Pitt’s Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management named Molly Stitt-Fischer the new director of environmental health and safety, according to a Tuesday media release from the University. 

Stitt-Fischer will replace Assistant Vice Chancellor Jay Frerotte. Frerotte will assist Stitt-Fischer, who has worked with the department since 2010, with the transition until he retires in January 2023. Frerotte has been with Pitt since 2002. 

Stitt-Fischer most recently served as Pitt’s biosafety officer, where she managed biological and research lab safety inspection programs. She also served as Pitt’s lead authority on research safety. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, her recommendations have helped Pitt with successful emergency operations, according to the media release. 

Stitt-Fischer earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Allegheny College, a master’s degree in toxicology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in philosophy, environmental and occupational health from Pitt’s School of Public Health.