Katherine Lane, MD, and Andrew Tout, MD, are this year’s University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine recipients of the Matthew Eric Piraino Award for Excellence in Infectious Diseases. This year’s awards ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19, but our awardees have received $5,000 each and award certificates. This award was established by Matthew Eric Piraino’s family and is given to deserving University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine seniors who have shown excellence in Infectious Diseases clinical service and/or research. The recipients of this award are selected by members of the Infectious Diseases Division, many of whom provided cared to Matthew during the last two years of his life.

Dr. Katherine Lane completed a study with Dr. Harold Wiesenfeld on exploring parental attitudes concerning STD screening of teenagers during a pediatric office visit. This study was important in understanding barriers in routine STD screening of adolescents in pediatric offices. Results of this study were accepted for publication in the Journal of Adolescent Health and will have a significant impact in changing the landscape of STD screening among teenagers. Dr. Lane will join the Internal Medicine Residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

Dr. Andrew Tout completed a project with Dr. Brian Campfield and Dr. Andrew Nowalk on examining the impact of operative intervention in pediatric Lyme arthritis. Results of this study showed that surgery is not clinically beneficial but does increase healthcare utilization and costs. These results, which were presented in last year’s IDWeek, will indeed have a significant impact in clinical care. In addition, Dr. Tout excelled in his ID clinical rotation. He will join the Internal Medicine Residency program at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago.

Please join us in congratulating Katie and Andrew!