December 5, 2023

Dear School of Medicine Community,

As the year winds down, I want to wish all of you a joyous holiday season and a strong and successful end to 2023 for the University of Maryland School of Medicine. We had an incredibly productive year and, as I said in my Thanksgiving message, I am so thankful for each of you and this incredible institution. YOU are what makes this academic medical center so special and successful. 

I want to highlight one of our new chairs, Shawn Kwatra, MD, who will join our community in 2024 as the Chair of the Department of Dermatology. He recently published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine as a first author: “Phase 3 Trial of Nemolizumab in Patients with Prurigo Nodularis.” Having our faculty continuously publish in high-impact journals contributes to the unique elite nature of our academic medical community, and I am proud to see one of our newest recruits leading in this area. 

I also want to highlight our Institute of Human Virology, which just received an impressive grant from the NIH. Principal Investigators Sarah Kattakuzhy, MD, MPH and Elana Rosenthal, MD have received a four-year $29 million award for the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative (NIH HEAL Initiative). IHV will use this grant to implement the Continuum of Care in Hospitalized Patients with Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Complications of Drug Use (CHOICE) Investigation. Congratulations to Drs. Kattakuzhy and Rosenthal, as well as to Shyam Kottilil, MBBS, PhD as IHV’s Interim Director. 

Another distinctive element of University of Maryland Medicine is our renowned Shock Trauma Center. A couple of weeks ago, my wife, Tammy, and I attended the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center Celebration. It was a remarkably inspirational evening that honored our lifesaving medical professionals and community members, from our local fire departments and 911 centers to the Maryland State Police Aviation Command. The evening also showcased the unbelievable lifesaving stories of some of our patients. We were honored to host Governor Wes Moore, who spoke to the 1,500 attendees and made an absolute commitment to continued and enhanced support for the Shock Trauma Center. He commended our health care workers for their service and their tremendous ability to do the seemingly impossible lifesaving work that the Center is known for. I couldn't agree more.

As the theme of this year’s gala suggested, we are “One Maryland, One Shock Trauma” and much of the success of our Shock Trauma Center is due to the depth of our collaborations with community members. Our location and our neighbors make the School of Medicine an exceptional hub for serving, learning, and investigating. We need to remember the community in which we work and study counts on us for our expertise and our resources. With that in mind, I want to encourage you to attend the first-ever SOM Day @ Lexington Market tomorrow - Wednesday, December 6 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. While some of our staff and medical students will provide information on routine cancer screenings and other resources, SOM staff, faculty, students, and trainees will also gather in the Baltimore Room of the market to have lunch together, taking advantage of the many local vendors and the discount that several of them offer to UMB OneCard holders. 

Finally, I look forward to seeing everyone who RSVP’d at the School of Medicine’s Holiday Open House on Thursday, December 7!

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