University of Maryland Faculty Physicians’ Emergency Medicine Network Names Clinical Faculty Leader, Dr. Rhamin Ligon, as Its New Executive Director

New Appointment Will Further the Mission of the Community-Based Emergency
Medicine Network

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Anthony F. Lehman MD, MSPH, along with Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, today announced the appointment of Rhamin Ligon, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, to the role of Executive Director of the Maryland Emergency Medicine Network (MEMN).

Approved by MEMN’s Board of Directors, Dr. Ligon will assume her new position effective January 3, 2021, succeeding Laura Pimentel, MD, Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine in the UMSOM. Dr Pimentel has served in that position since May 2018, and prior to that, was integrally involved in MEMN’s successful growth since 2007. Brian Browne, MD, currently Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, founded MEMN in 1988, and served as its first executive director until he was succeeded by Dr. Pimentel. In her new role, Dr. Ligon will provide day-to-day operational oversight and management of MEMN's statewide, community-based emergency medicine network.

“The vision of MEMN is to be the premier choice for outstanding emergency care,” says Dr. Lehman, who is also Chair of MEMN’s Board of Directors, and formerly the Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the UMSOM. “MEMN’s fundamental mission is the extension of university-quality emergency medical care to the patients of our client hospital emergency departments. We accomplish this by the establishment and development of outstanding physician practices in our hospital communities. Our goals are strong collaborative relationships with hospital executives, outstanding clinical outcomes, commitment to resident education, and the enhancement of population health under Maryland’s Global Budget Revenue (GBR).”

Dr. Ligon has had a distinguished career as a clinicial leader and medical director in Emergency Medicine. After completing her MD at Howard University School of Medicine, and her post-graduate residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center, she has served on the faculty as an Assistant Professor in UMSOM’s Department of Emergency Medicine from 1994 to the present. While in this faculty role, she also has served on the faculty as Clinical Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Bon Secours Hospital from 1994-2004, as Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Liberty Medical Center from 1998-1999, and as Chief of Service for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Maryland General Hospital from 2004-2011. Since 2011, she has been Director of Quality and Risk Management for MEMN and, most recently as MEMN’s Corporate Compliance Officer. She is also an Attending Physician of Emergency Medicine at UM Capital Region Health.

The Maryland Emergency Medicine Network, an affiliate of University of Maryland Faculty Practice, Inc. (FPI), was established in 1998 in response to the emergency services and management needs of community hospitals throughout the State of Maryland. Dr. Lehman leads the MEMN Board as its chair, supported by a diverse set of board members representing UMMS, MMCIP, FPI, and others.

Since its inception, the network has grown to serve five Maryland counties in eight emergency departments and continues to be sought after for its practical and efficient approach to the management of emergency medicine services across the State of Maryland. Through FPI, UMSOM physicians provide leadership in the emergency department and throughout the organization they serve, providing consistent, high-quality care to patients and reliable, knowledgeable resources to the medical staff.

“Dr. Ligon is an outstanding Emergency Medicine physician with excellent clinical and administrative skills. She is able to synthesize the complex issues and communicate them more simply and clearly to her patients and colleagues,” said Dr. Browne, who is also Physician in Chief for Statewide Emergency Medicine Services. “After serving as the director of several of our EDs, she has focused her attention on patient safety and quality as Director of our Risk Mitigation Program, which she created and that serves all of the EDs in MEMN and UMMS. Her commitment to patient safety and quality care, combined with her practical knowledge of all of our EDs in UMMS, makes her the perfect candidate to lead MEMN. I am very proud of her many accomplishments in her most distinguished career,” he added.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ligon, who has an extensive and distinguished career as an Emergency Medicine leader in our School, health system, and communities,” said William Tucker, MBA, CPA, Associate Dean for Practice Plan Affairs, and  Chief Corporate Officer of UM Faculty Physicians, Inc. (FPI). “Her commitment to service excellence makes her an outstanding choice to succeed Dr. Pimentel, who has provided exemplary direction for MEMN since 2018. We are indebted to both for their service and leadership.”

Dr. Ligon herself is enthusiastic about the possibilities of her position, in realizing the network's potential as a leading source for exceptional emergency medical care in Maryland.

"The foundational strength of our Emergency Medicine network is built on the outstanding work of our dedicated clinicians,” Dr. Ligon said.  “I am pleased and excited to have been chosen to lead this dynamic and truly exceptional group.  I look forward to building on this foundation of excellence and helping to move the organization forward."

Dean Reece, who is also Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, said, “I congratulate Dr. Ligon on her appointment. Her extensive involvement in emergency medicine at UMSOM, along with her strong management experience and ability, will continue to build on the long-term success of the MEMN, as so ably managed under the stellar leadership of Dr. Pimentel.”

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $563 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8^th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu