ICRE News

May 29, 2019

2019 Institute for Clinical Research Education Commencement Ceremony

On Tuesday, May 21, the ICRE held its annual commencement ceremony, which this year recognized the 92 graduates from our various degree and training programs. It was a well-attended event with many friends and family members in attendance.

In addition to celebrating the outstanding graduates, the ICRE also recognized members of our faculty with various awards.

Alda Maria R. Gonzaga, MD, MS, was presented with the 2019 Distinguished Alumnus Award in Medical Education. Dr. Gonzaga earned her Master of Science in Medical Education degree from the ICRE in 2006. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and an Advisory Dean at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She also directs the Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program, the Managing Educational Programs course in the ICRE, and the Progressive Evaluation and Referral Center (PERC), a clinic that delivers care to medically complex patients transitioning from pediatric to adult primary care. She was the recipient of the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Mid-Career Education Mentorship Award in 2017. Dr. Gonzaga is also a highly accomplished leader and educator in the areas of diversity and bias mitigation in medicine. Congratulations, Dr. Gonzaga!

Matthew Randall Rosengart, MD, MPH, was given the Clinical Research Alumnus Award. Dr. Rosengart is an alumnus of our Clinical and Translational Science Scholars Program (now the KL2) and a Professor of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine here at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an accomplished researcher, educator, and clinician, with over 100 publications that have more than 2,500 citations. He currently leads two R01s, one focused on sepsis and the other on blue light therapy. In addition to Dr. Rosengart’s considerable contributions to translational science through his research, he has also made a notable impact on the next generation of clinical and translational scientists through his efforts as a mentor and educator. His mentees have ranged from medical school students to resident physicians, and from postdoctoral research fellows to junior faculty. He exemplifies the ICRE’s core value of advancing clinical and translational science through mentorship and instruction in sound clinical research techniques. Congratulations to Dr. Rosengart for all of his outstanding achievements!

Kathleen M. McTigue, MD, MPH, MS, received the 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. McTigue is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Pitt and an active leader in the Internal Medicine Residency Program as the Director of the Clinical Scientist Track and is the Associate Director for Research in the International Scholars Track. She has been the director of the ICRE’s Clinical Research Methods course for nearly 10 years. She is consistently praised by ICRE students, who nominated her for this award, for being thoughtful, organized and dedicated in her approach to education. Congratulations, Dr. McTigue!

Kevin L. Kraemer, MD, MSc, was chosen as the winner of the 2019 Distinguished Mentor Award. Dr. Kraemer is a Professor of Medicine and Clinical & Translational Science as well as the Director of the General Internal Medicine Clinician-Researcher Fellowship Program. His dedication to his mentees, investment in their success, and impact on their future careers is particularly admirable and worthy of this recognition. We congratulate him on this achievement!

We would also like to extend a special word of thanks to Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD, Dean of the University of Pittsburgh Honors College and alumnus of the ICRE’s Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical and Translational Science Program, who delivered the keynote address.

Congratulations to our outstanding graduates and all the best in your future endeavors.