Monday, November 14, 2022
Brain Area Thought to Impart Consciousness, Behaves Instead Like an Internet Router
Tucked underneath the brain’s outer, wrinkly cortex is a deeply mysterious area, known as the claustrum. This region has long been known to exchange signals with much of the cortex, which is responsible for higher reasoning and complex thought. Because of the claustrum’s extensive connections, the legendary scientist Francis Crick, PhD, of DNA-discovery fame, first postulated in 2005 that the claustrum is the seat of consciousness. In other words, the region of the brain enabling awareness of the world and ourselves.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
University of Maryland Strategic Partnership Announces New Institute to Transform Medicine Using Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Technologies
The University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower) today announced a transformative partnership to establish the University of Maryland 3 - Institute for Health Computing (UM-3-IHC), which is being led by the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), in collaboration with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and Montgomery County, Md. This new Institute will leverage recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing to create a premier learning health care system that evaluates both de-identified and secure digitized medical health data to diagnose, prevent and treat diseases in patients across the state of Maryland.
Wednesday, November 09, 2022
Lishan Su, PhD, Invested as the UMSOM Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professor for HIV Research
With his 92-year-old mother watching via live stream from the city of Qingdao, China, and an in-person audience of friends and colleagues gathered in Westminster Hall, Lishan Su, PhD, an internationally prominent virologist and immunologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV), was invested as the Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professor for HIV Research. Dr. Su is a Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology & Immunology at UMSOM’s IHV, who also serves as the Director of the Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer at the Institute.
Monday, November 07, 2022
UMSOM Class of 2025 Host Annual Auction in Support of Victims of Domestic Abuse & Trauma
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Class of 2025 Student Government has organized this year’s Annual Second-Year Medical Student Auction, a tradition that began 16 years ago.
Friday, November 04, 2022
How a SARS-CoV-2 Virus Protein Damages the Heart
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Center for Precision Disease Modeling identified how a specific protein in SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, damages heart tissue. They then used a drug to reverse the toxic effects of that protein on the heart.
Wednesday, November 02, 2022
Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. R. Frank Henn Appointed Interim Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today that R. Frank Henn, III, MD, Professor of Orthopaedics, has been appointed to serve as the Interim Chair of UMSOM’s Department of Orthopaedics, effective December 1, 2022.
Tuesday, November 01, 2022
Youngest Girls Who Get Pregnant Have Highest Risk of Poor Outcomes, Study Finds
Pregnant teens in the U.S. have long been known to face increased health risks and pregnancy complications, but a new study for the first time finds that girls ages 13 or younger who get pregnant face even greater risks. These very young girls are significantly more likely to experience preterm birth, cesarean delivery, and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) compared to older pregnant teens. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine led the study, which was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Tuesday, November 01, 2022
Three University of Maryland School of Medicine Faculty Members Honored by Baltimore Business Journal
Three University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) physician researchers were recognized when the Baltimore Business Journal announced its Leaders in Health Care and 40 Under 40 Award winners.
Monday, October 31, 2022
NCI Grants Awarded to IHV to Prevent Cancer and Improve Screening in Sub-Saharan Africa
Institute of Human Virology (IHV) researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have received two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a total of $7.5 million. One award aims to reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers associated with using tobacco in Botswana. The other is focusing on improving screening and treatment of anal precancer in Nigeria. Both grants will make use of existing HIV treatment and prevention infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries to reach people living with HIV who are most at risk for these particular types of cancers.
Monday, October 24, 2022
Significant Number of Seniors Rely on Failing Public Transit Systems to Get to Medical Appointments
About one in 10 seniors who live in cities reported that they use public transportation, and 20 percent of older transit users said they relied on trains and buses to get to their doctor appointments. Frailty and living in an area with broken sidewalks were both linked to a lower use of public transit, according to a new study led by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers.