Wednesday, February 03, 2021
Clinical and Academic Leader, Dr. Jill RachBeisel, Appointed Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the UM School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that Jill RachBeisel, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, has been appointed to serve as the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, effective immediately. Dr. RachBeisel has served as the Department’s Interim Chair for the past two years and was previously Acting Chair and Vice Chair of the Department. A prominent leader at UMSOM, she has garnered tremendous support among faculty and staff for her efforts to forge partnerships among various entities in an effort to strengthen mental health services provided to patients and the community at large. Dr. RachBeisel will be named The Dr. Irving J. Taylor Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, when she is invested March 18.
Monday, February 01, 2021
Three Top University of Maryland School of Medicine Physician-Scientists Honored as Distinguished Fellows by AAAS
Three preeminent physician-scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have been named to an elite group of scientists, engineers, and innovators, as 2020 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
COVID-19 Pandemic Led to Decreased School Meal Access for Children in Need Across Maryland, UM School of Medicine Study Finds
School closures during COVID-19 have decreased access to school meals, which is likely to increase the risk for food insecurity among children in Maryland, according to a new report issued by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). The number of meals served to school-age children during the first three months of the pandemic dropped by 58 percent, compared to the number of free or reduced-price meals served the previous spring. As a result, thousands of children across the state were placed at increased risk of food insecurity, with many likely experiencing the health ramifications associated with the abrupt disruption in their access to regular meals.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Dr. Wilbur Chen, Nationally-Recognized Vaccine Researcher, Selected for Federal Committee that Guides Immunization Policies
Wilbur H. Chen, MD, MS, FIDSA, FACP, Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been named a new voting member of the federal government’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the prestigious board of experts that makes recommendations on the safe use of vaccines for Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services selected Dr. Chen for the 15-member advisory committee based on his expertise and national leadership in vaccinology, infectious diseases, public health, and preventive medicine. He will remain in his current role at UMSOM while he serves in his four-year term, which began last month.
Thursday, January 21, 2021
UM School of Medicine Hosted Media Availability for Ensuring Trust in COVID-19 Vaccine Event
On January 22, 2021 at 2 p.m., the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) hosted Black faith-based leaders, COVID-19 research volunteers, and “America’s Doctor,” Anthony Fauci, MD. The event provided straight talk about fears, trust issues, and why we need our Black and Brown community to be a part of COVID-19 vaccine research.
Tuesday, January 05, 2021
Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, World-renowned Leader in Vaccine Research, Receives Moderna Vaccine
Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM)’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), received her first injection of the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 on December 31. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) played an integral part in the dedicated work that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issuing an Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna vaccine in December.
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
UMSOM’s Dr. Kathleen Neuzil Receives 2020 Marylander of the Year Award for Unprecedented Leadership on COVID-19 Vaccines Research and Treatment
Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor in Vaccinology and Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM)’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), has been named this year’s “Marylander of the Year” by the Baltimore Sun. In a historic and challenging year dominated by COVID-19, the Sun editors also named front-line health care and service workers as co-recipients along with Dr. Neuzil, for their essential roles in the battle against the novel coronavirus.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
UMSOM Physician-Leaders to Join Dean’s Senior Staff as Associate Dean and Assistant Dean and will Head the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Vice Dean for Academic Affairs James Kaper, PhD, along with UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that Silke Niederhaus, MD, Associate Professor and Transplant Surgeon in the Department of Surgery, and Ada Offurum, MD, Assistant Professor and Leader of the Hospitalists Program in the Department of Medicine, will together lead the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development as Associate Dean and Assistant Dean respectively. Their joint appointments follow the passing in May 2020 of Nancy Ryan Lowitt, MD, EdM, a longtime University of Maryland School of Medicine educator and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs & Professional Development.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Largest Study of Its Kind Identifies Which COVID-19 Patients Face the Greatest Risk of Mortality During Hospitalization
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients have a greater risk of dying if they are men or if they are obese or have complications from diabetes or hypertension, according to a new study conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers. In a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the researchers evaluated nearly 67,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in 613 hospitals across the country to determine the link between certain common patient characteristics and the risk of dying from COVID-19. Their analysis found that men had a 30 percent higher risk of dying compared to women of the same age and health status. Hospitalized patients who were obese, had hypertension or poorly managed diabetes had a higher risk of dying compared to those who did not have these conditions. Those aged 20 to 39 with these conditions had the biggest difference in their risk of dying compared to their healthier peers.
Friday, December 18, 2020
Low-Income Preschoolers Exposed to Nurturing Care Have Higher IQ Scores During Their Teen Years, Landmark Study Finds
Preschoolers living in impoverished communities who have access to a nurturing home environment have significantly higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in adolescence compared to those raised without nurturing care. That is the finding of a new international study conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, which examined data from more than 1,600 children who were followed from birth through their teenage years. Results were published this week in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal.