Anassa Kata
Mawrters Making Their Mark
Martha Birnbaum 鈥62
Martha Birnbaum 鈥62, executive director of the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, was recognized with the company as it was awarded the prestigious American Prize in Opera Performance for its production of George Frideric Handel鈥檚 Samson. Birnbaum founded the opera company with the mission to present lesser-known works and bring opera to more people.
Michael Byrne, M.S.S. 鈥18
Michael Byrne, M.S.S. 鈥18 was recognized by the Philadelphia Gay News as one of 49 鈥淢ost Influential LGBTQ+ Leaders.鈥 Byrne was recognized for his clinical work as a therapist for the LGBTQ Elder Community through the Jewish Family and Children鈥檚 Service of Greater Philadelphia. Byrne studied at GSSWSR with the goal of moving the needle on loneliness in LGBTQ elders.
Shannon R. Dalton, M.A. 鈥04, Ph.D. 鈥09
Shannon R. Dalton, M.A. 鈥04, Ph.D. 鈥09, was named to Marquis Who鈥檚 Who for her contributions to the pharmaceutical industry. Dalton is the director of clinical science at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, where she leads teams overseeing clinical research initiatives and contributing to advancement of innovative therapies.
Nan Ellin 鈥81
Nan Ellin 鈥81 was recently awarded the position of dean emeritus at the University of Colorado Denver鈥檚 College of Architecture and Planning, following six years as dean of the college, in recognition of her leadership, scholarship, and service. She launched the DESIGN/HEALth initiative at the university and is working on her seventh book.
Jonathan Pfeffer, M.S.S. 鈥24
Jonathan Pfeffer, M.S.S. 鈥24 received first prize in the Awards for Clinical Excellence from the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work. The award recognizes outstanding clinical scholarship by graduating MSW students in Pennsylvania. Pfeffer was recognized for his psychodynamic work with clients from immigrant backgrounds.
Caitlin A. Romasco 鈥09
Caitlin A. Romasco 鈥09 was recognized on the 鈥淥nes to Watch鈥 list by the Best Lawyers in America 2026 in the areas of commercial litigation, insurance law, and real estate litigation. A partner at Casner & Edwards in Massachusetts, Romasco represents clients in complex business disputes across industries such as technology, manufacturing, and health care.
Joon Shim 鈥00
Joon Shim 鈥00, a general surgeon and the first woman to serve as program director of the General Surgery Residency Program at Bassett Healthcare Network, was appointed to the American College of Surgeons鈥 Committee on Medical Student Education in October 2025 for a three-year term. The committee鈥檚 goals include addressing the educational needs of medical students in surgery and playing a pivotal role in developing and implementing new national educational programs.
Zach Silvia, Ph.D. 鈥22
Zach Silvia, Ph.D. 鈥22 started a new job at Stanford University as a postdoctoral fellow in Mediterranean archaeology. He will be working on several archaeology projects and a book, a comparative political ecology of the ancient Hellenistic world centering on human resilience in regions of environmental insecurity.
Published on: 03/04/2026