Pitt Board Elects Two Emeritus Trustees

GREENSBURG—The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees, acting on the recommendation of the Governance and Nominating Committee, today elected Catherine D. DeAngelis, MD, MPH (MED ’69) and John A. Swanson (ENGR ’66) as emeritus trustees at the board’s fall meeting, which was held on Pitt’s Greensburg campus.

DeAngelis, a leading academic pediatrician and former editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), served on Pitt’s Board of Trustees from February 2002 until June 2015. Swanson, president of Swanson Analysis Services, Inc., served on the board from June 2006 until June 2015.

DeAngelis, who earned her MD degree from Pitt in 1969, is University Distinguished Service Professor Emerita and Professor of Pediatrics Emerita at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prior to joining JAMA, she was founding director of the Johns Hopkins’ Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and vice dean for academic affairs and faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

During her time on Pitt’s board, she was a member of the Risk and Compliance Committee from 2011 through 2015 and served as vice chair of the Health Sciences Committee for 13 years. She was appointed to the School of Medicine Board of Visitors in 2002 and continues to serve in this advisory role.

DeAngelis has been awarded seven honorary doctorates, including the Doctor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2004, and has received awards for humanitarianism and medical excellence including the American Pediatric Society’s 2015 Howland Medal, one of the highest awards in pediatric medicine; the Ronald McDonald Award for Medical Excellence; and a lifetime achievement award by the Association of American Medical Colleges. She was awarded Pitt’s Medical Alumni Association’s Philip S. Hench Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999; was named a Legacy Laureate as part of the 2000 Inaugural Class; and received the Distinguished Alumni Fellows Award, the 225th Anniversary Medallion, and the Trustees Medallion. Her loyalty and generosity to the University has been recognized by her membership in the University of Pittsburgh Babcock Society. 

Swanson, who earned his PhD in applied mechanics from Pitt in 1966, served on Pitt’s board as a member of the Institutional Advancement, Property and Facilities, and Student Affairs Committees. He was appointed to the Swanson School of Engineering Board of Visitors in 2013 and continues to serve in that advisory role. He is a regular presence at the school working closely with undergraduate and graduate students and playing a key role in the annual Electric Power Industry Conference. He was the keynote speaker at Pitt’s 2010 Commencement ceremony, where he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree.

Pitt has honored Swanson with the prestigious Chancellor’s Medal, the School of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award, the 225th Anniversary Medallion, and the Trustees Medallion. He was recognized as a University Legacy Laureate and inducted into the Cathedral of Learning Society, a special category reserved for Pitt’s most generous donors. In December 2007, in recognition of Swanson’s extraordinarily generous giving to the School of Engineering of more than $42 million, including what was at the time the largest single gift ever given to the University of Pittsburgh, the School of Engineering was named “The John A. Swanson School of Engineering.”

The Emeritus designation honors former trustees of the University who have exhibited exceptional leadership, long and devoted service, or other exceptional contributions to the progress and welfare of the institution. A lifetime appointment, Emeritus Trustees may attend meetings of the board but are not entitled to vote.

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