Office of Faculty Affairs & Professional Development

Annual School of Medicine Faculty Promotions Ceremony

February 20, 2026

2026 Faculty Promotions Ceremony

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Award Winners

Nancy Ryan Lowitt, MD, EdM, Faculty Development Fund Award Winner

Dr. Liliana Simon, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

The Nancy Ryan Lowitt, MD, EdM, Faculty Development Fund Award recognizes a UMSOM faculty member whose leadership, integrity, and cultural impact reflects Dr. Nancy Lowitt’s legacy. 

Luminary Award Winners

Dr. Brian Browne, Professor and Former Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief for Statewide Emergency Medicine Services.

Dr. Bob Buchanan, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC), and Director of the Maryland Early Intervention Program. 

The is a special honor bestowed by the University of Maryland School of Medicine upon individuals who have served as a guiding light for others—through their unwavering dedication, mentorship, and continual efforts to pave the way for the advancement of colleagues and learners alike.

Promoted Faculty

Honorees

Anesthesiology
Peter Rock, MD, MBA
Lin Zou, MD, PhD

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Syed Saif Hasan, PhD
Andrew Neuwald, PhD
Krishanu Ray, PhD

Dermatology
Marcia S. Driscoll, MD, PharmD

Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
David Dreizin, MD

Emergency Medicine
Jason D. Adler, MD
Laura J. Bontempo, MD, MEd
Rose M. Chasm, MD
Elizabeth K. Powell, MD
Alexis Salerno Rubeling, MD
Quincy K. Tran, MD, PhD
Kami M.H. Windsor, MD

Epidemiology & Public Health
Sally N. Adebamowo, MBBS, MSc, ScD
Jennifer S. Albrecht, PhD
Jonathan Baghdadi, MD, PhD
Chixiang Chen, PhD
Lyndsay M. O'Hara, PhD
Lynn M. Schriml, PhD
Joanne Dorgan, PhD, MPH

Family & Community Medicine
Richard Colgan, MD
Gregory H. Taylor, MD

Medicine
Alash'le Abimiku, PhD
Robert Tao-Ping Chow, MD, MBA
Alan Cross, MD
Kevin Cullen, MD
Phillip C. Dittmar, MD
James B. Doub, MD
Alonso Heredia, PhD
Neha Jakhete, MD
Kent E. Kester, MD
Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH
Zurabi Lominadze, MD
Ellen T. Marciniak, MD
Poonam Mathus, DO, MPH
Shivakumar Narayanan, MBBS, MD
Justin R. Ortiz, MD, MS
Robert R. Redfield, MD
Norman F. Retener, MD
David J. Riedel, MD
Sasan Sakiani, MD
Katherine A. Scilla, MD
Lydia S.Y. Tang, MBBCh
Hilary B. Whitlatch, MD
Jean A. Yared, MD
Zhekang Ying, PhD

Microbiology and Immunology
Vincent Bruno, PhD
Xuefang Cao, PhD
Lynda Coughlan, PhD
Tonya J. Webb, PhD

Neurobiology
Reha S. Erzurumlu, PhD
Marco Venniro, PhD

 

 


Neurology
Idris M. Amin, MD
Daniel Harrison, MD

Neurosurgery
Alexander Ksendzovsky, MD, PhD

Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Graham W. Aberdeen, PhD

Orthopaedics
Natalie R. Danna, MD
Motomi E. Iwamoto, DDS, PhD
Masahiro Iwamoto, PhD
Eugene Y. Koh, MD, PhD
Satoru Otsuru, MD, PhD

Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
Natalie S. Justicz, MD

Pathology
Madhurima Koka, MD, PhD
Teklu B. Legesse, MD

Pediatrics
Atiye Nur Aktay, MD
Deborah G. Badawi, MD
Miriam G. Blitzer, PhD
Shannan M. Dixon, PhD, MS
Yudy A. Fonseca, MD
Regina A. Macatangay, MD
Teresa A. York, MD

Pharmacology and Physiology
Thomas A. Longden, PhD
Alexandros Poulopoulos, PhD
Min Yu, PhD

Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science
Elizabeth A. Dennis, PhD, RD
Jason R. Falvey, PT, DPT, PhD

Psychiatry
Hinda F. Dubin, MD
Anique K. Forrester, MD
Ann L. Hackman, MD
Sharon Hoover, PhD
Christopher M. Marano, MD
Ana Pocivavsek, PhD
Gloria M. Reeves, MD
Charles T. Robinson, MD
Cindy M. Schaeffer, PhD
Christopher Welsh, MD
Emerson M. Wickwire, PhD

Radiation Oncology
Nrusingh C. Biswal, PhD
Matthew J. Ferris, MD
Dario Rodrigues, PhD
Huijun Xu, PhD

Surgery
Sarasijhaa K. Desikan, MD
Brian R. Englum, MD
Mira Ghneim, MD
Yinin Hu, MD
Khanjan Nagarsheth, MD
Jonathan P. Pearl, MD
Shahab Toursavadkohi, MD