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Dear School of Medicine Community,
Welcome back to school and work and welcome to a new year! I hope everyone had a chance to rest over the holidays. Being new to Baltimore, I enjoyed talking to people at restaurants and in the streets of Baltimore over the last year. I frequently hear a statement that I never heard before arriving here, often after holding open a door or doing a small favor for someone on the street: “I appreciate you.” I love this simple comment and have been thinking over the holidays about the people and things that I have appreciated over this last year. In particular, I appreciate the many people who have mentored me and helped create a vibrant School of Medicine and leading academic medical center, dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, and discovery science. Specifically, here are a few select highlights of recent “wins” from our community that I appreciate:
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Our new Innovation Hub – the $4 million four-year U01 that Jason Rose, MD, MBA and David Weber, PhD received to create a NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) program that will serve as a development engine to build the life science economy in West Baltimore and surrounding communities and to train diverse biomedical and entrepreneurial workforces. This project recruited an extensive team, including Phil Robilotto, DO, MBA, who will serve as the Managing Director alongside Dr. Rose as the Executive Director.
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The grant from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority – a $3.5 million award that Erika Davies, PhD received for Acute Radiation Syndrome Animal Models, which has a $16 million potential total. The Division of Translational Radiation Sciences will support this project.
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The award from the NIH to improve health outcomes of IV drug users – a nearly $30 million four-year award to Sarah Kattakuzhy, MD and Elana Rosenthal, MD to lead a multicenter trial that aims to improve health outcomes in people who inject opioid drugs and are hospitalized with infectious complications of their drug use.
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The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s award for us to provide trauma datasets – a $7.3 million nearly-four-year grant given to Peter Hu, PhD, Neeraj Badjatia, MD, William Teeter, MD, Rosemary Kozar, MD, and Shiming Yang, PhD to drive innovation in trauma triage technology and improve mass casualty response efforts.
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A review in the New England Journal of Medicine provided by David Gorelick, MD, PhD – comments published on cannabis use disorder in young adults.
I fully intend to communicate my sincere appreciation for what this community does this year, as we head into a brave new year of positive change and impact.
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We have several exciting things coming up already in 2024. First, I want to welcome our newest leader as he joins us this month – Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, PhD, who now serves as our Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. As a reminder, Dr. Owonikoko is a physician-scientist coming from serving as the Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Associate Director of Translational Research and Co-Leader of the Cancer Therapeutics Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Hillman Cancer Center. He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of thoracic oncology. Please refer to the press release for more information. Please give Dr. Owonikoko a warm welcome when you see him around campus as he gets acclimated!
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On February 24, I will host our highly anticipated annual Diversity Celebration and Dinner at the M&T Bank Exchange in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. You can purchase tickets here, and I want to remind you that anyone can submit a nomination for a deserving SOM faculty member or medical school alumnus for their outstanding contributions in promoting diversity and inclusion within the field of medicine and/or the recruitment and retention of under-represented minorities. This is a significant part of the event. You have until January 12 to email your nominations to Julie Ecke, jecke@som.umaryland.edu.
With enthusiasm and commitment,
| With enthusiasm and commitment, | |
Mark T. Gladwin, MD (He/him/his)
Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean
655 West Baltimore Street, 14-029
Baltimore, MD 21201-1509
410.706.7410 (Office) 410.706.0235 (Fax)
umsomdean@som.umaryland.edu
www.medschool.umaryland.edu
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