Each January, Pitt’s School of Dental Medicine gathers to celebrate D4 Day, a milestone event marking the transition of fourth-year dental students into their professional careers. Unlike traditional residency match days at medical and other dental schools, Pitt Dental Medicine’s D4 Day serves as a comprehensive celebration of all career pathways—whether students are matching into advanced dental residency programs or stepping directly into private practice.

Two School of Pharmacy faculty members are working to develop a film-based nonhormonal contraceptive with up to $1.4 million in funding from the Gates Foundation.

Many older people do not realize they are at a higher risk for certain illnesses, such as shingles or pneumonia, and that they are eligible for vaccines that could reduce that risk. That’s why three Pitt Health Sciences students applied for a grant to develop educational materials about vaccines for older patients.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Division of Laboratory Animal Resources has been awarded Continued Full Accreditation from the AAALAC International. AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through a voluntary accreditation program. It was formerly called the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International.

Samaneh Farsijani, assistant professor of epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, has a broad fascination with aging—specifically how every day, modifiable behaviors like exercise and nutrition can shape the trajectory of health, resilience and independence as people grow older.

Benign” is used to describe a category of non-cancerous gynecological conditions, but University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing researchers say the term is hurting patients’ health. In a commentary paper published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing on March 11, 2026, lead author Mary Hoberg and co-author Lacey Heinsberg write that the word “benign” is “nonspecific, clinically misleading and potentially harmful.”