Tuesday, November 21, 2023
University of Maryland, Baltimore Receives Landmark Funding to Create New Innovation Hub in West Baltimore and the Region
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, and University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark Gladwin, MD, announced today that the University has received a four-year, $4 million Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the University’s work advancing the biomedical entrepreneurship and innovation economy in West Baltimore and Greater Baltimore while also training one of the most diverse biomedical and entrepreneurial workforces in the country.
Monday, November 06, 2023
UM School of Medicine's Matthew Laurens Honored with the 2023 Bailey K. Ashford Medal for Pioneering Work in Tropical Medicine
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) has awarded the 2023 Bailey K. Ashford Medal to Matthew B. Laurens, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD). The Medal is an annual accolade commemorating outstanding research in tropical medicine, traditionally presented to mid-career investigators.
Friday, November 03, 2023
Senior Academic Philanthropy Leader Kim M. Morton, JD, MA, Named New Associate Dean for Development at University of Maryland Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, along with University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) President and CEO, Bert W. O'Malley, MD, announced today that Kim M. Morton, JD, MA, who has led advancement operations for major academic and healthcare institutions during her career, will become Associate Dean for Development at University of Maryland Medicine Philanthropy, the joint advancement operation of the UMSOM and UMMC. Ms. Morton, who was selected as the top candidate, following a national search, will report to Heather Culp, Senior Vice President, Chief Philanthropy Officer and Senior Associate Dean. Her appointment will begin December 18.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
In Memoriam: Lawrence Faucette
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lawrence Faucette, the 58-year-old patient with terminal heart disease who received the world’s second genetically-modified pig heart transplant. Mr. Faucette received the transplant on September 20 and lived for nearly six weeks following the surgery.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
UM School of Medicine Researchers Provide First Statewide Prevalence Data on Two New Emerging Pathogens in Healthcare Settings
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers conducted a statewide survey of all patients on breathing machines in hospitals and long-term care facilities and found that a significant percentage of them harbored two pathogens known to be life-threatening in those with compromised immune systems. One pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, was identified in nearly 31 percent of all patients on ventilators to assist with their breathing; Candida auris was identified in nearly 7 percent of patients on ventilators, according to the study which was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
New Research Shows How Brain Inflammation in Children May Cause Neurological Disorders Such as Autism or Schizophrenia
Severe inflammation in early childhood is a clinically known risk factor for developing autism and schizophrenia. Now, for the first time, scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have discovered that inflammation alters the development of vulnerable brain cells, and this could have mechanistic links to neurodevelopmental disorders. This finding could lead to treatments for many different childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorders.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
UM School of Medicine's Kirsten Lyke Elected as Member of Prestigious National Academy of Medicine
Kirsten E. Lyke, MD, Professor of Medicine and Physician-Scientist at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), was elected this week as a new member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). She was recognized for her pivotal research in emerging infections and human challenge models that have informed and shaped global vaccine and public health policy.
Monday, October 02, 2023
UM School of Medicine Researchers Present Interim Results on Meningococcal Vaccine for Infants and Young Children in Africa
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, as part of the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC), provided an interim analysis showing that the pentavalent (NmCV-5) meningitis vaccine is safe for use in 9-month-old infants in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa. They presented their results to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization on September 26.
Monday, October 02, 2023
Internationally Recognized Thoracic Oncologist Dr. Taofeek K. Owonikoko Named Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, and University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) President & CEO Bert W. O’Malley, MD, announced today that Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, a distinguished physician-scientist with a global reputation in thoracic oncology, has been appointed Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). Dr. Owonikoko will join the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) as The Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professor in Oncology in the Department of Medicine and Executive Director of the UMSOM Program in Oncology. He will also become Chief of Service at UMMC. As the lead Oncologist for both UMMC and UMSOM, he will assume the positions of Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Programs at UMSOM and Associate Vice President for Cancer Programs at University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).
Friday, September 22, 2023
UM Medicine Faculty-Scientists and Clinicians Perform Second Historic Transplant of Pig Heart into Patient with End-Stage Cardiovascular Disease
A 58-year-old patient with terminal heart disease became the second patient in the world to receive a historic transplant of a genetically-modified pig heart on September 20. He is recovering and communicating with his loved ones. This is only the second time in the world that a genetically modified pig heart has been transplanted into a living patient. Both historic surgeries were performed by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).