School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Alumni Day
40th Anniversary Dinner and Awards Ceremony
Join us as the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences celebrates its 40th year.
SHRS Alumni Day – Saturday, May 22, 2010
2 – 5 p.m. Tours of SHRS Laboratories
Shuttles departing from Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh
Take a guided tour of two of our off-campus laboratories where scientists and students conduct clinical and research services: the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory on the South Side and the Rehabilitation Science and Technology Laboratories in East Liberty.
5 – 8:30 p.m. Dinner and Awards Ceremony
Connolly Ballroom, Alumni Hall
4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh
Featuring Sgt. Jeremy Feldbusch, Keynote Speaker
In recognition of our 40th year, join fellow alumni, faculty, staff and friends of SHRS as we honor our 2010 award recipients and highlight the latest activities from our academic departments and programs.
Business Attire Suggested RSVP by Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Accommodations
The following hotels are offering discounted rates on a block of rooms when you mention “SHRS 40th Anniversary.” Rooms and rates are guaranteed until April 30, 2010.
Holiday Inn Select – University Center
100 Lytton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-682-6200
$121/night – Standard Room
Parking no charge
Shuttle: three-mile radius of hotel
Wyndham Garden Hotel – University Place
3454 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-683-2040 or 877-662-6242
$125/night – Deluxe Standard
Overnight parking: $17
Shuttle: three-mile radius of hotel
Parking
Parking in the Soldiers and Sailors underground lot is recommended. The parking garage entrance is off Fifth Avenue on Bigelow Boulevard, alongside Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall.
2010 Award Recipients
Distinguished Alumni
Julianna M. Arva, ATP (MS ’00)
Rehabilitation Science and Technology
John T. Bianco, MS, CMO, NREMT-P (BS ’98)
Emergency Medicine
Lt. Col. Teresa L. Brininger, PhD, MBA OTR/L, CHT (MS ’03, PhD ’05)
Occupational Therapy
Denise A. Dunyak, RHIA (BS ’81)
Health Information Management
Rachel Harken, MS, RD, LDN (BS ’95)
Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition
Laurence B. Leonard, PhD (PhD ’73)
Communication Science and Disorders
K. Ashley McFall, MS, CRC, CVE (MS ’05)
Rehabilitation Counseling
Robert W. Richardson, PT, MEd, FAPTA (BS ’59)
Physical Therapy
Rosemarie Rumanek Romesburg, PhD, MT(ASCP)
Clinical Laboratory Science (discontinued 2002)
Charles Buz Swanik, PhD, ATC (MS ’95, PhD ’98)
Sports Medicine/Athletic Training
Humanitarian Award
Denise English, PT (BS ’73)
The Dean’s Choice Award
Ophelia Munn-Goins, FACHE, RHIA, LTC(RET) (MS ’93)
Philanthropist Award
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Keynote Speaker
Sgt. Jeremy Feldbusch, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Duty. Honor. Compassion. Courage. Four simple yet powerful words. Words that have shaped and continue to guide the life of Sergeant Jeremy Feldbusch.
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001 with a degree in biological sciences, Jeremy decided to pursue his lifelong dream of serving his country. He joined the 228-member class of the Army Rangers, the premier light infantry unit of the U.S. Army and part of the U.S. Special Operations Command. Jeremy graduated first among the 74 soldiers who finished that Rangers training program.
He was stationed in Iraq in April 2003 when a piece of shrapnel from a detonated artillery shell destroyed Jeremy’s right eye, damaged the optic nerve behind his left eye and embedded in the left frontal lobe of his brain. Following six weeks in a medically-induced coma at Brooke Army Medical Center, he was completely blind and had some lingering damage to his brain. Jeremy spent two months in the hospital before returning home to Western Pennsylvania with his parents to continue his recuperation.
Although life without his sight has been different, Jeremy has taken the opportunity to set new goals and work toward new achievements. He and his mother teamed up with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) to help raise awareness for the needs of injured service members. Jeremy became the first national spokesman for the WWP and was one of the individuals who spoke in Washington, D.C., and lobbied Congress to bring about the passage of a federal law providing aid to severely wounded soldiers. In his advocacy role, Jeremy appeared in the renowned documentary Home Front, which chronicled his experiences and struggles as a wounded veteran returning to civilian life. Jeremy sees his work as a way of connecting with his fellow veterans.
And sports continue to be an integral part of Jeremy’s life. In spite of his injury, he still participates in fishing, skiing and camping. An avid hunter, Jeremy lobbied the Pennsylvania Game Commission to enact a law that makes it legal for blind individuals to hunt with the aid of a laser grip and a licensed, sighted partner. Jeremy takes advantage of the law with the help of his father as a guide. Since 2004, Jeremy’s collection of game continues to grow with each hunting season.
Jeremy has received many honors and decorations in his young life including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with Valor, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the Master Sergeant William “Chief” Carlson Tomahawk Medal. In February 2010, Jeremy was named a University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Alumni Fellow, the youngest alumnus ever to receive one of the highest honors the University bestows.