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Dear School of Medicine Community,
Planning for the School’s next five-year strategic plan is well underway, and we are almost halfway through with the grassroots brainstorming phase of faculty engagement. I want to thank the more than 450 faculty who have participated so far in spirited discussions generating many great ideas and suggestions. That’s exactly what I was hoping to see. We will begin phase 2 in mid-June with prioritization meetings for the Clinical Care, Education, and Research missions, with three faculty representatives from each of the brainstorming sessions. I look forward to even more engagement as we move along this important process.
Part of the value of this process includes communicating and breaking out of our silos. That’s why I’m putting such a strong emphasis on in-person engagement where possible. For our research mission area in particular, I’m hearing a lot of feedback about wanting to improve cross-departmental collaboration. I just attended the Department of Psychiatry’s Annual Research Day, and the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow, MD, gave the guest lecture. The whole event was spectacular, with almost 80 poster presentations.
I was also able to attend the University of Maryland – Medicine Institute for Neuroscience Discovery retreat last week. A collaborative of neuroscience leaders ranging from assistant professors to clinical department chairs gathered in Port Deposit, Maryland to address the most pressing issues and areas for the most impactful growth in foundational research and clinical care of diseases affecting the brain. I’m grateful for the over 50 thought leaders who showed up and participated. These in person events are essential for breaking down silos between the basic and clinical fields, and networking young investigators new to the School of Medicine.
The research symposium, Precision Medicine for Learning Health Systems: Building the Institute for Health Computing, will take place on May 31 at Westminster Hall, with lectures, lunch and discussions taking place from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., the keynote presentation at 4 p.m., and the poster session and reception from 4:30-7 p.m. The deadline for submitting abstracts is this Saturday, May 6. If your research spans the broad topic of precision medicine, I encourage you to submit an abstract. I am thrilled to welcome Bradley Maron, MD, to campus today as our new Co-Director and Director of Scientific Operations for the University of Maryland – Institute for Health Computing and Senior Associate Dean for Precision Medicine. This symposium will serve as an excellent venue to meet and interact with Dr. Maron.
I’m also really looking forward to attending my first School of Medicine MD graduation as dean on May 18 at the Hippodrome Theatre. Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD will serve as our keynote speaker. Dr. Matthew is the Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. A leader in public health and civil rights law, she
focuses on disparities in health, health care, and the social determinants of health. Dr. Matthew is the author of two bestselling books, “Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care,” and the recently released “Just Health: Treating Structural Racism to Heal America.” I hope to see many of you there!
Finally, I want to make sure as many of you as possible are informed about the next cycle of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) accreditation process. Similar to the School of Medicine’s accreditation process with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the University of Maryland, Baltimore must undergo an evaluation every eight years, to self-regulate the quality and integrity of our general higher educational offerings. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the first town hall tomorrow, Tuesday, May 2 at 2 p.m. in the School of Pharmacy Lecture Hall (PH N203), 20 N. Pine St. This is an opportunity to engage from a campus perspective and learn more about this important process that instills public confidence in our institutional mission, goals, performance, and resources.
With enthusiasm and commitment,
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