worked closely with Dr. Cohen, Research Professor Emeritus, looking at the impact of housing relocation initiatives on community-level violence.

University of Minnesota, Department of Epidemiology

The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health (EpiCH) at the University of Minnesota is a division of the School of Public Health. Their strength as a research institution lies in merging classical epidemiological observations with laboratory and population-based experiments in disease prevention and health promotion. CIRCA has partnered with EpiCH by collaborating with Mark Pereira, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Division, and an Adjunct Faculty at CIRCA. Dr. Pereira has worked in the past with Dr. Fabio, and they are currently looking at the effect of television viewing on injury, chronic disease risk factors and the mediation of personality type.

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP)

Renowned for its outstanding clinical services, research programs and medical education, CHP of UPMC has helped establish the standards of excellence in pediatric care. CHP is the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in Western Pennsylvania and evaluates 90% of all of the trauma cases in the Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia. Several programs including the Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program and the Pediatric Neurotrauma Center, are national leaders in pediatric injury research – CIRCA is a long term collaborator with these programs sharing staff, resources and knowledge.

The Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP)

The CAC, a division in the Department of Pediatrics, is one of the largest and most comprehensive CACs in the country. The Child Protection Team (CPT), one of the original three CPTs in the United States, consults on over 400 cases of suspected abuse annually of which approximately half are in-patients at CHP. Dr. Berger is one of the primary staff physicians at the CAC and active with the ongoing evaluation of children through the CHP CPT.

Pediatric Neurotrauma Center (PNTC)

The PNTC is part of the Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program and the Neurosurgery Department at CHP. It is directed by Dr. Bell and is internationally recognized for its outstanding care of infants, children and young adults with diseases or injuries to the brain or spinal cord. A full range of qualified health care professionals comprise a multidisciplinary team of specialists that can only be found at a hospital dedicated solely to children.