Skip to main content

Important Coronavirus Update from Dean Reece 04-01

April 01, 2020

Dear UMSOM Community:

E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBAI am sure you are aware of Governor Hogan’s Executive Order that requires all residents of Maryland to stay at home, except for essential activities. The Governor continues to emphasize that we are still just at the beginning of this crisis in Maryland. While the State has been taking the lead with early containment efforts, we are now at a critical point. Each of our actions can lessen the expected surge in cases over the next few weeks.

As we now extend our telework period until the end of April, I am keenly aware of the stress and strain, and the feelings of isolation, that this may create for all of us in the UMSOM community. Therefore, I encourage each of us to make every effort to remain positive, optimistic, and focused on goals we have set for ourselves individually and collectively. Stay connected with each other as often as possible. Consider setting goals for specific projects each day and take pride in their accomplishment. Go outside and take a walk periodically if you are able.

We are fortunate to have experts in wellness and mental health in our community who can advise us. My video message this week will feature John C. Allen, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, who will talk directly to our students about maintaining strong mental health during this difficult period. Jill RachBeisel, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Psychiatry, will address all of us about how we can keep a positive mindset, and remain alert, productive and effective in continuing to enhance our UMSOM mission areas. Next week, I will discuss how each of us can begin planning and preparing for our rebound and success when the COVD-19 crisis is over.


Update from UMB/UMSOM

Bruce Jarrell, MDFollowing Gov. Hogan’s Executive Order, UMB President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, announced the extension of the episodic telework period until at least the end of April. He noted that there will be a further update no later than April 15. The announcement included some stress-reduction tips from Stephanie Knight, MD, FAPA, who is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at our School of Medicine. To read Dr. Knight's tips, Click Here. Additionally, UMB provided resource information for those feeling increased anxiety because of the crisis and its disruption to your life, UMB offers counseling resources through our Employee Assistance Program (667-214-1555) and the Student Counseling Center (410-328-8404).

Working with Dr. Jarrell, I appointed a small group of researchers to determine appropriate exemptions for restricted research, allowing critical research to continue. A similar process was used for graduate student research exemptions.


Update from UMMSDr. Suntha

UMMS President & CEO Mohan Suntha, MD, also announced an extension of the telework policy for all non-clinical staff whose work responsibilities allow them to work remotely through the end of April. "Our UMMS leadership team is committed to taking measures to protect you and your families during these extraordinary times," Dr. Suntha said. In addition to telework, he added that the UMMS leave policy for this situation is designed to reduce the burden and anxiety of any members of our workforce who may become ill with COVID-19 while taking care of patients or those who have to be quarantined.

Working with Ms. Alison Brown and UMMC leadership, UMSOM clinical faculty developed a major institutional and faculty surge plan, and prepared a faculty redeployment plan, to manage the anticipated increase COVID-19 patients.


Faculty Research and Involvement in COVID-19

Dr. FriemanMatt Frieman, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UMSOM, Stuart Weston, PhD, a post-doctoral research fellow in Dr. Frieman’s lab, and their colleagues continue important research on testing potential new therapies to treat COVID-19. They published a data review this week on the research site BioRxiv that reviewed the potential of 20 FDA-approved drugs to treat COVID-19 infections using cell cultures. They found 17 of the 20 had potential for inhibiting the virus when tested on cell lines. They found the best potential for treatment with hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate, two drugs approved to treat malaria, which are now in clinical trials.

Dr. ChowJonathan H. Chow, MD, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at UMSOM, Michael A. Mazzeffi, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, and Michael T. McCurdy, MD, Associate Professor, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, published an important paper in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia that makes the case for using a drug called angiotensin II over conventional drugs to treat COVID-19 patients who go into septic shock. Using this treatment could reduce the number of days these patients spend on ventilators and potentially save lives. Efforts are underway to launch a study to be led by Samuel Galvagno, DO, PhD, MS, Professor of Anesthesiology at UMSOM and Medical Director of the Multi-Trauma Critical Care Unit, to determine whether angiotensin II should be the treatment of choice for these patients.

Dr. NeuzilKathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, the Myron M. Levine, MD Distinguished Professor in Vaccinology, and Director, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), is part of a leadership team working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), to test vaccines and therapies at sites across the country. CVD is part of NIAID’s Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit Network, one of nine sites researching vaccines and other therapies for COVID-19. The first Phase 1 trial of a vaccine began in Seattle, and Dr. Neuzil continues to work with infectious disease experts on the launch of additional trials.

Dr. KotloffIn addition, CVD’s Karen Kotloff, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Head of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division, and Justin Ortiz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine-- are the principal investigators on a trial to study the efficacy of the antiviral therapy, remdesivir, for treating COVID19. Wilbur Chen, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and an adult infectious disease specialist and David Marcozzi, MD, MD, MHS-CL, FACEP, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Head of the Incident Command for the University of Maryland Medical System, are both serving on Governor Larry Hogan’s COVID-19 response taskforce. They are advising top state officials about the illness, treatment and containment.

Dr. HinesStella Hines, MD, MSPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is providing important expertise on the protection of health care workers responding to surge capacity and shortages of equipment. On March 30, she was a speaker in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webinar on Reuse and decontamination of N95 respirators.

Dr. CampbellJames Campbell, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, is providing guidance to pediatric practices across the country on COVID-19 related issues. He has spearheaded the development of the Kids & COVID-19 website, a resource for pediatric caregivers including pediatric practices, parents and others.

 


I would like to extend a final reminder for everyone to stay where you are. Governor Hogan is very clear in his recent Executive Order, stating: “This is a deadly public health crisis—we are no longer asking or suggesting that Marylanders stay home, we are directing them to do so. No Maryland resident should be leaving their home unless it is for an essential job or for an essential reason such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention, or for other necessary purposes. A person who knowingly and willfully violates this Order is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding $5,000 or both. This Order remains effective until after termination of the state of emergency and the proclamation of the catastrophic health emergency has been rescinded, or until rescinded, superseded, amended, or revised by additional orders.”

I will close with some words of encouragement to be strong and resilient. Use your time in meaningful and productive ways that will allow you to keep pace. If you remain focused and postive, we will all rebound quickly and regain our forward momentum!

 

E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor
Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine


 

 

 

Contact

Office of Public Affairs
655 West Baltimore Street
Bressler Research Building 14-002
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1559

Contact Media Relations
(410) 706-5260

Related stories

    Thursday, November 19, 2020

    Promising Results Seen in Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine After Phase 1 Trial by University of Maryland School of Medicine

    Just six months after beginning a clinical development program that first enrolled here at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Pfizer and BioNTech report interim results showing an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine had no serious safety concerns and has been found to be 95 percent effective in protecting individuals from COVID-19.


    Tuesday, June 02, 2020

    UM School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology Awarded Grants to Strengthen COVID-19 Response in Sub-Saharan Africa

    The Center for International Health, Education and Biosecurity (Ciheb) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology was awarded $4 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response activities in Botswana, Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique.


    Monday, June 01, 2020

    In A COVID-19 World, Another Threat to the Health of Our Children

    In the U.S., our children rarely fall ill to grave infections because they are protected by vaccines. Serious illnesses like measles, mumps, congenital rubella syndrome, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, rotavirus diarrhea, hepatitis (A and B), polio and bacterial meningitis are all preventable through routine childhood vaccinations.


    Tuesday, May 05, 2020

    UM School of Medicine is First in U.S. to Test Unique RNA Vaccine Candidate for COVID-19

    In a significant development in the global effort to discover a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) became the first in the U.S. to begin testing experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The research, funded by Pfizer Inc., will study the safety, efficacy, and dosing of an experimental mRNA -based vaccine.


    Thursday, April 23, 2020

    UM School of Medicine Researchers Test Remdesivir as Potential Therapy for COVID-19 Patients

    Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) are testing the effectiveness of the investigational antiviral drug remdesivir in hospitalized adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The randomized controlled clinical trial is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the drug, and it is part of a national study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).


    Friday, April 10, 2020

    University of Maryland School of Medicine Launches New Large Scale COVID-19 Testing Initiative

    University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today the launch of a large-scale COVID-19 Testing Initiative that will significantly expand testing capability over the coming weeks, enabled by new funding of $2.5 million from the State of Maryland.


    Wednesday, March 25, 2020

    Kids & COVID-19 Website Provides Resources for Pediatric Healthcare Providers and Families

    The University of Maryland School of Medicine has launched a special COVID-19 website for pediatric healthcare providers and practices, parents, and children. This resource brings together important research, professional guidance for pediatric practices, and practical tips for parents and caregivers.


    Wednesday, March 25, 2020

    Important Coronavirus Update from Dean Reece

    As we continue to move forward in these challenging times, I would like to bring you a message of encouragement and hope. First and foremost, please be assured and confident that we are, and will continue to do, everything we can to ensure the health and well-being of all within our community. As you will see in this briefing, significant steps are being taken by the State of Maryland, the University of Maryland Medical System and the University of Maryland, Baltimore to ensure that everyone is healthy and safe. We must each do whatever is necessary to ensure that our health comes first.


    Tuesday, February 25, 2020

    Washington Post Visits UM School of Medicine Laboratories, Meets with Scientists About Coronavirus

    Result is front-page feature coverage of UMSOM’s leading work in studying the Virus


    Wednesday, January 29, 2020

    University of Maryland School of Medicine Mobilizes Virus Experts to prepare for Potential Coronavirus Outbreak

    As public health officials around the world are monitoring a new coronavirus strain (2019-nCoV) first identified in the Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is mobilizing its physicians and scientists in the UMSOM’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), and in its Department of Microbiology & Immunology, to study the virus and test potential vaccines and other therapies. In addition, the UMSOM is collaborating with the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) on rapid response and preparedness planning in the event of a growing outbreak.