Blue Cross Blue Shield of Pittsburgh has designated The Washington Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery, part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's expansion of its Blue Distinction designation. The Washington Hospital's Center for Orthopedics and Neurosciences provides comprehensive surgical treatment of spinal diseases and injuries. State-of-the-art treatment is provided by a coordinated team of neurosurgeons, consulting medical specialists, therapists, nurses and support staff.

Amy Fenn, director of family based mental health at Pressley Ridge, was the recipient of the Nicholas Hobbs Award, which honors a staff member who embodies the re-education values and personifies the Pressley Ridge culture.

Royal Philips Electronics said the Philips Respironics' manufacturing plant in Murrysville was awarded a spot in IndustryWeek's Top 10 Best Plants of 2009. The 125,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 1990, is one of two manufacturing facilities Philips Respironics operates in the region.

VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System named Dr. Alaa Shalaby, a cardiologist, and Dr. Mohan Ramkumar, a nephrologist, outstanding physicians of the year for their steadfast dedication to excellence in patient care and for their outstanding contributions to education, performance improvement and innovations in health care.

Desmone & Associates Architects and McKnight Realty's renovation project at 615 Alpha Drive received the 2010 NAIOP Pittsburgh Award for "Best Renovation Project." The 300,000-square-foot former distribution center was completely renovated into a multitenant mixed use facility in RIDC O'Hara.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh said the renovation of its Woods Run library was awarded LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nation's pre-eminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The LEED building rating system is a guideline for combining environmental stewardship and life cycle cost benefits of investing in good design.

Fitting Group was recognized nationally as a "Favorite Twitterer" of American Marketing Association's Marketing News readers.

Dr. Brian Primack was awarded the Early Career Investigator Award at the Society of Behavioral Medicine's 31st Annual Meeting. Dr. Primack, who is an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was recognized for his body of research focusing on the relationship between mass media and health. The Early Career Investigator Award recognizes one recipient each year who, despite being early in his or her career, has made outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of behavioral medicine.

Dickie McCamey & Chilcote said James R. Miller received the Duquesne University School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award. Mr. Miller is the president, CEO and chairman of the board of Dickie McCamey & Chilcote, and serves as co-chair of the firm's toxic tort practice group. Mr. Miller's toxic tort practice is national in its scope, as he represents several Fortune 100 companies in cases in both state and federal courts throughout the United States. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to the candidate who has practiced law 20 years or more and who has distinguished himself or herself through achievements in the legal profession.

Pittsburgh-based tech startup Deeplocal was the winner of two prestigious advertising industry awards at the ANDY Awards Show. Deeplocal received the ANDY award for Innovation and the Richard T. O'Reilly Award for Public Service for its work on the 2009 Nike Chalkbot Campaign. Deeplocal was honored for its role in developing the Nike Chalkbot for last year's Tour de France. Created for Lance Armstrong's Livestrong campaign, the Chalkbot was a collaboration between Deeplocal; Standard Robot Co., based in Pittsburgh; and Wieden+Kennedy. The Chalkbot allowed people around the world to text, tweet and send in messages of hope and inspiration to be printed on the actual course of the Tour de France.

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