SHRS Dean Anthony Delitto, Laura Waterstram, Joyce Broadwick and Anastasia White (missing is Jessica Thomas)
The first annual SHRS Dean’s Annual Staff Excellence Awards were announced by Dean Anthony Delitto at the State of the School on April 4. The awards are an important gesture honoring SHRS staff who go above and beyond their daily responsibilities and whose actions support the mission and values of SHRS and Pitt community. Dean Delitto said, “SHRS achievements span across our academic programs and cause us all to be extremely proud. But none of our accomplishments are possible without our dedicated staff, and it’s great that we are able to celebrate these important recognitions.”
Vice Dean David Beck added, “By and large, the staff of SHRS put forth significant efforts, achievements and contributions to collaborate with our students, faculty, alumni and other partners in the pursuit of our School's mission. Recognition and appreciation through these awards, opportunities for advancement, compensation, kudos or any other means play a crucial role in fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration and innovation so it was an honor to work with the other leaders of SHRS to develop this annual awards program.”
Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award
The Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award was presented to Anastasia White, director of Strategic Programs and Services for the SHRS Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement (OEDI&CE) in recognition of her contributions to the school’s diversity initiatives and work to create a culture of inclusion for members of the SHRS community.
“I nominated Ms. Anastasia White because she has had a profound and positive effect of what we have accomplished in OEDI&CE. Ms. White is creative, resilient and amazing! She has been able to uplift the initiatives from our office and make them a reality for our faculty, staff and students in SHRS. Ms. White is also very collaborative and innovative and helps to foster a voice and platform for all of us! Ms. White is a phenomenal person and collaborator, and I am excited to see the new heights she will bring the OEDI&CE and SHRS.”
- Nancy Gauvin, assistant professor and associate dean of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement
“Ms. Anastasia White has been a joy to work alongside. I nominated Ms. White for her dedication to OEDICE and SHRS. I respect her confidence, resilience and her dedication to providing everyone with a voice. Ms. White is a wonderful collaborator, and she is someone I learn from and constantly laugh with. I am so grateful to not only call her a coworker, but to call her a friend. I am proud of her and so excited to see how she continues to grow!”
- Samantha Mozden, program coordinator for the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement
“I feel honored to be the inaugural winner of the Dean’s Staff Award for Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, especially being able to accomplish so much with my team in less than one year being at SHRS. I feel valued, seen, and heard for the efforts that I have made to make SHRS a more equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work and study.”
- Anastasia White
Debora L. Miller Award for Leadership and Operations
The Debora L. Miller Award for Leadership and Operations was presented to Jessica Thomas, personnel manager in the Office of the Dean. The award, named for former Vice Dean and Emeritus Professor Debora Miller, recognizes Thomas’ significant contributions to SHRS strategic initiatives through problem-solving, leadership and passionate commitment.
“Being nominated for this award was truly an honor. Being presented with it and representing Debbie’s legacy is a privilege that I take very seriously. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue working with Debbie and learning from her. I have learned to think more strategically about the needs of SHRS as we evolve and move forward. She is so supportive to hearing my ideas and guiding me on ways to improve them.”
- Jessica Thomas
Research and Scholarly Activity Mission Administration Award
The Research and Scholarly Activity Mission Administration Award was presented to Senior Research Occupational Therapist and Department Research Manager Laura Waterstram for her efforts advancing the school’s research.
“Laura oversees responsible conduct of clinical research across department research laboratories. Her responsibilities also include management and oversight of research personnel, including hiring, training and supervision of research staff and students. In addition, she oversees the success of QI and research activities that are represented in student capstone experiences in our department. Laura is nationally recognized as a “Trailblazer in Occupational Therapy Clinical Research Operations” by the American Occupational Therapy Association. She also serves as the program administrator for the national NIH-funded Turning the TiDe: Training in Diversity for Rehabilitation Research education program (R25 HD109110). Through her leadership in this program, she represents SHRS and the University of Pittsburgh on a national level, and directly shapes this program which aligns directly with the Mission and Vision of SHRS to advance inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in the field of rehabilitation, specifically the scientific rehabilitation workforce.”
- Juleen Rodakowski, associate professor and chair, Department of Occupational Therapy
“I was delighted and honored to have been selected as the inaugural recipient of the SHRS Research and Scholarly Activity Mission Administration Award. Working within the Occupational Therapy department and SHRS to support our investigators has been a meaningful professional opportunity for me. The staff in SHRS are outstanding colleagues and I am pleased that Dean Delitto has implemented this opportunity to recognize staff across the school this year and in the future.”
- Laura Waterstram
Student Impact Award
The fourth presentation was for the Student Impact Award, which went to Joyce Broadwick, administrative assistant in the Department of Occupational Therapy for her work helping students succeed and grow as individuals, contributions to the quality of life for our students, consistent demonstration of excellent service and her ability to promote and support a culture of diversity and respect in our school.
“Joyce Broadwick is Pitt OT’s special something – the key ingredient – to Pitt OT’s secret sauce in supporting the success and growth of our OT students. Joyce enriches our learning environment each and every day through the personalized and thoughtful interactions she has with our students. It is not only what Joyce does, but it is more importantly and uniquely how Joyce enhances the quality of life of our students – from prospective applicants through graduating students and even beyond as alumni. Joyce is kind, caring, patient, honest, positive, interested, attentive, professional, consistent, accepting, empathetic, authentic, attentive, and respectful and not only does she possess these traits, but she always models them, and I mean always. Joyce is consistently the most identified faculty/staff member that students reflect as having been particularly helpful on satisfaction surveys – even more so than faculty.”
- Denise Chisholm, professor, Department of Occupational Therapy
“I'm very honored to have been given this award and so very much appreciate the kind comments by faculty and students about my contributions to the OT department as staff. Being a part of this wonderful school and department is a blessing and I'm thankful the work I do in supporting students is appreciated. “
- Joyce Broadwick
Congratulations to this year’s winners! They are deserving of the recognition for their hard work making SHRS an exceptional school for students, faculty and other staff. “We hold the SHRS staff in high regard and genuinely care about supporting their interests in professional growth,” concluded Vice Dean Beck, “so it was great to see all the nominations we received in this first year. I look forward to who is recognized for their efforts in the coming years.”