Awards & More

Janet Freburger has joined the Department of Physical Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. As a professor, she will conduct health services research and provide training experiences and mentorship for pre-doctoral and doctoral students. Freburger has expertise in musculoskeletal care and functional status measurement, and has been first or senior author on more than 75 peer-reviewed publications.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation honored Paula Leslie with its Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s November convention.  Leslie is professor in Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’s Department of Communication Science and Disorders, where she is program director of the Doctor of Clinical Science in Speech-Language Pathology. Leslie was nominated for her efforts related to  speech-language services for UPMC patients enrolled in palliative care.

Debora Miller is the recipient of the LAMPLighter Award from the American Physical Therapy Association’s Section on Health Policy and Administration. Her leadership was celebrated at APTA’s February Combined Sections Meeting. Miller is the vice chair of compliance and administration and vice dean of SHRS and an associate professor in the school’s Department of Physical Therapy.

Ming-Te Wang, an associate professor in the School of Education, has been recognized for his early-career accomplishments by the American Psychological Association. The Richard E. Snow Award for Early Career Research Contributions in Educational Psychology is among the most prestigious honors given to psychologists, who have been working in the field for less than 10 years. Wang’s research focuses on the psychological and sociocultural factors that determine children’s study efforts and academic achievement. He is also director of the Developmental and Motivation Research Lab, holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Psychology and is a research scientist in the Learning Research and Development Center.

The Human Engineering Research Laboratories’ Mobility Enhancement Robotic Wheelchair (MEBot) was designated Best New Concept at the Blackwood Design Awards. MEBot adapts to terrains that are atypical for a conventional wheelchair, such as curbs and stairs. HERL is directed by Rory Cooper, associate dean for inclusion, FISA/Paralyzed Veterans of America Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology within SHRS. Watch a video about MEBot here.