Meet Our Team

Michelle Manni, PhD ATSF

Director of Ombuds Services, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Michelle@ombud.pitt.edu

Michelle Manni serves as the director of ombuds services for the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences, where she leads efforts to support students and postdoctoral trainees across the schools of the health sciences. In this role, Manni is dedicated to maintaining a safe, confidential and supportive environment where individuals can speak freely, navigate challenges and explore constructive options for resolution. Her work focuses on listening closely to concerns, identifying systemic barriers and advocating for meaningful change. She aims to strengthen trust and transparency within the academic and clinical training experience through her leadership and oversight of ombuds services for all the schools of the health sciences. Manni is also an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Ombuds by School

School of Dental Medicine

Kathryn Ferguson, MS

Kathryn Ferguson is a part of the Office of Student Affairs at the School of Dental Medicine and works with students on a daily basis to provide support and programming during their time at the dental school. She earned her master’s degree in higher education administration from Duquesne University and has worked in several areas of higher education. Ferguson strives to create a safe, welcoming and confidential space for students to receive support and guidance on sensitive matters.

Alycia Maltony, MEd

Alycia Maltony joined the School of Dental Medicine in 2014 and currently serves as the Student Services Administrator for professional students at Pitt Dental Medicine. In her role, she supports students from pre-matriculation through graduation. Her duties include orientation and graduation planning, student organizations, academic and career support advising, disability services coordinator, and dental residency counseling. Maltony has a Bachelor of Science (neuroscience) from Allegheny College and earned her Master of Education (administration and policy studies/higher education management) from the University of Pittsburgh. As an ombuds, Maltony is committed to providing a confidential and welcoming environment for all students looking for resources and support.

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Jessica Maguire, MA

Jessica Maguire is the executive director of student affairs at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Her current responsibilities include providing strategic direction and oversight of admissions, advisement, student services, student engagement and student success, supporting and advocating for students and student groups and collaborating closely with and advising the dean, associate deans, department chairs and program directors. She is delighted to serve as ombudsperson and provide an informal, impartial, independent and confidential space for students to receive support and guidance.

School of Medicine

G. Sarah Napoe, MD, MS

G. Sarah Napoe is assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences and a 2012 Pittsburgh School of Medicine graduate. She completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General hospitals and a fellowship at Brown University. Napoe believes in an environment where every person lives with dignity and confidence that their health care will serve their needs. As a teacher, she strives to unlock and build on every student’s unique talents to help them become excellent physicians. Napoe also believes in respectful and responsible global health and understands that birthplace and location should not prohibit access to care. As a graduate of the School of Medicine, Napoe is excited to serve in the ombuds position to help students find resolutions to difficult situations in a confidential manner.

Robert O’Doherty, PhD

Robert O’Doherty is professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics. He is also director of the T32 Endocrinology Training Program. O’Doherty earned his PhD at Vanderbilt University (1995). In 1999, he joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh, where he has focused his research on questions related to the association between states of overnutrition and resulting metabolic disturbances, most notably obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and type 2 diabetes. O’Doherty has a wealth of experience in mentoring students, postdoctoral fellows and young faculty. He sees the ombuds position as an opportunity to listen to and assist students in finding resolutions to the sometimes complex issues they encounter in a safe, confidential and respectful setting.

Laurel Roberts, PhD

Laurel Roberts is a senior lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, where she has also served as an assistant dean for undergraduates. From 2020-21, she served as a provost fellow for faculty. She has been a course director for the School of Medicine’s Summer Pre-Med Academic Enrichment Program since 2002. Roberts is an academic advisor for the Pre-Med Organization for Minority Students, Panthers Educating and Advocating for Children in Homeless Situations, and FROGS, the peer mentoring organization for males underrepresented in science. She earned her PhD in behavioral ecology in 1992 at the University of Pittsburgh. Roberts chose to serve with the Ombuds Office because of her long-standing commitment to the success of her students from their first biology lecture to their first professional appointment.

Daniel Devor, PhD

Daniel Devor joined Pitt’s faculty in 1995 and is professor of cell biology in the School of Medicine. He received his PhD in physiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Devor’s research interests focus on the regulation of channels and transporters that control membrane trafficking and organelle biogenesis. He has made seminal contributions to the understanding of both the basic science and its relevance to disease, particularly cystic fibrosis.

School of Nursing

Alex Clementoni, DNP, CRNA

Alex Clementoni is a part-time faculty member in the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia program. He is a proud Pitt alumnus and has received both his BSN (2015) and DNP (2020) from the University of Pittsburgh. Clementoni brings extensive clinical experience and a focused commitment to improving patient safety through innovative educational strategies. His academic interests center on the integration of high-fidelity simulation into health care training, with the goal of enhancing clinical competence and promoting patient safety. His decision to serve as the School of Nursing’s ombudsman was driven by a commitment to provide a supportive environment where students can seek guidance on sensitive matters encountered during their education.

Melissa Harlan, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CHSE

Melissa Harlan is an assistant professor in the Department of Acute and Tertiary Care in the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Harlan graduated from West Virginia University with her BSN and the University of Pittsburgh with her MSN and DNP in the Clinical Nurse Specialist Program. She enjoys teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is passionate about engaging in quality improvement efforts to improve patient care. Her service and scholarly work focus on mentoring nursing students and practicing nurses to encourage and support them as they transition to practice or a new role. As an ombudsman, Harlan hopes to provide a safe and supportive environment in which all campus visitors can navigate challenging and complex situations.

School of Pharmacy

Bailey Tobias, MEd

Bailey Tobias earned a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies from West Virginia University in 2012, a MEd in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Kutztown University in 2016, and a graduate certificate in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Cincinnati in 2019. She served as an academic advisor at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and a senior academic advisor at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, prior to coming to Pitt to be a prehealth advisor. She held that position until taking on her current role as the director of graduate programs in the School of Pharmacy. She was born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, (site of Steelers Training Camp) so she finally considers herself home again. As the director she is already known as the go-to person for students so the role of ombudsman is a natural fit.

School of Public Health

Mike Dolinger

Mike Dolinger is the director of student services and engagement at the School of Public Health. His role manages school-wide student events, student records, and overall student life within the School. His position as ombudsperson oversees the aspects of a student’s academic career that will help them grow, develop and learn.