28 February 2024

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Inaugural Cohort for PittEI3 (Equitable, Inclusive, Innovation and Incubation) Fellowship Selected

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A group of 10 University of Pittsburgh faculty spanning numerous schools and departments across the university — from medicine, bioengineering, and nursing to social work, dental medicine, and law —  has been selected for the inaugural PittEI3 (Equitable, Inclusive, Innovation and Incubation) Fellowship.

The Pitt Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship has established PittEI3 with the aim of creating sustainable and equitable institutional change. This was done in recognition of the fact that women and other historically excluded people (HEP) are not participating in the university’s expanding innovation ecosystem to the extent that they are capable of.

Partners in the initiative include the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences, the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research, the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), and the Office of the Provost.

The centerpiece of PittEI3 is a new one-year Fellowship for early-to-mid-career Pitt faculty with research responsibilities. Those selected for the inaugural cohort will:

• receive partial salary reimbursement for professional effort devoted directly to innovation development activities;
• receive academic innovation and entrepreneurial skills training;
• develop an individual academic innovation plan; and
• receive one-on-one innovation mentoring and coaching and sponsorship along with networking opportunities.

“Innovation flourishes best when a diverse mix of talent, experience and backgrounds is brought to the table. The Pitt EI3 program can invite new people and perspectives into the process and strengthen the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship that is gathering momentum across the University,” said Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel. “There is impressive collaboration across campus that creates what can become the preeminent model for inclusive innovation across the national higher education landscape.”

The Fellowship was developed and is being directed by Cecelia Yates, associate professor at the Pitt School of Nursing and herself a serial entrepreneur. Dr. Yates is co-founder of Pitt startup company Ocugenix Inc., which last year began a clinical trial for treatment of macular degeneration.

“I am thrilled at the exceptional response to our call for applications for the PittEI3 Fellowship, which made our job to select the inaugural cohort extremely difficult,” Yates said, adding, “We believe we have chosen an incredibly diverse group of faculty representing a broad array of disciplines. We now look forward to surrounding them with the resources and opportunities to explore the potential of their innovations.”

The following individuals are members of the 2024 inaugural cohort of the Pitt EI3 Fellowship:

• Jill Demirci is an associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion & Development at the School of Nursing and is a board-certified lactation consultant. Demirci’s research program involves the development, testing, and dissemination of innovative interventions and programs to support human lactation/breastfeeding, including the creation of a nationally disseminated equity-based lactation education program for undergraduate nursing students.
• James Huguley is an associate professor in the School of Social Work and is the chair of the Race and Youth Development Research Group at the Center on Race and Social Problems. His research focuses on school and family-based interventions that promote positive developmental outcomes for black youth in adverse and oppressive contexts, and he is the creator of Parenting While Black: Growing and Healing Together, which provides best practices in racially edifying parenting strategies for black caregivers.
• Charles Jonassaint is an associate professor in the School of Medicine, where he is exploring novel technologies to expand the reach and impact of healthcare. He is the primary inventor of Painimation, a human-centered, technology-based approach for measuring pain.
• Katrina Knight is an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering. Her research aims to improve the lives of women with pelvic floor disorders through the development of novel and innovative treatments while also increasing the number of minorities pursuing an education and career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
• Lauren Kokai is a research assistant professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery and co-director of the Adipose Stem Cell Research Center. She has academic and industry experience translating soft-tissue regenerative therapeutics to clinical use. One of her primary research goals is to enable the surgical repair of challenging ischemic wounds by treating hostile wound beds with simple, affordable, and effective therapeutic solutions that restore tissue health and function.
• Christi Kolarcik is a research assistant professor of pathology in the School of Medicine with appointments in the Department of Bioengineering, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Her research includes the development and testing of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related neurodegenerative conditions.
• Mangesh Kulkarni is a research assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering. He is an expert in cell/gene/mRNA delivery using tissue-engineered approaches. Coupled with his experience in multi-omics-based discovery, he has pursued research spanning multiple applications, including diabetic wound healing, Type 1 diabetes, corneal regeneration, abdominal wall repair, and inflammatory bowel disease.
• Rebecca Price is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology. Her research centers on the role of neurocognitive factors and neuroplasticity in the etiology, course and treatment of depression, anxiety, compulsive behaviors, and suicidality. She is developing novel treatment strategies by coupling computer-based behavioral and biological interventions.
• Andrele Brutus St. Val is an assistant legal writing professor at the School of Law. Her research interests include labor and employment law, law student resiliency, legal education pedagogy, and leveraging technology to provide effective online legal education.
• Juan Taboas is an associate professor in the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences. His lab is working to commercialize a regenerative endodontic therapy for children, who he believes are an underserved population due to the often higher regulatory burden for therapies targeted to children.