Molly Stitt-Fischer is Pitt’s new director of environmental health and safety

The University’s Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management has named Molly Stitt-Fischer as director of environmental health and safety. 

Stitt-Fischer, who has been with the Department of Environmental Health and Safety since December 2010, will replace assistant vice chancellor Jay Frerotte. Frerotte will continue to serve in his role as assistant vice chancellor and work closely with Stitt-Fischer until his planned retirement in January 2023. Frerotte has been with the University since 2002 and has been a stabilizing force in building, maintaining and guiding the department. 

Stitt-Fischer most recently served as Pitt’s biosafety officer, where she managed biological and research laboratory safety inspection programs for the University. This work included management of a laboratory safety team consisting of 10 direct reports to support the University’s research mission and help ensure the safety of University constituents. In addition to her many responsibilities, Stitt-Fischer has served as the University's lead authority on matters related to research safety. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, her interpretations and recommendations were also critically helpful to support successful emergency operations at Pitt.

Prior to joining Pitt, Stitt-Fischer worked as a fellow and associate biosafety officer within the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Pitt's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the School of Public Health. 

She holds numerous professional certifications and publications, and has earned a B.S. in molecular biology from Allegheny College, an M.S. in toxicology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a PhD in philosophy, environmental and occupational health from Pitt's School of Public Health.