Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences (2025 Awardee)
Dr. Amanda Artsen is an emerging leader in healthcare sustainability, demonstrating exceptional leadership and dedication across multiple roles at the University of Pittsburgh. She founded green teams at MWRI and Magee, co-leads Magee’s Environmental Quality Team, and has been a key figure in Clinicians for Climate Action. Dr. Artsen also established a special interest group for urogynecologists focused on sustainability. Her research includes life cycle cost analysis and environmental impact studies, and she actively contributes to educational outreach through invited talks and panel discussions on sustainability in healthcare.
Bioengineering (2025 Awardee)
Dr. Warren Ruder is a leader in sustainability and bioengineering both within and outside the University, with over 15 years of experience in ecological innovation. As an Associate Professor in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, he has been instrumental in promoting sustainability initiatives through his role as liaison between Bioengineering and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. His groundbreaking work includes engineering plants for optimized biomass production, with a focus on duckweed for sustainable food, fuel, and tissue engineering applications. Dr. Ruder's interdisciplinary research blends sustainability with cutting-edge bioengineering, while his leadership and mentorship have fostered a collaborative environment in his department.
Assistant Professor, Chemical & Petroleum Engineering (2024 Awardee)
Dr. Joaquin Rodriguez developed the first curricular ChemE course about sustainability: “Green Chemical Engineering & Sustainability.” The course covers a range of essential topics, including principles of green chemistry and green engineering, life cycle analsis, and ESG and GRI reporting. Student teams then develop technical projects with innovative proposals for more sustainable processes.
Assistant Professor, Bioengineering (2024 Awardee)
Dr. Kevin Bell has contributed to sustainability at Pitt through his innovative course design, cross-disciplinary teaching to students in Engineering and Public Health, and hands-on collaborations with community partners (both locally and globally). Dr. Bell’s “BIOENG 2173: Frugal Design for Low-Resource Environment” course focuses on designing medical products, systems, and solutions for resource-poor settings. For students, the concept of “sustainability” moves from being a theoretical construct to a real-life need; student teams work with communities and learn about low resource conditions, regulatory concerns, and engineering ethics.
Pediatrics
Maya Ragavan, MD, MPH, MS is a community-partnered research and general pediatrician in the Department of Pediatrics. She is a climate advocate and is part of the leadership team of the UPMC Clinicians for Climate Action and co-founder of the PA-American Academy of Pediatrics Climate and Environmental Health Committee.
Environmental Studies (2022 awardee)
Dr. Andrews received her PhD (Soil Science) in 2011 at Pennsylvania State University. She remained at Penn State as post-doctoral scholar and research associate. Dr. Andrews came to the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 as a lecturer and the advisor and coordinator of the Environmental Studies program.
Dr. Andrews-Brown and Dr. Quigley created two Freedom Seminar 1-credit courses centered on environmental justice. The first, “Place, Collective Economies, and Environmental Justice” and the second, “Global Water Activism and Pedagogies.” Freedom Seminar courses are offered by the School of Education’s Dept of Teaching, Learning, and Leading (TLL) to help students understand education within shifting social, cultural, and political frameworks. These two courses are the first of their kind in the School of Education to provide a crucial lens into environmental justice and concepts of sustainability.
Instruction & Learning and Science Education (2022 awardee)
Dr. Cassie Quigley is the Associate Chair of the Department of Instruction and Learning and Associate Professor of Science Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction with a PhD minor in Environmental Sciences at Indiana University in 2010. She holds a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Spanish.
Dr. Quigley and Dr. Andrews-Brown created two Freedom Seminar 1-credit courses centered on environmental justice. The first, “Place, Collective Economies, and Environmental Justice” and the second, “Global Water Activism and Pedagogies.” Freedom Seminar courses are offered by the School of Education’s Dept of Teaching, Learning, and Leading (TLL) to help students understand education within shifting social, cultural, and political frameworks. These two courses are the first of their kind in the School of Education to provide a crucial lens into environmental justice and concepts of sustainability.
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (2021 awardee)
As one of this year’s Leonard Peters Faculty Fellows, Tony has co-taught the 2 core Sustainability Certificate courses, “Current Issues” and “Sustainability Capstone.” He leads research projects on renewable energy sources and sustainability.