Kathy Knauer, long-time executive producer of The Allegheny Front, was recognized by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health with The Distinguished Alumni Award for Teaching and Dissemination for her work of more than 25 years with the environmental news outlet. Knauer graduated in 1992 from Pitt Public Health with a MS in Environmental Health from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
“Because of my time at Pitt Public Health, I can effectively guide reporters in interpreting the results of complex environmental health studies, so that research relevant to our region can inform the public, as well as decision-makers and leaders in the community,” Knauer said. “It’s one way that Pittsburgh can move toward a healthier future.”
Executive Associate Dean Eleanor Feingold, who presented the award, lauded the reporting by The Allegheny Front staff, and their recent awards, including the First Amendment Award for the tireless effort to publish the terms of a confidential 2018 settlement between a property owner and natural gas-driller Range Resources, after a Washington County judge issued a gag order.
“The immense importance of the work done by The Allegheny Front for our region cannot be underestimated,” Feingold said.
The award was presented during Wednesday night’s Alumni Awards Virtual Gala, where alumni working in a variety of fields in public health were presented with awards. “I’m very honored to be recognized with some many other impressive alumni,” Knauer said.
Knauer was also an environmental scientist with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority from 1992-2002, and managed a water quality survey of Pittsburgh’s three rivers and multiple watersheds as part of a multi-disciplinary team at Carnegie Mellon University.
