UM Medical Alumni Association Honors Maurice Reid ‘99 and Diana Rickard ‘05

The Medical Alumni Association of the University of Maryland, Inc. (MAA) honored two outstanding physicians, Maurice N. Reid, MD, ’99 and Diana G. Rickard, MD, '05, for their transformative impacts in medicine at the 150^th Harry & Vivian Kramer Awards Luncheon & Business Meeting on May 2.

Dr. Reid, CEO of Chesapeake Telemedicine and member of UMSOM’s Board of Visitors, received the 2025 MAA Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the alumni association and dedication to the medical school.

A board-certified emergency medicine physician and founder of ExpressCare Urgent Care, Dr. Reid is a longtime supporter of his alma mater, most recently contributing a $1 million gift to support the renovation of UMSOM’s new state-of-the-art gross anatomy laboratory, which was named the Maurice N. Reid, MD ’99 Anatomy Teaching Facility in his honor.

His gift enabled the first renovation of the anatomy lab in 50 years, providing a modernized teaching environment for anatomy training used by first-year medical students and other graduate students across the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

The space opened to students in the fall and is equipped with 52 dissection tables with surgical-quality overhead lighting, touch-screen computers, and a reading room for analyzing medical imaging to simulate their experience in clinical practice.

A former faculty member, Dr. Reid served on the MAA Board of Directors from 2011 to 2014 prior to joining the school’s Board of Visitors. He also established an endowed scholarship and funded the Maurice N. Reid, MD Collaborative Learning Space, which promotes team-based learning and offers medical students a conducive space to study.

Throughout his engagement with the school, he has also supported the Dean's Academic Development Fund, the Center for Advanced Training and Innovation, the UMB CURE Scholars Program, and the Medical School Teaching Facility Fund.

For her contributions in medicine and distinguished service to humanity, Dr. Diana Rickard, Executive Director, Chair of the Board of Directors, and Co-founder of the Ghana Health and Education Initiative (GHEI), was celebrated with the 2025 Honor Award & Gold Key at the meeting.

A board-certified pediatrician, Dr. Rickard founded GHEI more than two decades ago while still a medical student at UMSOM following a transformative trip to Accra, Ghana.

During her trip, she  observed that many rural communities lacked access to basic medical care like vaccines and antibiotics to treat infections.

As a medical student, she reached out to faculty members in the schools of medicine, pharmacy and social work to help improve educational opportunities and health for children living in these impoverished Ghana communities. The program’s early days included reproductive health and youth education programs, as well as the development of a small library which now has over 4,000 books.

Over the last 23 years, GHEI has introduced clean water, education, cell phone and internet access, multilingual learning, malaria prevention, and community-based maternal health and also trained hundreds of students in international community health.

Alongside her service and dedication to GHEI, Dr. Rickard maintains an active practice at Morningside Pediatrics in Los Angeles. She is a tireless advocate for empowering marginalized children and alleviating poverty.

“Maurice Reid and Diana Rickard are inspirational physicians and alumni, who have not only contributed to the School of Medicine in valuable ways, but who exemplify innovative leadership, engagement, and social responsibility,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. “We could not be more proud to honor them in this way.”

The annual awards luncheon and business meeting also celebrated the golden anniversary of the Class of 1975.

Learn more about the Medical Alumni Association of the University of Maryland and the 150^th Alumni Reunion here.