For Women’s History Month, we asked female deans in Pitt’s Schools of the Health Sciences to talk about the women who inspire them. Here’s what they told us.
Marnie Oakley
Dean of the School of Dental Medicine
“My mother, Joan LaVigna (left), has been the biggest female role model in my life.
“One of my first memories of her was witnessing her relentless work ethic for what she deemed important: oftentimes sewing clothes for four kids, cooking food for my brother’s football booster club or painting until all hours of the night.
“I grew up in a terribly small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania. My mother was a housewife/mother at a time when that very role was the dream of most women, and wanting more by expecting to work outside the home was seen as remarkably non-traditional.
“She was not about to get lost in the gray of life. She was passionately determined to share her amazingly creative talent with the world. Despite societal norms, the cultural limitations of the region and the extremely limited resources of both time and money that our family had to invest, she took the risk and became a successful small business owner.
“She taught me to believe in myself and to be passionate and intentional about my contributions to the world. She taught me that wealth does not measure one’s success, but instead, is defined by the contributions that come from one’s heart and desire to bring joy and fulfilling experiences to others.”
Oakley said the advice she would pass on to younger women is to “never give up your power to the imposter syndrome voices that may say you’re not worthy of success. Most people get lost in the negativity instead of investing what is needed to forge ahead. Always be passionate and intentional about what deserves your time and attention as you lead with your heart.”
Maureen Lichtveld
Dean of the School of Public Health
Dean Lichtveld’s role model is her mother, Olga Alma Tjon (left), who grew up as the oldest of 11 children in Suriname. She stopped going to school around age 14 to help care for her younger siblings, and she was determined that her daughter would have an excellent education.
“She would sit with me every afternoon after school and make sure that I did my homework, even though, as time went by, some of that homework was not something that she knew about because she didn't go to college.
“I went from a Catholic school where you had uniforms to the highest level of high school where there was no uniform anymore. She would save up every penny so I could have a new dress for each of the six days of the first school week.” Her mother also saved up so that Lichtveld could ride a bike to high school.
Her mother’s circumstances reinforced her commitment to education.
“We lost everything because of a revolution in Suriname. And we lost everything again after Hurricane Katrina. It turned out that you can lose everything, except for your education. Nobody could take that from you. It's in your brain. You could lose all the worldly things; you cannot lose education. Her lifelong commitment to education, she passed on to me, I passed on to my kids and as the leader of the School of Public Health, I'm passing it on right here in Pittsburgh.”
Before her mother died, Lichtveld made a promise to her that she would continue her tradition of creating women leaders.
“I am part of an impactful program called WomenLift Health. We nurture women in their early- and mid-career for a whole year on a project that they're doing to advance health, particularly in lower- and middle-income countries.”
She said that in many ways, mentorship is her opportunity to give back.
“I take Pitt students with me to Suriname, where I come from, and embed them not in fancy places, but they go into the Amazon rainforest and grow mangrove plants to go against coastal erosion caused by climate change. They feed baby sloths that lost their habitat because of deforestation.”
She advises others to challenge themselves to do work that really makes a difference.
“Embedding students—particularly women, at the earliest possible time—in communities makes them understand the question that has really guided my entire life and that's a ‘so what’ question: So what if your research is doing X? You've discovered a new enzyme, developed a new survey, taught a new course, so what? What does it matter for the public's health?”
Amy Seybert
Dean of the School of Pharmacy
“My grandmother, Genevieve (left), was always a role model for me. As a child, my family would visit her and my grandfather frequently and I spent several weeks each summer at their farm in central Pennsylvania.
“She was born in the 1920s and always had the fearless attitude to try new things while continuously bringing kindness, joy and empathy to those around her. She was an entrepreneur, building two successful businesses by owning a hair salon and a ceramics shop, while giving back to her community in many ways.
“I grew up seeing firsthand the value of hard work and ingenuity while seeing (and experiencing) the shining light of compassion that she sparked every day. Whether it was with her family, her community or her businesses, I saw how balance and perseverance defines leadership.”
Dean Seybert’s advice to younger women: “Stay true to your values and be willing to say yes to opportunities while giving yourself grace to make some mistakes along the way.”