Alumna wins UPMC awards

MSW alumna Monica Schirm recently was recognized by UPMC with two awards:

2023 Elizabeth Chaitin Award - UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside

  • The Dr. Elizabeth Chaitin Award is given to honor the career of Dr. Elizabeth Chaitin. This award is presented annually to a social worker at UPMC who embodies the values of the profession, achieves exceptional outcomes with his or her patients, and promotes patient engagement in setting their own goals of care at every stage of life.

ACES Award - UPMC Presbyterian

  • ​The Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service (ACES) honors staff who exemplify UPMC’s five core values​, which are the foundation of all UPMC does:  
    • Quality & Safety
    • Dignity & Respect
    • Caring & Listening
    • Responsibility & Integrity
    • Excellence & Innovation 

These life changers exceed the high level of service that our patients, members, and the community have come to expect from UPMC.​

Each year, fewer than 1% of UPMC staff receive this honor across the health system.

Monica writes: "Of note, I was a nontraditional student in the University of Pittsburgh MSW program from 2017-2019.   I started working as a medical social worker at UPMC as an inpatient social worker on the oncology service at Shadyside hospital in 2019. I have since switched roles to an outpatient social worker at UPMC Presbyterian and Shadyside campuses and have been the primary social worker in the UPMC ALS Clinic for 2.5 years. I am grateful for the MSW education I received at Pitt and feel that it provided a strong foundation for the work I do today."