On December 31, 2012 Dr. Leslie Hoffman was confirmed as Professor Emerita. Emerita/Emeritus status is presented by the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees upon the retirement of full-time tenured faculty who have served for at least 10 years and who have made meritorious contributions to the educational mission and programs of the University.
Hoffman was recruited to the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing in 1973. She advanced up the academic ladder from instructor to assistant professor, to associate professor, to full professor and was awarded tenure in 1986.
In 1992, when the School was reorganized into the present 3-department configuration, Hoffman was named chair of the Department of Acute/Tertiary Care, a role she held until 2010. In 2011 she took a secondary appointment at the Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Pittsburgh.
On a national level, Hoffman has served as a member of the Nursing Research Study Section, for the Department of Research Grants (DRG), now the Center for Scientific Review, at the National Institutes of Health, and as an Ad Hoc Member of Study Sections reviewing research training grants, including CTSI awards. Within the American Thoracic Society, she served as Chair of the Nursing Assembly and member of the Research Priorities Task Force. In addition, she is an Associate Editor for Critical Care Alert and a member of the Research Grant Review Committee for the American Lung Association.
On her 60th birthday, former and current students, along with colleagues, honored Hoffman’s commitment to the School of Nursing by creating a research scholarship in her name – the Leslie A. Hoffman Endowed Acute Care Nursing Research Fund. The fund supports doctoral student and nursing alumni research. Through this fund, students at the School of Nursing have the financial support necessary to achieve their academic goals today and to make a difference as healthcare professionals tomorrow. To date, the fund has awarded over $18,000 in research awards.
In honor of her many years of service, Hoffman was presented with a chair signed by her friends and colleagues at the School of Nursing and a silver commemorative bowl by the University.