"The Prevention Pipeline": UMMC and UMSOM training the next generation of preventive medicine leaders
The Prevention Pipeline is a space dedicated to sharing the people, ideas, and work that drive preventive medicine forward. This blog brings together medical students, residents, and faculty who are united by a commitment to prevention, population health, and upstream approaches to improving health outcomes.
Resident Reflection posts will feature writing by the residents that offers readers an inside look at both their personal paths and their journeys within our program. These reflection posts explore what drew them to the field of preventive medicine and how their interests, skills, and professional identities evolve as they progress toward graduation and future careers.
Some posts will highlight work or research completed in the classroom, projects during practicum rotations, or efforts within the community. Each resident’s passions and career aspirations are unique, and thus the reflections will span a wide range of topics. Along the way, readers may join residents on their walk to work along the harbor, share in the culinary delights of the city, or even learn what they do for fun outside of medicine.
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Read the blogs below:
Blog #1: Welcome to the "The Prevention Pipeline": UMMC and UMSOM training the next generation of preventive medicine leaders
January 12, 2026
Happy New Year and welcome to The Prevention Pipeline!
As we begin 2026, the University of Maryland Preventive Medicine residency program is excited to launch The Prevention Pipeline, a space dedicated to sharing the people, ideas, and work that drive preventive medicine forward. This blog brings together medical students, residents, and faculty who are united by a commitment to prevention, population health, and upstream approaches to improving health outcomes.
The Prevention Pipeline highlights the full continuum of training and practice in preventive medicine. Here, medical students explore their early interests and experiences, residents reflect on the challenges and rewards of preventive medicine training, and faculty share expertise, mentorship, and perspectives shaped by years of practice and leadership. Together, these voices reflect the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of our field.
Throughout the year, this blog will feature accomplishments and milestones, timely public health topics, research and quality improvement efforts, and real-world examples of prevention in action—from clinical preventive services to community-based and policy-level interventions. Our goal is to foster learning, dialogue, and inspiration while showcasing the vital role preventive medicine plays in advancing health equity and population well-being.
As we look ahead to the coming year, we invite readers and contributors alike to engage with The Prevention Pipeline: celebrate successes, reflect on lessons learned, and share ideas that strengthen the future prevention workforce. We look forward to growing this community together and continuing the important work of building health—upstream.
Welcome to a new year—standing outside UMSOM on this crisp January day, I invite you to come follow along with me in The Prevention Pipeline!
Marissa Khajavi MD, MPH
Program Director, Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency
Blog #2: Insights from preventive medicine residents on training, practice, and professional growth
January 20, 2026
Resident Reflections: Insights from preventive medicine residents on training, practice, and professional growth
How Policy Shapes Health Care— The Importance of Involvement of Trainees
As the Maryland Legislative Session starts we are thinking all things policy!
Policies influence everything from access to care and insurance coverage to public health funding and prevention efforts. Physicians witness the downstream effects of these decisions every day—caring for patients whose health is shaped as much by policy and social conditions as by clinical care.
Physician involvement in policy is essential. Clinicians bring real-world experience, scientific expertise, and an understanding of unintended consequences that can strengthen policy decisions. In preventive medicine and public health, policy is one of our most powerful tools to improve population health, reduce inequities, and address health upstream. Engaging in policy—through advocacy, research, education, or advisory roles—allows physicians to help build a more effective, equitable, and prevention-focused health system.
We strive to provide our residents with a rich policy experience. Below find PGY-3 Dr. Gabriel Pontipiedra’s reflection on his policy work thus far. --Marissa Khajavi MD, MPH Program Director
I was drawn to Preventive Medicine because it focuses on addressing health upstream, instead of only reacting once disease has already occurred. During medical school and my prior residency training, I often felt frustrated by how frequently social determinants of health, policy decisions, and inequities were acknowledged but not meaningfully addressed in clinical settings. Preventive Medicine felt like the place where public health, policy, and patient care could actually come together in a real and impactful way.
My policy rotation with The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) and time working on Capitol Hill this past fall were especially meaningful experiences. Translating evidence into advocacy and seeing firsthand how policy decisions shape population health was incredibly eye-opening and reinforced the idea that physicians can—and should—play roles beyond the clinic.
The work I completed with The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) in the Office of Minority and Health Disparities was also meaningful. I worked to analyze racial disparities in infant mortality and low birth weight across Maryland counties. That project brought together data analysis, health equity, and policy relevance in a way that strongly reflects my interests. Seeing how these data directly informed conversations around accountability and targeted intervention was both validating and motivating, and it underscored the potential for policy to address these inequities.
Building on this foundation, my current rotation with MDH in the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health has placed me at the center of the legislative process during session. Through helping prepare testimony, conducting research, and attending hearings in Annapolis, I am seeing firsthand how evidence on infant mortality and disparities can shape policy decisions. Being part of this fast-paced and critically important space has reinforced my belief that thoughtful, data-driven policy work is essential to improving outcomes for mothers and infants across Maryland.
-- Gabe Pontipiedra DO PGY-3 and Chief Resident
