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Norman F. Retener, MD

Academic Title:

Assistant Professor

Primary Appointment:

Medicine

Administrative Title:

Assistant Dean for Longitudinal Undergraduate Medical Education

Additional Title:

First Year Practice of Medicine Course Director, UMMS/School of Medicine Liaison, Vice Chair of Curriculum Coordinating Committee

Phone (Primary):

410-706-3539

Education and Training

Dr. Retener completed his undergraduate studies at New York University where he majored in Molecular Biology and Political Science. He received his medical degree in 2006 from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center/Baltimore VA in 2009, and served as a Chief Resident from 2009 to 2010.

Biosketch

Dr. Retener joined the faculty in 2010 as an academic hospitalist in the Medical Intermediate Care Unit and on the General Medicine teaching service.

In 2011 he took over as the Course Director for Introduction to Clinical Medicine where he taught first year medical students the medical interview, the health history, history of healthcare and caring for special patient populations.  He has continued in this role in the new “Practice of Medicine” course in the revamped medical school curriculum.  He was named Medical Director of the Medical Intermediate Care Unit and the Med 7 Hospitalist Team in 2016 and served in this capacity until 2019.  During the initial COVID-19 response, Dr. Retener served as the acting Medical Director with Dr. Dara Farber for the converted IMC/ICU Biocontainment Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center.  This unit provided overflow care for critically ill COVID patients for 3 months during the spring wave of the pandemic.

Dr. Retener primarily serves as the Assistant Dean of Longitudinal Undergraduate Medical Education, overseeing all longitudinal activities that run over the four years of medical school including Practice of Medicine/Introduction to Clinical Medicine, the Service-Learning Program and Educational Tracks.  He also serves as the School of Medicine Liaison to the University of Maryland Medical System, coordinating the placement of medical students into system hospitals.  Dr. Retener is the Vice Chair for the Curriculum Coordinating Committee.

 

Research/Clinical Keywords

Hospitalist Medicine, Intermediate Care, Simulation, Education

Highlighted Publications

Retener NF, Aje TO, Benitez M. Cardiology. In: Wolfsthal (ed) National Medical Series - Medicine. 7th ed. (2011)

Retener NF, Delapenha, A. Healthcare in the United States. In: Habicht and Gulati (ed) Hospital Medicine: Perspectives, Practices and Career Advancement (2016)

Frayha N, Bontemp LJ, Retener NF, et al. Core Entrustable Professional Activities. Medical Science Education, Online (2016)

Shah NG, Patel DM, Retener NFDittmar PC, Lacap C, Thom KA, Martinez J. Beginning a new medical school curriculum amidst a global pandemic. FASEB Bioadv, Online (2020)

Donohue KE, Farber DL, Goel N, Parrino CR, Retener NF, Rizvi S, Dittmar PC. Quality improvement amid a global pandemic: a virtual curriculum for medical students in the time of COVID-19. MedEdPORTAL, Online (2021)

D’Adamo CR, Workman K, Barnabic C,  Retener N, Siaton B, Piedrahita G, Bowden B, Norman N, Berman B. Culinary Medicine Training in Core Medical School Curriculum Improved Medical Student Nutrition Knowledge and Confidence in Providing Nutrition Counseling. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. (June 2021)

Donohue K, Davis N, Farber D, Retener N, Dittmar P. An internal medicine residency preparatory curriculum for fourth-year medical students. Clinical Teacher. (2023)

Brady JE Jr, Retener NF, Holden VK, Cassady SJ. Recurrent Pneumothoraces in a 36-Year-Old Gravid Woman. Ann Am Thorac Soc. (Feb 2024) 

 

 

Research Interests

Dr. Retener currently has research projects in IPE, clinical skills and medical education.

Clinical Specialty Details

Dr. Retener served as the Medical Director for the Medical Intermediate Care Unit (MIMC) and the Med 7 IMC Hospitalist Team from 2016 to 2019.  He still practices in the MIMC. 

The MIMC is a 16 bed unit that cares for adult patients with complex medical issues which require a higher level of monitoring than can be provided on a regular floor. The unit is staffed only by attending hospitalists that are on the unit 24/7.

Common diagnoses include:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation
Gastrointestinal bleeding
End stage renal disease and its complications
End stage liver disease and its complications
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Asthma exacerbation
Acute hypertensive crisis
Transplant rejection
Tachyarrhythmias
Neutropenic fever
Sepsis

Common clinical activities include: 

Hemodynamic monitoring including; ECG, arterial pressure, central venous pressure and pulse oximetry
Insertion of invasive lines for hemodynamic monitoring, e.g., arterial line, central venous pressure line, Quinton catheter, cordis placement for volume resuscitation
Mechanical Ventilation of both chronically ventilated patients and those in need of acute/transient ventilatory support
Hemodialysis
Chest tube placement
Paracentesis
Thoracentesis
Transient hemodynamic support with IV fluids/vasocative agents with the goal of stabilization for ICU transfer
Patient and family education regarding diagnosis, interdisciplinary treatment plan, prognosis and adjustment to illness

 

Awards and Affiliations

2006 Gold Humanism Honor Society; University of Maryland School of Medicine

2016 Faculty Educator of the Year; Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine

2017 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society; University of Maryland School of Medicine

2018 Fellow of the Academy of Educational Excellence; University of Maryland School of Medicine

2018 President’s Inter-Professional Education Faculty Scholar; University of Maryland, Baltimore

2019 Fellow, American College of Physicians

2021 Educators of the Year; University of Maryland, Baltimore

2022 "Top Doctor, Hospitalist Medicine" Baltimore Magazine

2023 "Top Doctor, Hospitalist Medicine" Baltimore Magazine