The University of Pittsburgh announced on March 10 the recipients of its annual Community Engaged Scholarship Forum (CESF) awards, recognizing students, faculty, and staff for their contributions to community engagement. The forum, held on March 3 under the theme “Community-Centered Futures,” featured speakers, workshops, and panel discussions focused on collaborative approaches to scholarship and partnership.
The CESF serves as a platform for sharing community-engaged work and fostering new partnerships among faculty, staff, and community members. It also highlights individuals and groups who have made significant impacts in their communities through sustained collaboration and leadership.
Celeste Welsh, director of community engagement for Pitt Athletics, received the Tracy Soska and John Wilds Outreach and Engagement Leadership Award for her leadership in building connections between Pitt Athletics and the local community. Tina Ndoh, associate dean for public health practice at Pitt’s School of Public Health, was honored with the CESF Collaboration Champion Award for her commitment to trust-building and equity in community partnerships.
Three initiatives were recognized with Partnerships of Distinction Awards. The Bracuí Community Engagement Partnership was acknowledged for its two-decade collaboration between Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies and the Quilombo of Bracuí in Rio de Janeiro. This partnership has supported land rights efforts while providing hands-on experience to students. Data Justice for Pittsburgh’s Black Neighborhoods was honored as a coalition-led initiative empowering Black residents to influence data governance in partnership with local organizations. The Social Medicine Fellows Program at Pitt’s School of Medicine was recognized for training medical students to address health needs identified by marginalized communities across six Pittsburgh neighborhoods since its launch in 2017.
The forum included keynote speaker Justin Heck from Opportunity@Work and panelists such as Marimba Milliones from the Hill Community Development Corporation discussing economic well-being strategies. More details about this year’s event are available on the CESF website.
Looking ahead, university officials say these awards highlight ongoing efforts to strengthen reciprocal relationships between academic institutions and communities.
