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Dear School of Medicine Community,
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new research institute, the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine, which leverages close to $40 million in current grants and contracts on campus focused on addiction science and medicine. The University of Maryland School of Medicine received one of the largest gifts in its history, to establish this institute; a $10 million gift from the Kahlert Foundation. With this gift, plus an additional $10 million from UMB for space construction, $5 million of SOM funds, and $5 million of future philanthropic support, the Kahlert Institute will bring to campus shared research space, recruitment funds for new faculty, and a vision and structure to create synergy across the basic and clinical fields of addiction science and medicine. The Kahlert Institute will be located in the Health Sciences Research Facility III to accelerate fundamental and translational science, alongside existing programs in the community and clinics focused on clinical care, clinical research, and education.
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We are pleased to announce three associate directors representing the Institute’s commitment to translational medicine, from excellence in clinical care to fundamental basic neuroscience: Eric Weintraub, MD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Sarah Kattakuzhy, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Co-Director of the Research Initiative on Infectious Disease and Substance Use Disorder, and Asaf Keller, PhD, the Donald E. Wilson, MD, MACP Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurobiology. We will be launching a national search for the Director of the Institute this summer.
We look forward to major investments in fundamental basic science addressing mechanisms of addiction and therapeutic prevention, amelioration, and reversal of addiction in all its forms, from tobacco to alcohol to opioids. We envision additional investments in new models of clinical research, leveraging the creation of the Institute for Health Computing for the development of pragmatic adaptive clinical trials that can “touch” our 2 million patients treated by the University of Maryland Medical System across the state of Maryland. This Institute will also support substance use disorder specialists who understand the daily realities of caring for patients with a complex disorder that often involves psychiatric illness, trauma, and socioeconomic stressors. I am beyond passionate on this issue and ready for us to take this next step in addressing addiction and substance use disorder together.
| Accolades and Announcements | |
I want to share more good news that further elevates the School of Medicine’s reputation and standing.
First, I am proud to recognize Claire Fraser, PhD, who was recently elected to the very prestigious National Academy of Sciences. As one of the preeminent scientists of our time in a field that is redefining how we investigate and treat complex diseases, Dr. Fraser is highly deserving of this honor. Dr. Fraser’s pioneering work in high-throughput DNA sequencing launched a new field of study, microbial genomics. She has overseen the genome sequencing of important human pathogens, including Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, Vibrio cholerae, Bacillus anthracis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Treponema pallidum, and Plasmodium falciparum. These are responsible for bacterial infections that cause pneumonia, duodenal ulcers, cholera, anthrax, Lyme disease, syphilis, and parasitic infections responsible for malaria and other devastating diseases –providing a strong foundation for the development of new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Her more recent work has led to impactful discoveries on how the structure and function of microbial communities in the human gastrointestinal tract change in association with diseases such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. Starting with her first report of the genome sequence of H. influenzae in 1995, there are now more than half a million prokaryotic genome sequences available in public databases. She has fundamentally changed our understanding of the diversity and evolution of microbial life on Earth, and has been an outstanding mentor, innovator, and leader in the scientific community during her career. We are proud to count her as among our most distinguished UMSOM faculty members!
What’s more – it was also just announced that she will be recognized with the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s designation of Distinguished University Professor, which is the highest appointment bestowed on a faculty member at UMB. In addition to Dr. Fraser, we have three other faculty members from our school receiving this honor:
• Peg McCarthy, PhD;
• Marc Simard, MD, PhD; and
• William Carpenter, MD
|  | We will celebrate these highly accomplished and very successful faculty members at UMB’s second annual Convocation on September 14. Please mark your calendar now and join me at Convocation to ensure we have great support for our faculty stars. | Next, adding to our shock and awe repertoire, we now have the best living-related kidney and liver transplantation outcomes in the region; the best ECMO outcomes and volumes; and the lowest rates of Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) among premature babies. Additionally, the University of Maryland Medical Center now has a four-star rating by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) – a huge win as it’s the highest rating achieved among hospitals in Maryland. | |
I want to share a student spotlight and raise awareness about an incredible program we have on campus. Amando Strong, a first-generation doctoral student pursuing his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is a part of our NIH-funded Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program – the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s equivalent to the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Meyerhoff Graduate Fellowship Program and G-rise Program. The UMB-IMSD supports predoctoral students from historically underrepresented groups as they pursue a degree in the biomedical sciences. Amando has done an amazing job during his training and he has been selected to be appointed to the Interdisciplinary Training Program in Cardiovascular Disease, a T32 directed by Dudley Strickland, PhD and Rosemary Kozar, MD, PhD. I am very excited for the next generation of diverse and committed rising researchers that Amando represents!
Finally, congratulations to our entire Class of 2023 who graduated a couple of weeks ago. I very much enjoyed the various graduation ceremonies and celebrations and appreciated all the faculty, staff, and leadership support at these events. If you missed the MD ceremony and all the excellent speakers, including our keynote speaker who received a standing ovation, I encourage you to watch the video recording of the event that took place at the Hippodrome Theatre.
I look forward to sharing all of this and much more at my first State of the School address on Wednesday, September 6 which will be in person, in Leadership Hall at 3:30 p.m. with a reception to follow. Please mark your calendars now. On that note, I want to encourage everyone to read the “Upcoming UMSOM Events” email every week from the University of Maryland School of Medicine or check out the full slate of events on our online calendar and show your support by showing up at the many exciting engagements we have!
With enthusiasm and commitment,
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