Pittsburgh, May 18, 2026 — Sarah Svirsky, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, received the Nancy Caroline Fellow Award at the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research Symposium on May 7, 2026.
The award is presented annually to the fellow who has made the greatest contribution to the field of resuscitation medicine. It honors Nancy Caroline, MD, a trainee of Peter Safar, MD, who appointed her medical director of the Freedom House Ambulance Service, the Pittsburgh program widely recognized as a foundational model for modern paramedic emergency medical services.
Svirsky completed her doctoral training under C. Edward Dixon, PhD, investigating synaptic mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction after experimental traumatic brain injury. She now conducts postdoctoral research under Ava M. Puccio, RN, PhD, examining acute secondary brain injury pathophysiology using multimodal neuromonitoring in patients with severe traumatic brain injury and cardiac arrest.
Robert S. B. Clark, MD, interim director of the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, presented the award during the symposium.
