Friday, December 19, 2025
Researchers Identify Bacterial Enzyme that can Cause Fatal Heart Conditions with Pneumonia Infections
Pneumonia is a disease that burdens the healthcare system with more that 1.2 million emergency room visits each year and more than 41,000 adult deaths in the United States. Worldwide, more than one million children under the age of five die of the disease annually. But while past research has focused on the lungs, it can trigger heart complications—such as heart failure, arrhythmias, or heart attacks—that cause death.
Friday, December 19, 2025
Sharon M. Henry, MD, Appointed First Vice President-Elect of the American College of Surgeons
Sharon M. Henry, MD, FACS, the Anne Scalea Professor of Trauma Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and Director of the Division of Wound Healing and Metabolism at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, has been elected First Vice President-Elect of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The historic election, which took place on October 7 at the ACS Clinical Congress, marks the first time a Black woman has been appointed to this leadership position in the organization’s history.
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Black Patients Diagnosed with Aggressive Leukemia Experience Worse Outcomes, But Differences Not Linked to Key Genetic Changes
Compared with white patients, Black patients with an aggressive form of leukemia--called acute myeloid leukemia (AML)--were on average more than five years younger at diagnosis and more than 30 percent more likely to die of their disease; that is according to a new analysis of data led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers. The study, supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), also found that Black patients were more than 20 percent more likely to die of any cause over the 34-year study period. Among patients with a mutation in their cancer cells that is generally associated with more favorable outcomes from treatment, survival for Black patients was less than half that of white patients.
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Nationally Renowned Anesthesiology Physician-Scientist and Clinical Operations Leader David Mintz, MD, PhD, Named Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the UM School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, along with University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) President Bert O’Malley, MD, today announced the appointment of C. David Mintz, MD, PhD, to be the next Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, and Chief of the Anesthesiology Clinical Service (“Chief of Anesthesiology”) at UMMC. Dr. Mintz, a neuroanesthesiologist and nationally recognized leader in research, education, and perioperative operations, will be installed as the Martin Helrich Endowed Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology. He will begin his new position in July, 2026.
Tuesday, December 09, 2025
University of Maryland School of Medicine Names Distinguished Scientist and Academic Leader Gerald M. Wilson, PhD, as Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD today announced the appointment of Gerald M. Wilson, PhD, as Chair of the School’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, effective December 15, 2025. Dr. Wilson, a distinguished scientist and educator, brings more than two decades of leadership and internationally recognized research in RNA biochemistry and cancer mechanisms to this role. As part of the appointment, he will be endowed as the John F.B. Weaver Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Monday, December 08, 2025
University of Maryland School of Medicine to Expand MD Program Class Size to Address Growing Physician Shortage
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) announced today that it has received approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) to expand its MD program class size over the next five years. This strategic initiative aims to help address the projected nationwide shortage of both primary care and specialty physicians.
Monday, December 08, 2025
Treating Adults with Autism: Maryland Clinical Center Offers National Blueprint for Care After Pediatric Transition
Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often lose access to specialized care once they age out of pediatric services. A new report from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty presents five years of real-world data from their clinical practice at the Clinical Center for Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CCAND), demonstrating how a state-funded, multidisciplinary care model can close these gaps and serve as a blueprint for other states.
Tuesday, December 02, 2025
Annual UMSOM Medical Student Research Day Sees Students Hone Presentations and Chart Futures
On Nov. 18 and 19, more than 100 University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) medical students and faculty congregated in the SMC Campus Center for the 48th annual Medical Student Research Day. This year’s group presented on their summer research projects, ranging from comparing treatments for deep vein thrombosis to studying the evolution of pain symptoms over time in patients experiencing subarachnoid hemorrhages.
Monday, December 01, 2025
University of Maryland School of Medicine Neurosurgeon J. Marc Simard, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious Neuroscience Award
Marc Simard, MD, PhD, the Dr. Bizhan Aarabi Professor of Neurotrauma, Distinguished University Professor, and Chief of Neurological Surgery at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) providing $4.34 million in total funding.
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Clinical Trial Using Focused Ultrasound with Chemotherapy Finds Potential Survival Benefit for Brain Cancer Patients
The multicenter trial, led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, found a nearly 40 percent increase in overall survival when focused ultrasound was used to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier during standard-of-care chemotherapy.