Contact Us

Miriam K. Laufer, MD, MPH
Professor of Pediatrics
Associate Dean for Student Research & Education
Director, Office of Student Research
Email: MLaufer@som.umaryland.edu

Dr. Laufer is a pediatric infectious disease specialist, with a primary research interest in malaria and global child health. She has conducted research, clinical care and professional education in resource-limited countries in Africa and Asia, and has dedicated nearly two decades to working in Malawi. She and her research team use clinical and laboratory research to develop and evaluate interventions to decrease the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. She currently serves as Principal Investigator for clinical trials, epidemiological studies and a Fogarty training grant, that support her collaboration with colleagues throughout the US, Europe and Africa.

Gregory B. Carey, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Assistant Dean for Student Research and Education
Executive Director of Student Research and Community Outreach, OSR
Director of PRISM, UM Scholars and STAR-PREP Student Research Programs
Email: GCarey@som.umaryland.edu

As the Executive Director of Student Research and Community Outreach, Dr. Carey oversees and is responsible for medical student research activities, including electives, summer and year-off activities. He oversees recruitment to and advising for the School of Medicine's summer research programs for health professional, undergraduate and high school students. In his outreach roles within the OSR and as a co-chair on the President's Outreach Council, Dr. Carey explores research, mentoring and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) educational opportunities for students at all levels and from broad backgrounds, on and off the UMB campus. In addition, Dr. Carey is the leader (P.I.) of an NIH/NCI-funded research program focused on increasing the understanding of factors that determine life and death decisions in lymphoma and in other cancers. His teaching activities cover both basic and special topics in immunology and oncology in the Graduate School and the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Carey is a member of the Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases (CVID) and of the Greenebaum Cancer Center.

Donald R. (Rick) Matteson, PhD
Associate Professor of Physiology
Assistant Dean for Student Research Education and Dual Degree Programs
Email: DMatteson@som.umaryland.edu

As the Assistant Dean for Dual Degree Programs, Dr. Matteson is responsible for developing, overseeing, and directing all of the MD/MS programs in the School of Medicine. This includes writing and updating the dual degree program descriptions and memoranda of understandings. As the Assistant Dean for Student Research Education, Dr. Matteson serves as the course director for the Foundations of Research and Critical Thinking (FRCT) course, which he developed and launched in the Fall of 2013. He is also the Course Director for GPILS 601 “Mechanisms in Biomedical Sciences” (aka, The Core Course), GPLS 600 “Cellular and Molecular Basis of Translational Research,” and the Summer Bridge Course. He serves as the Physiology Content Lead in the Preclerkship phase of the Renaissance Curriculum. In addition, he is a member of the Department of Physiology.

Qi Cao, JD
Research Coordinator
Email: QCao@som.umaryland.edu

Ms. Cao's primary responsibilities are to manage and coordinate all of the research-related aspects of the Office of Student Research. She works closely with Dr. Greg Carey in managing student summer research and training programs (e.g., PRISM, HP-STAR, UM Scholars), research electives, year-off research experiences (e.g., Doris Duke, Howard Hughs), Medical Student Research Day, and other programs and services. Ms. Cao also assists Dr. Carey in providing research advising for medical students and provides support for community outreach efforts.

Fiama Romero 
Program Management Specialist
Email: FRomero@som.umaryland.edu

Ms. Romero manages the day-to-day operations of the Office of Student Research (OSR), including maintaining the OSR databases and website, and facilitating communication between the office and UMSOM faculty and students. She assists with the administration of student awards, dual-degree programs, and the Foundations of Research and Critical Thinking (FRCT) course, and partners with Ms. Cao on larger events like Medical Student Research Day. Ms. Romero also supports Drs. Laufer, Carey, and Matteson in developing, implementing, and promoting new OSR initiatives.

Ms. Romero serves on the UMB Diversity Advisory Council as the School of Medicine Staff Representative. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Health Science with a dual concentration in Administration and Community Health.