UPMC

This year’s UPMC Community Heroes show the difference one person can make when they see a need and step forward to help. Through their compassion, commitment, and service, these 12 remarkable individuals are strengthening communities across western Pennsylvania and creating opportunities for their neighbors to thrive: Ann Baran Sonya Dembowski Susan Cataldi Ellis Michaels Vesta Mohebbi Lauren Rowe Anwan Wesley Melissa Fligger Gemma Pollice Valerie Warning Bonnie DeMotte Collin Arthrell As Dr. James E. Taylor, senior vice president and chief culture, community, and talent management officer, shared, building healthier communities extends far beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics. It takes people who are willing to show up, give back, and make a difference. Congratulations to this year’s honorees and thank you to KDKA-TV and Pittsburgh Today Live for helping us celebrate these incredible individuals and the impact they make every day.

Please join the Shadyside Department of Medicine for the 2026 Cooper Memorial Lecture “Beyond the Single Story: Navigating Goals of Care Discussions with Precision and Compassion” Thursday, October 29. Lunch will be provided at 11:30 a.m. and the lecture will begin at noon. The Cooper Endowment for the Department of Medicine was established by the Shadyside Hospital Foundation to honor Dr. Cooper’s lifetime achievements and to perpetuate the standards of patient care and physician education. The program will be held in the West Wing Auditorium, First Floor, UPMC Shadyside, 5230 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232. The lecture is sponsored by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences and UPMC Shadyside Department of Medicine. Sunita Puri, MD, MS, will be the special guest speaker. Dr. Puri is the director of inpatient palliative medicine consultation service and an associate professor of medicine at University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. This presentation is intended for physicians, nurses, social workers, allied health professionals, medical students, residents, fellows, community members, writers, artists, and practitioners of the humanities. At the end of this lecture, participants should be better able to: Articulate the structure of goals of care discussions at different points during a serious illness Understand the importance of precise and compassionate language during goals of care conversations Apply a storytelling-based framework to these discussions with patients and their own families In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Other healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity. No registration is required to attend the lecture in person or virtually. Lunch will be provided for attendees in person. To attend the program virtually, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eWqmr-Kc.

Designed with patients, families, and caregivers in mind, the Daniel G and Carole L Kamin Tower at UPMC Presbyterian represents the future of health care in our region. https://lnkd.in/e5r6G5HC

Manny’s story is one rooted in pride, purpose, and possibility. After years in the restaurant industry, including long shifts, little work-life balance, and the feeling that he had reached his ceiling, he discovered UPMC. He says it helped him realize, “That there isn’t a ceiling… I can go as far as I want to go.” At UPMC, Manny found a work environment that nurtures both his talent and his compassion, giving him the support and confidence to grow in a position he never imagined. He and his team play a meaningful role in patients’ everyday lives, helping provide comfort during some of their most difficult days. Manny takes pride in knowing that the work he and his team does has a lasting impact on patients, families, and staff alike- offering a sense of normalcy and care when it's needed most. Through every interaction, he carries forward his grandmother’s legacy of “feeding people with love,” creating moments of care and connection for those who need it most. Today, Manny has the opportunity to continue that legacy while building a future filled with growth, purpose, and endless possibility.

UPMC celebrates Construction Inclusion Week, October 12 – 16! The UPMC Toolbox program launched as part of our ongoing commitment to building stronger communities and has leveraged construction on the Daniel G and Carole L Kamin Tower at UPMC Presbyterian to help people interested in the construction trades learn more about career options and explore training opportunities and enable trade partners to find new recruits for apprenticeship programs. More than 30 people have completed the UPMC Toolbox program so far, with more opportunities coming in the future.

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and UPMC Western Behavioral Health are proud to come together with our community for Pittsburgh's Out of the Darkness Walk. 💜

We recently embarked on a very exciting new chapter. Trinity Health is now part of the UPMC family. Come join the celebration marking the milestone opening of UPMC Trinity.

At UPMC, we know that some of the most inspiring stories begin with a personal experience and a desire to help others. For Bill Vehovic, Director of Respiratory Services at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, that desire has shaped both his career and his life. After his wife experienced postpartum depression following the birth of their son, Bill turned a challenging chapter into a mission to support other families facing similar struggles. Through the annual Pars for Postpartum Depression Golf Outing, he has helped raise nearly $500,000 to enhance postpartum depression and anxiety services, creating a lasting impact for mothers and families throughout our community. For more than 20 years, Bill has brought empathy, purpose, and a commitment to helping others to every role he's held at UPMC. His journey reflects the power of turning personal challenges into meaningful change and demonstrates how one person can make a difference for countless families. Watch Bill's story here and then read our Q&A with him on the UPMC Careers Blog (link in comments below) to learn more about his career journey, leadership philosophy, and the personal experiences that continue to inspire his work and advocacy.

We're thrilled at today's announcement that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 recognizes the developers of optogenetics! And we are proud to have been the first to apply the technology in medicine, in a landmark 2021 Nature Medicine study. This video explains how the team used optogenetics to partially restore vision in a blind patient, in a trial led by Dr. José-Alain Sahel, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the UPMC Vision Institute. "It is great to see the work of pioneers in the field of optogenetics recognized and to see that the Nobel Committee press release referred explicitly to the clinical demonstration in vision restoration trials," said Sahel. "This encourages us to continue to optimize the implementation of this technology and the next iterations at the core of our efforts." https://lnkd.in/dgYAZx9

We’re honored to officially welcome Trinity Health System to the UPMC family. This milestone brings together two organizations united by a shared commitment to exceptional care, community impact, and supporting those who make it all possible. Building on a strong foundation of compassionate service, we’re creating even more opportunities for team members to grow their careers, make a difference, and help shape the future of health care in the Ohio Valley. We’re proud to celebrate this new chapter and look forward to serving our communities together for generations to come.