After 26 years as the director of Pediatric Education, Dr. Madeline Simasek has retired. She joined the faculty of UPMC Shadyside Family Medicine Residency Program in 1992. Dr. Simasek was responsible for the pediatric training of over 260 family medicine residents and countless medical students. She touched the lives of high school students through her leadership in the School Health Partnership and influenced the teaching of Shadyside’s Family Medicine faculty. Dr. Simasek was known and respected as a gifted teacher, clinician and scholar. She earned her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Chatham University.
Her many accomplishments included recent publications on topics such as “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pediatric Hypertension” and “Promoting Resident Scholarly Activity.” Dr. Simasek secured countless grants, totaling more than $1.5 million which included local public-school initiatives such as, Promoting Adolescent Sexuality Education and utilizing Community Doulas to train residents in immediate newborn maternal skin to skin contact. Over the years, she has presented at many regional conferences on a variety of topics and she received the Grable Foundation’s Decade Award in 2002.
On June 29, 2018, Dr. Simasek was honored with an award at UPMC Shadyside Family Medicine Residency Graduation Ceremony for her outstanding achievements in teaching and dedicated service to the residency. Though we will miss her, we wish her the best of luck in her retirement!