Pittsburgh Medical Firsts
This Pittsburgh based doctor led the first successful polio vaccine trials in 1954
Who is Dr. Jonas Salk?
The polio vaccine helped eradicate a virus that once caused paralysis worldwide, highlighting the importance of vaccines in preventing disease.
This Pittsburgh-born scientist co-developed MRI technology, revolutionizing medical imaging.
Who is Dr. Paul Lauterbur?
MRI scans allow doctors to diagnose brain injuries, tumors, and internal damage without surgery.
This Pittsburgh-based university has one of the top research programs for brain-computer interfaces, which help people with paralysis regain movement.
What is the University of Pittsburgh?
Brain-computer interfaces give hope to people with spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions.
The human heart is roughly the same size as one's...
Fist!
This part of the brain is responsible for the ability to plan, organize, and control higher level cognitive functions.
What is the frontal lobe
Damage to our frontal lobe would cause difficulty in performing tasks and severely inhibit our ability to do everyday activities.
The world’s first liver transplant was performed in this Pittsburgh hospital?
What is UPMC Presbyterian?
Organ transplants save lives, and research in Pittsburgh continues to improve transplant success rates.
This University of Pittsburgh researcher discovered the importance of T-cells in immunology.
Who is Dr. George Klinman?
T-cells help the immune system fight infections and cancer, leading to advances in immunotherapy.
This famous Pittsburgh sports team has been a leader in concussion research due to its history with traumatic brain injuries.
Who are the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Concussion awareness is crucial in sports to prevent long-term brain damage.
This common mineral in bananas helps keep your heart beating correctly.
Potassium
This part of the brain might be damaged if someone has lost the ability to form new memories.
What is the hippocampus?
Memories make up who we are and help to create what we know of ourselves and the world.
In 1984, the first successful heart-liver transplant took place at this Pittsburgh medical center
What is UPMC
This woman from Pittsburgh became one of the first female African American pharmacists in the U.S.
Who is Anna Louise James?
Pharmacists play a crucial role in patient care by ensuring safe medication use.
The world’s first helmet sensor for real-time concussion monitoring was developed at this Pittsburgh research institute.
What is UPMC Sports Medicine?
Helmet sensors help detect concussions early, improving player safety in contact sports.
The average human heart beats about this many times in a 70-year lifespan.
Approx. 2.5 billion times!
In Alzheimer’s disease, neurons in this region of the brain degenerate and die.
What is the hippocampus?
The hippocampus is in charge of memory and learning, certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s attack this region
The first PET scan for detecting cancer was developed at this Pittsburgh University?
What is the University of Pittsburgh
PET scans are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring cancer, improving early detection and treatment.
This Pitt professor helped create the Heimlich maneuver, which saves thousands from choking.
Who is Dr. Henry Heimlich?
Knowing first aid techniques like the Heimlich maneuver can save lives in emergencies.
This Pittsburgh-born mental health advocate co-founded an organization to help athletes struggling with depression and anxiety.
Who is Brandon Marshall?
Mental health is just as important as physical health, especially for athletes under high stress.
This ancient civilization is credited with some of the earliest studies of the heart’s function!
Ancient Greece
This type of memory consists of facts, concepts, and cultural knowledge.
What is semantic memory?
Semantic memory is crucial for allowing us to recall information and relate it to other information.
This Pittsburgh hospital was the first to successfully use extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in newborns?
What is UPMC Children’s Hospital
ECMO helps critically ill babies breathe, demonstrating life-saving innovations in neonatal care.
This Pittsburgher won the Nobel Prize for his work on organ transplant rejection.
Who is Dr. Thomas Starzl?
His work made organ transplants more successful by reducing the risk of rejection.
The University of Pittsburgh helped develop this groundbreaking therapy that uses brain stimulation to treat severe depression.
What is Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)?
DBS can help people with treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions.
What year did Dr. Christiaan Barnard perform the first successful transplant of this organ
1967
Scratching your ear and/or operating machinery are examples of involuntary and learned ___________
What are motor controls?
Motor controls sent from the cerebellum of the brain help us to perform movements needed in everyday life.