"The academic community maintains several expectations of both current and future medical students. They should:
- Possess strong critical thinking and analytical skills;
- Employ those skills in team settings and collaborate very well;
- Understand how to use data and distinguish accurate information from faulty information; and
- Practice cultural sensitivity with special mindfulness of our increasingly diverse communities.
Several years ago, an article in Science Magazine written by Andrew Schafer, MD, cited the key reasons why our field needs scientifically trained physicians: They bring indispensable perspectives to biomedical research, inspired by the priority of caring for patients; they play central roles in advancing medicine by acting as translators of fundamental research; and they are uniquely positioned within academic medical institutions to conduct cutting- edge research through the continuum of the biomedical enterprise (basic, translational, and clinical endeavors).
We declare the importance of research at the School of Medicine through our activities, priorities, and decisions. We begin by engaging medical students early in their training. On day one, we discussed some of our research opportunities with our Class of 2023, including the Program for Research Initiated by Students and Mentors (PRISM) and the annual Medical Student Research Day.
Biomedical research enlists medical students to think critically by comparing new data to existing data, determining how to respond to those data based on analytic tools, and improving or modifying experimental models. Research projects train students to critique data, identify whether conclusions are supported by evidence, and distinguish significant effect from random variability. The research laboratory setting provides an excellent proving ground for students to practice their critical thinking processes.
Our academic medical community is committed to educating and grooming scientifically trained physicians who have a strong grasp of research and analytical thinking, desire intellectual stimulation, demonstrate interest in education for themselves and for others, possess a variety of talents, and collaborate productively with other physicians and scientists.
Our curriculum includes several initiatives to ensure that we engage our medical students in scientific research. We require all first-year medical students to take the Foundations of Research and Critical Thinking (FRCT) Course; our expanding research development programs focus on students, trainees, junior faculty, minorities, and women; and we strongly encourage participation in the Student Summer Research Programs."
I am very proud of the environment we foster for student scientific publications, presentations, and research-based competitions. It is easy to see how the resulting innovations, collaborations, and research discoveries from our students make us all particularly excited.
You will be read about some of these remarkable students and their innovations and discoveries in this issue of SOMnews — including Huanwen (Alvin) Chen ’21, exploring new non-surgical methods to repair large nerve injuries; Erik Klontz ’21, working on novel solutions to antibiotic resistance; Daphine Kwesiga ’22, probing the causes of lung transplant rejection; and Netsanet Woldegerima ’21, seeking better targeted therapies for melanoma. These all exemplify the high standards that our students set for themselves in transforming today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s treatments.
I wish to recognize our Office of Student Research (OSR) for all of its outstanding efforts in this area. In particular, I am grateful for the OSR leadership — Kerri Thom, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, Assistant Dean for Student Research, and Director of the Office of Student Research, along with Greg Carey, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Director of Student Summer Research and Community Outreach, and Donald (Rick) Matteson, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology and Executive Director of Student Research Education and Dual Degree Programs. We salute the entire OSR team for everything they do to help produce the next generation of scientifically trained physicians!"
In the relentless pursuit of excellence, I am
Sincerely yours,
E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
New Faculty
Teklu Legesse, MD, joined the Department of Pathology as an Assistant Professor in July 2019. Dr. Legesse received his MD from Gondor College of Medical Sciences, Gondor, Ethiopia, followed by a pathology residency at Addis Ababa University Medical Faculty, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. Legesse completed his residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as his fellowship with the Division of Cytopathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He followed this with a fellowship with the Division of Genitourinary Pathology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, School of Medicine
Robert Rowland, PT, DPT, joined the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science as an Assistant Professor in June 2019. Dr. Rowland also has a secondary appointment in the Department of Orthopaedics. Dr. Rowland comes to Maryland from EXOS, a human performance company headquartered in Phoenix, where he was a Tactical Physical Therapist to active duty soldiers with neuromusculoskeletal complaints.
Recent Appointments
France Carrier, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, has been named as the co-leader of the Molecular and Structural Biology research program in the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). She is the Director of Tumor Biology in the Division of Translational Sciences in Radiation Oncology, a Veteran’s Administration (VA) investigator, and a senior member of the UMGCCC. She has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health and the VA for a significant part of her career. Dr. Carrier is well-known expert in basic and translational cancer research, with specific training and expertise in genotoxic stress response and cancer progression. Her basic cancer research studies include activation of stress-responsive RNA binding proteins and their specific involvement in regulating protein translation in cancer cells and her translational efforts focus on drug development and low dose fractionated radiation therapy.
Matthew Charles Terzi, VMD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, and a member of the Program of Comparative Medicine, received a promotion from Research Associate to Assistant Professor. Dr. Terzi has been a valued member of the School of Medicine since 2016.
Seemant Chaturvedi, MD, the Stewart J. Greenebaum Endowed Professor in Stroke Neurology, and Steven Kittner, MD, MPH, Professor, both from the Department of Neurology, have been appointed to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) guidelines writing committee for secondary prevention of stroke. The AHA/ASA guidelines will update a previous 2014 scientific statement and will provide guidance for clinicians on optimal methods for stroke prevention.
Roy Film, PT, MPT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, has been appointed to serve on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) three-person committee to prepare and present the United States’ bid to host the 2024 International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) Conference. As a part of this three-person committee, Dr. Film will help to coordinate the presentation of the US bid during the IFOMPT 2020 Conference in Melbourne, Australia. The proposed US bid city has not yet been named.
Samuel Galvagno, DO, PhD, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, was called to active duty earlier this past year to serve as the Surgeon General for Medical Operations (SGO) in the Office of the Command Surgeon, Robins Air Force Base, Atlanta, Ga. During this tour, Colonel Galvagno led Air Reserve Component efforts to improve the overall efficiency of medical operations and medical readiness for over 70,000 Reservists. Using “lean” methodologies and other state-of-the art business practices, Colonel Galvagno spearheaded a “medical readiness campaign” to reduce case backlog and improve case processing for Reserve members with medical problems. His efforts resulted in a reduction of backlogged cases from over 2000 to less than 400 with an increase in case turnaround by over 88 percent. Colonel Galvagno continues his United States Air Force Reserve duties as a mobilization augmentee for the Surgeon General’s Chair at the Air War College, Maxwell, Ala.
Marcela Pasetti, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, will serve as Chair of the Immunity and Host Defense Study Section, Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health for a term beginning in July and ending June 2021.
Mary Rodgers, PT, PhD, FAPTA, FASB, FISB, Professor Emeritus, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, is on the advisory committee for the K12 program, Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program, funded by the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). She was recently at the University of Florida for the NCMRR annual meeting.
Geoffrey Rosenthal, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, was appointed to be on the Committee on Federal Government Affairs (COFGA). This appointment was effective on July 1, 2019 and will serve for a six-year term, contingent on Board re-appointment every 2 years.
John Talbott, MD, FACPsych, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, formally retired in June. Dr. Talbott served as the fourth Chair of Psychiatry from 1985 to 1999. He served as a nationally prominent advocate for better treatment for persons with severe mental illness. Additionally, his widely popular book, The Death of the Asylum, was a landmark publication that championed the compassionate treatment of patients during a time when those in need faced stigmas and rapid deinstitutionalization from hospitals. Equally as important, Dr. Talbott mentored a new generation of young psychiatrists to focus on treating individuals with the most disabling mental disorders. Dr. Talbott recruited faculty within the Department, as well as expanded upon research and training programs—all while focusing on community and public psychiatry. He has contributed to the field of mental health by providing service to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), dating back to 1974. Dr. Talbott has served on a wide spectrum of state and national task forces, and has written 144 refereed articles, 60 books and 123 book chapters, and more. The Department of Psychiatry and School of Medicine would like to thank Dr. Talbott for his many years of service and wish him well on his retirement!
Kudos to our colleagues who are experts in their fields and give their all to represent the School of Medicine!
The Department of Radiation Oncology was represented in multiple sessions at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine (STM), held April 28–May 2 in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Led by past-STM president Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, presenters and session chairs from the Department of Radiation Oncology included Assistant Professors Dario Rodriques, PhD, J.W. Snider, MD, and Jason Molitoris, MD, PhD; Residents Christina DeCesaris, MD, Emily Kowalski, MD, Stephanie Rice, MD, Santanu Samanta, MD, and Osman Siddiqui, MD; and Erika Maynor, Senior Director of Staff Operations. Dr. Kowalski also received an STM Scholar-in-Training Travel Award.
More than a dozen physicists, physicians, and radiation biologists from the Department of Radiation Oncology attended the 2019 Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) meeting, held June 10–15 in Manchester, UK. In addition to multiple podium and poster presentations, department members also served as moderators and as members of leadership and subject matter committees.
Gad Alon, PT, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, presented the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Distinguished Lectureship Series at the University of Texas, McGovern Medical School in Houston, Tex. on May 24. The title of his talk was “Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES): On the Road to Personalized Intervention.” Additionally, Dr. Alon presented at RehabWeek 2019 which was held in Toronto, Canada from June 24–28. He presented a workshop titled, “Utility of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in Rehabilitation Medicine’s Continuum of Care.” Li-Qun Zhang, PhD, Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, also presented at RehabWeek 2019. Dr. Zhang was among the co-authors of three presentations: “Real-Time EMG Decoding of Continuous Wrist Movement Based on Machine Learning”; “Characteristics of Co-Activation & Co-Contraction at the Ankle in Children with CP”; and “Arm-Hand Rehabilitation Using a Wearable Exoskeleton with Haptic Feedback and Mixed Reality.”
Maureen Black, PhD, the John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics, presented “What If We Miss the First 1000 Days, Implications for Childhood Development,” at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition in Baltimore, June 10.
James Borrelli, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, attended the 2019 World Congress of the International Society of Posture and Gait Research which was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 30–July 4. During the conference, Dr. Borrelli presented a poster titled, “Extending the Centre of Pressure to Include Handhold Forces” and presented a workshop on “Pursuing an Industry Position After Graduate School.”
Svetlana Chapoval, MD, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, presented “Targeting Neuroimmune Semaphorin 4A Signaling Pathways in Allergic Asthma” at the 12th International Frontiers in Immunology Research Conference in Vienna, Austria, July 1–4. During this conference, Dr. Chapoval participated in two round-table discussion session focused on recombinant proteins in modern medicine.
Vasken Dilsizian, MD, Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, delivered two oral presentations: “Image-Guided Arrhythmia Management” and “Introduction of the Cardiovascular Council Hermann Blumgart Award Recipient” at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2019 Annual Scientific Sessions, which was held in Anaheim, Calif., June 22–25.
Samuel Galvagno, DO, PhD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, was a featured international speaker for the 2019 Australia-New Zealand College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM) annual scientific meeting in Cairns, Australia. The theme of the conference was “Trauma: A Crash Course.” Dr. Galvagno gave five keynote talks on topics ranging from ECMO in trauma to management of coagulopathy and TBI. He also delivered the final closing talk for the conference and co-chaired a trainee symposium.
Marc Hochberg, MD, MPH, MACP, MACR, Professor, Department of Medicine, hosted the semi-annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, June 6–7. Separately, he gave an invited lecture on the topic “Growth Factors and Cartilage” during the 2019 European League of Associations of Rheumatology (EULAR) annual meeting in Madrid, Spain on June 12.
Linda Horn, PT, DScPT, MHS, GCS, NCS, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, presented “Developing Future Leaders of the Physical Therapy Profession” at the American Physical Therapy Association’s NEXT Conference, June 12–15, in Chicago, Ill.
Brenda Hussey-Gardner, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, gave a keynote presentation “Developmental Interventions in the NICU,” and an oral presentation “The Importance of Early Intervention for LBW Infants and Their Families” at the 3rd Global Summit on Pediatrics and Neonatology in London, England, June 17–18.
Isabel Jackson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, presented at the 23rd Nuclear Medical Defense Conference at the Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology in Munich, Germany on March 23, on the “Natural History of Disease Progression in a Rabbit Model of Acute Radiation Sickness Following Total Body Irradiation.” Separately, Dr. Jackson presented “Transfusions as Medical Countermeasures,” at a meeting of the Trauma Hemostasis and Oxygenation Research Network (THOR), June 23–26 in Bergen, Norway. In addition, Dr. Jackson presented “Translating Academic Research into Product Development: The Importance of Understanding GLPs at an Early Stage” on June 26 at the Drug Information Association’s 2019 Global Meeting in San Diego, Calif. She was chair of the same session.
Brian Johnson, OTR/L, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, gave an invited webinar talk on April 8, for The Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, entitled “Use of Repetitive Acoustic Stimulation During Sleep to Enhance Non-Paretic Arm Performance in Individuals with Chronic Stroke.”
Adeel Kaiser, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was an invited speaker at the Miami Cancer Institute on June 28, addressing the topic “The Evolving Role of Integrative Strategies in Cancer Therapy.”
John LaMattina, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, presented his study, “Rat Liver Scaffolds Selectively Re-Endothelialized with Human Vascular Endothelial Cells Support Perfusion with Human Blood,” at the 25th Annual Conference of the International Liver Transplantation Society in Toronto, Canada, May 15–18. The data demonstrated the ability to bioengineer livers compatible for human transplantation from organ scaffolds.
Thomas MacVittie, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, presented two lectures at the Radiation Emergency Assistance Site/Training Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on April 30. The titles were “Linking the ARS and DEARE: Medical Countermeasures and Concurrent Multiple Organ Injury (MOI) in the Nonhuman Primate” and “Neutron Radiobiology: Re-thinking the Prompt Radiation Exposure After an IND.”
P
ranshu Mohindra, MD, MBBS, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, served as faculty in moderator at the annual meeting of the American Brachytherapy Society, in Miami, Fla, June 14–15.
Kristin Reavis, MD, MBBS, Assistant Professor, and Diana Carvajal, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, both from the Department of Family and Community Medicine, presented a workshop on “Achieving Equity in the Workforce: Exploring the Very Low and Declining Rates of Black Males in Medicine” at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Annual Spring Conference on April 27 in Toronto, Canada. Separately, Dr. Reavis presented a seminar on “US Work on Diversity & Allyship and Canadian Pursuit of Cultural Competence/Safety/Humility” at the same conference.
Dario Rodriques, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, presented “Zero-Order Mode Microwave Applicator for Hyperthermia Treatment of Cancer,” at the European Microwave Conference in Central Europe (EuMCE) on May 14 in Prague, Czech Republic. Separately, Dr. Rodrigues and Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, also from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the co-authors of “MR Thermometry Validation and Modeling of a 915 Mhz Annular Phased-Array in Brain Phantoms” at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology in Warszawa, Poland, May 22–24. In addition, Dr. Vujaskovic presented “Proton and Hyperthermia: Early Clinical Results” at the same conference.
Violeta Rus, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, presented “Response Gene to Complement-32 Exerts Proinflammatory and Profibrotic Effects in Immune Complex–Mediated Glomerulonephritis” at the American Association of Immunologists meeting held in San Diego, Calif., May 9–13. She also chaired the Block Symposium on “Novel Therapeutic Approaches in Lupus.”
Nicole Shockcor, MD, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Rolf Barth, MD, Professor, both from the Department of Surgery, presented multiple research and invited talks from their Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation Laboratory at the American Transplant Congress in Boston, Mass., June 1–5. Dr. Shockor presented results from her two-year fellowship study with Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, “Adipose Stem Cells Promote Composite Tissue Engraftment.”
Nevil Singh, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, presented at the MOME Seminar, held at the University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences in Toledo, Ohio on April 14. The topic of his talk was “Necessary Evil: Why All Our T cells are Self-Reactive?”
Angela Trude, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Maureen Black, PhD, the John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics; and Yan Wang, MD, DrPH, Associate Professor; all from the Department of Pediatrics, presented “Maternal Anxiety Symptoms and Mother-Toddler Diet Quality Among WIC Participants,” at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition in Baltimore on June 8. Drs. Black and Wang also presented “Child Food Insecurity and Neighborhood Food Environment in Relation to Academic Performance and Behavior Problems Among a National Sample of Kindergarten Children” at the meeting.
Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, presented “New Available Technology” on June 5 at the Sociedad Española de Oncología Radioterápica Congress/Sociedad Española de Oncología Clínica Congress in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Congratulations to the following who have received honors!
The Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science was recently honored with the Legacy Partner Award from the Baltimore County Department of Aging. The Legacy Partner Award recognizes the campus’ partnership to enhance the lives of older adults in Baltimore County.
Donna Calu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, was honored by President Trump as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
William Carpenter, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, was recently named the 2019 SIRS Lifetime Achievement Awardee from the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS). Founded in 2005, SIRS aims to bring together scientists from around the world to exchange the latest advances in biological and psychosocial research in schizophrenia. The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a scientist who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of schizophrenia research.
Svetlana Chapoval, MD, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Vascular and Inflamatory Diseases, presented her work titled “Plexin B1 Expression on Human Treg Cells is Required for Regulation of Their Phenotypic Stability by Semaphorin 4A,” during the Immunology 2019 meeting in San Diego, Calif. in May. Dr. Chapoval received the Early Career Faculty travel award from the American Association of Immunologists to offset the cost of attending this meeting.
Robert Gallo, MD, the Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Director, Institute of Human Virology, received the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) Award of Excellence and presented “Human Retroviruses (HTLV-1 and HIV): Current Therapy and Prevention,” during the 32nd International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) on May 13 in Baltimore.
Devang Gandhi, MBBS, MD, FRCPsych, DFASAM, DFAPA, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, was recently invited on behalf of the American College of Academic Medicine (ACAAM) and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to receive an Addiction Medicine (ADM) Champion Award. The honor was awarded on June 25 at the White House and during the event, “Building the Addiction Medicine Workforce; Giving Americans Access to the Care They Need.” During the extension of the invitation, Dr. Gandhi was recognized by Dr. Kevin Kunz, Executive Vice President of the ACAAM, as a strong and inspirational force in fellowship development and as a dedicated and productive leader in the field.
Rebecca Henry, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Anesthesiology, won the TEAM Award for her poster titled, “Micoglia Depletion and Repopulation During the Chronic Stages of Traumatic Brain Injury Improves Long-Term Neurological Recovery,” at the National Neurotrauma Society Symposium held in Pittsburgh, Penn., June 29–July 3.
Linda Horn, PT, DScPT, MHS, GCS, NCS, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, received the award on behalf of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, at the Annual Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.The luncheon was held at Martin’s West on May 16. The award was presented by the Honorable John Olszewski, County Executive for Baltimore County and Laura Riley, Director of the Baltimore County Department for Aging.
Stephanie Knight, MD, Assistant Professor, Department Psychiatry, was awarded the Attending Physician Colleague Award at the Nurses Week Awards Ceremony on May 9. Dr. Knight was nominated by her nursing colleagues and peers, who personally recognized Dr. Knight’s dedication to her role and level of personalized care for patients.
Margaret Lauerman, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, was awarded the Surgical Infection Society’s Junior Faculty Clinical Research Fellowship Award. This award provides funding that will allow Dr. Lauerman to complete a project on long-term outcomes in patients with severe soft tissue infections.
W. Jonathan Lederer, MD, PhD, Professor, and Carmen Mannella, PhD, Visiting Professor, both from Department of Physiology and the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology (BioMET), are among the creators of the image “Segmentation of Highly Convoluted Mitochondrial Inner Membranes from Electron Microscopic Tomograms.” The image was one of 11 finalists in the Art of Science Image Contest at the 63rd Annual Biophysical Society meeting, held in Baltimore, Md., on March 21, and is featured on Cell Press’ Beauty in Biophysics 2019 Cell Picture Show.
Alberto Macario, MD, Adjunct Professor, and Everly Conway De Macario, PhD, Adjunct Professor, both from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, were honored in Italy by the Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST) for their “Dedication to the Advancement of Knowledge” on June 11.
Mary McKenna, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, received the 4th annual J. Tyson Tildon Award for Excellence in Pediatric Research. The award was presented at the Department of Pediatrics Research Day on May 9. Dr. McKenna presented the awardee lecture “From Studies of Astrocytes and Neurons to the Goal of Protecting the Developing Brain: Challenges and Opportunities Along the Way.”
Sandrine Niyongere, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, has been selected for the June 2019 class of the American Society of Hematology Clinical Research Training Institute, for her project “BCL-2 Inhibition in Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia.”
Rekha Rapaka, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, received the Passano Physician Scientist award on May 6.
William Regine, MD, FACR, FACRO, the Isadore & Fannie Schneider Foxman Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, received a Lifetime Achievement Award as a 2019 Daily Record Health Care Hero.
Eric Weintraub, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, was honored with the Board of Regents award for Excellence in Public Service, hosted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, on April 19. Dr. Weintraub was recognized for his exceptional commitment to caring for opioid-addicted individuals by way of public health initiatives, including training Emergency Department (ED) physicians and expanding access to treatment methods.
Congratulations to our very productive faculty on their recent grants and contracts!
Alan Cross, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, received an extension of $413,000 and a three-month extension for his Astellas grant now totaling $7.2 million for “E. coli Epidemiology and PSL Study.”
Alan Faden, MD, the David S. Brown Professor in Trauma; Bogdan Stoica, MD, Associate Professor; and David Loane, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor; all from the Department of Anesthesiology, received a five-year, $2,254,990 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH/NINDS) for “Reprogramming Microglial Epigenetic Pathways to Promote Cognitive Recovery After Brain Trauma.”
Christopher Jewell, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, received a four-year, $1,602,366 grant from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIH/NIAID) to use biomaterials to improve compliance in patients receiving immunotherapy.
Feng Jiang, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, received a three-year, $369,642 grant from the National Cancer Institute for “A Diagnostic Model for Malignant Pulmonary Nodules.”
Marcela Pasetti, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, was awarded $114,000 from Vaxart for “Analysis of Immune Responses to Norwalk Vaccine.”
Charlene Quinn, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, received a four-month, $50,000 award from the Maryland Department of Aging for “No Wrong Door Business Case Development—Hospital Transitions Project.”
Gloria Reeves, MD, Associate Professor; Sarah Edwards, DO, Assistant Professor; Teodor Postolache, MD, Professor; Heidi Wehring, PharmD, Assistant Professor; and Kathleen Connors, MSW, LCSW-C, Instructor; all from the Department of Psychiatry, were recently awarded the 2019–2020 Accelerated Translational Incubator Pilot (ATIP) Award by the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). The cross-collaborative initiative includes the Department of Pediatrics and Veteran Affairs Neurology, as well as the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County Department of Psychology, with special thanks to Robert Buchanan, MD, Professor, Director of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) and Dr. Postolache for their senior research mentorship. The grant focuses on pain issues among parents of youth with serious mental illness, and pilot data will be collected and used for the development of a parent pain intervention and NIDA grant. Additionally, the initiative will help to develop parallel clinical and training deliverables on this topic.
Shabnam Salimi, MD, MS, Research Associate, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, received a five-year, $611,091 career award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for “Epigenetic Markers of Multimorbidity Assessment (EMMA) in Humans and Mice.”
Marcelo Sztein, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, was awarded a five-year, $2.84 million R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID) for “Immune Mechanisms of Protection in S. Typhi infection.”
Natalie Zlebnik, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, was awarded a $1,061,248 K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA/NIH) for “Effects of Exercise on Dopaminergic Mechanisms of Cocaine Relapse.”
Community Impact
The Department of Psychiatry recently launched Mom Power, a collaboration among the Division of Consultation Liaison’s Women’s Mental Health Program, the Division of Child and Adolescent’s Center for Infant Study, and the Division of Addiction Research and Treatment’s OATS Program. Mom Power is a unique parenting education and attachment-based program developed by Maria Muzik, MD, at the University of Michigan, and supports families that may be facing adversity or times of stress. In February, clinicians from each Division traveled to Michigan for training purposes. The first group meeting was held on April 10, 2019 and will continue to meet weekly with a core group of moms and their children. Each week, the group starts with a family breakfast, and then the children move to the Play Center while the moms have group time that is centered around parenting and self-care. The group closes with a circle time, a shared moment during which moms sing songs and read with their children.
To learn more about the Mom Power intervention, visit: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/programs/zero-thrive/clinical-service/mom-power.
Sixty-five students from the DPT Class of 2021, from the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, participated at the 2019 UMB Wellness Fair held on April 2, 2019 at the SMC Campus Center. Their participation resulted in 59 volunteers being consented, totaling 128 volunteer visits at our 3 screening stations for a grand total of 288 screening procedures being performed. These procedures included Blood Pressure, Posture, and Upper and Lower Extremity Extensibility screenings. The students were engaging and represented the department well. The students were mentored by Vincent Conroy, PT, DScPT, Assistant Professor, and Karen Gordes, PhD, PT, DScPT, Assistant Professor, both from the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science.
In the Media
Andrea Meredith, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, was featured in the New York Times/Netflix documentary series “Diagnosis.” The series follows Dr. Lisa Saunders, an associate professor of internal medicine and education at Yale School of Medicine, as she attempts to help patients with unique illnesses and searches for a cure using wisdom of the crowd methods. Dr. Meredith’s was featured in Episode four “Looking For A Village,” where she explains the function of the KCNMA1 ion channel. Filming in her lab shows the mice she’s creating with transgenic modifications to the KCNMA1 gene and her research on the patient mutations in KCNMA1. Dr. Meredith and her research team in the Department of Physiology, Hans Moldenhauer, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Su Mi Park, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, and First-Year Medical Student, Mr. Cole Bailey, compiled a companion comprehensive review naming the ‘KCNMA1-Linked Channelopathy,’ synchronized to the release of the Netflix documentary. This review is a technical publication meant to be shared with physicians to quickly get them up to speed on the basic science and clinical phenotypes of the first patients known to have this disorder.
Daniel Morgan, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, was an author on a study that was featured in the NY Times article “10 Findings that Contradict Medical Wisdom. Doctors, Take Note.”
Recent Patents
Colin Mackenzie, MB,CHB, MD, Professor Emeritus; Peter Hu, PhD, Associate Professor; Shiming Yang, PhD, Assistant Professor; all from the Department of Anesthesiology; and Hegang Chen, PhD, Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, are co-inventors for U.S. patent #10258292 “Method and Apparatus for Predicting a Need for a Blood Transfusion,” effective April 16.
Hats off to those who have been published!
Odessa Addison, DPT, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, was a co-author of “Mobility Improvements Are Found in Older Veterans After 6 Months of Gerofit Regardless of Body Mass Index Classification,” which was published in the June 2019 issue of Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.
Bridget Armstrong, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Maureen Black, PhD, the John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics, both from the Department of Pediatrics, were among the co-authors of “Toddler Bedtime Routines and their Association with Nighttime Sleep Duration, and Maternal and Household Factors,” which was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine on June 15, 2019.
Jeffery Babischkin, MS; Graham Aberdeen, PhD, Associate Professor; and Eugene Albrecht, PhD, Professor; all from the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, were among the authors of “Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Delivery to Placental Basal Plate Promotes Uterine Artery Remodeling in the Primate,” which was published in the June 2019 issue of Endocrinology.
Cynthia Bearer, MD, PhD, FAAP, the Cobey Chair in Neonatology, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, was among the co-authors of “Insights in Pediatric Research,” which was published in Pediatric Research on April 12, 2019.
Annabelle Belcher, PhD, Assistant Professor; Aaron Greenblatt, MD, Assistant Professor; and Eric Weintraub, MD, Associate Professor; all from the Department of Psychiatry, were among the co-authors of “Opioid-Galanin Receptor Heteromers Mediate the Dopaminergic Effects of Opioids,” which was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation on March 26, 2019.
Maureen Black, PhD, the John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics, Angela Trude, PhD, and Bridget Armstrong, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellows, all from the Department of Pediatrics, published an invited commentary entitled “Prenatal WIC Participation: A Step Toward Human Capital Development,” which was published in JAMA Pediatrics on July 1, 2019. Separately, Dr. Black, co-authored “Early Childhood Development: An Imperative for Action and Measurement at Scale,” which was published in the May 2019 issue of BMJ Global Health; “The Global Scale for Early Development,” in the 2019 edition of Early Childhood Matters; and “Long-term Associations Between Measles Vaccination and Child Growth, Cognitive, and Schooling Outcomes in Ethiopia, India, and Vietnam: A Cohort Analysis,” in Vaccine on June 18, 2019. In addition, Drs. Black and Trude, published an invited commentary entitled, “Conceptualizations of Child Development Benefit From Inclusion of All Components of the Nurturing Care Framework,” which was published in the August 2019 issue of Journal of Nutrition. Dr. Trude, was also the lead author, “The Impact of a Multilevel Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention on Healthful Food Acquisition, Preparation, and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption on African-American Adult Caregivers,” which was published in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition on May 22, 2019.
Mary Bollinger, DO, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, was among the co-authors of “Fostering Effective Asthma Self-Management Transfer in High Risk Children: Gaps and Opportunities for Family Engagement,” which was published in Journal of Pediatric Health Care on June 25, 2019.
James Borrelli, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, was a co-author of “Clinical Assessment of Reactive Balance Control in Acquired Brain Injury: A Comparison of Manual and Cable Release-From-Lean Assessment Methods,” which was published in the June 2019 issue of Physiotherapy Research International.
Jonathan Bromberg, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Wenji Piao, MD, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Surgery, were among the co-authors of “CD4 T Cell Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor (S1pr)1 and S1pr4 and Endothelial S1pr2 Regulate Afferent Lymphatic Migration,” which was published in Science Immunology on March 15, 2019. In addition, Dr. Bromberg, along with Richard Ugarte, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, and Rolf Barth, MD, Professor, Department of Surgery, were among the co-authors of “Alemtuzumab Induction and Belatacept Maintenance in Marginal Pathology Renal Allografts,” which was published in Clinical Transplantation on June 30, 2019.
Chris D’Adamo, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, was a co-author of “Using Herbs and Spices to Increase Vegetable Intake Among Rural Adolescents,” which was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior on May 15, 2019.
Eduardo Davila, PhD, Professor; Jonathan Bromberg, MD, PhD, Professor; and Stefanie Vogel, PhD, Professor; all from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Joseph Scalea, MD, Assistant Professor; Young Suk Lee, PhD, Research Associate; and Tianshu Zhang, PhD; all from the Department of Surgery, were among the co-authors of “Myeloidderived Suppressor Cells Are Bound and Inhibited By Anti-Thymocyte Globulin,” which was published in the June 2019 issue of Innate Immunity.
Cristina DeCesaris, MD, and Stephanie Rice, MD, Residents; Mark Mishra, MD, Associate Professor; and Elizabeth Nichols, MD, Assistant Professor; all from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “Quantification of Acute Skin Toxicities in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Adjuvant Proton vs Photon Radiation Therapy: A Single-Institution Survey,” which was published in International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics on April 24, 2019.
Vasken Dilsizian, MD, Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, was a co-author of “Novel Myocardial PET/CT Receptor Imaging and Potential Therapeutic Targets,” which was published in the April 2019 issue of Current Cardiology Reports. In addition, Dr. Dilsizian, was a co-author of “The Cardiorenal Axis: Myocardial Perfusion, Metabolism, and Innervation,” which was published in the Current Cardiology Reports on May 20, 2019.
Deanna Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, recently presented the plenary address, “Schizophrenia and Gluten: A New Target and Precision Medicine” at the International Schizophrenia Research Society (SIRS) in Orlando, FL. The presentation results were published in the Journal of Psychiatry Neuroscience on March 27, 2019.
Nicole Klinedinst, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN, FAHA, Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Nursing; Rosemary Schuh, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology; Steven Kittner, MD, MPH, Professor, Department of Neurology; William Regenold, MDCM, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Glenn Kehs, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology; and Gary Fiskum, PhD, the Matjasko Professorship for Research in Anesthesiology and Vice Chair, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, were among the co-authors of “Post-Stroke Fatigue As an Indicator of Underlying Bioenergetics Alterations,” which published in the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes on January 7, 2019.
Karen Kotloff, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Dilruba Nasrin, MBBS, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine; William Blackwelder, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health; Samba Sow, MD, MS, Adjunct Professor, Department of Medicine; Sharon Tennant, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine; and Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Disease, were among the authors of “The Incidence, Aetiology, and Adverse Clinical Consequences of Less Severe Diarrhoeal Episodes Among Infants and Children Residing in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries: A 12-Month Case-Control Study As a Follow-On to the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS),” which was published in Lancet Global Health on May 7, 2019.
Marta Lipinski, MD, Associate Professor, and Chinmoy Sarkar, PhD, Research Associate, both from the Department of Anesthesiology, were among the co-authors of “The PARK10 Gene USP24 Is a Negative Regulator of Autophagy and ULK1 Protein Stability,” which was published in Autophagy on April 7, 2019.
Mary McKenna, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, was among the co-editors of a special issue “The 13th International Conference on Brain Energy Metabolism,” which was published as the August 2019 issue of Journal of Neuroscience Research.
Robert Miller, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Cost of Acute and Follow-Up Care in Patients with Pre-Existing Psychiatric Diagnoses Undergoing Radiation Therapy,” which was published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics on March 21, 2019. In addition, Dr. Miller was among the authors of “Effect of Doxepin Mouthwash or Diphenhydramine-Lidocaine-Antacid Mouthwash vs Placebo on Radiotherapy-Related Oral Mucositis Pain: The Alliance A221304 Randomized Clinical Trial,” which was published in JAMA.
Arezoo Modiri, PhD, Assistant Professor; Stephanie Rice, MD, Resident; and Amit Sawant, PhD, Associate Professor; all from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “Inverse Radiotherapy Planning Based on Bioeffect Modelling for Locally Advanced Left-Sided Breast Cancer,” which was published in Radiotherapy and Oncology on April 3, 2019.
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MBBS, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Chemotherapy Versus Supportive Care for Unresected Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma,” which was published in Clinical Lung Cancer on March 26, 2019.
Teodor Postolache, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, was among the authors of “Longitudinal Homogenization of the Microbiome Between Both Occupants and the Built Environment in a Cohort of United States Air Force Cadets,” which was published in Microbiome in May 2019. Separately, Dr. Postolache was among the authors of “Infections, Anti-Infective Agents, and Risk of Deliberate Self-harm and Suicide in a Young Cohort: A Nationwide Study,” which was published in Biological Psychiatry on May 1, 2019.
Julie Proctor, Lab Supervisor, Department of Anesthesiology; Robert Rosenthal, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine; and Gary Fiskum, PhD, the Matjasko Professorship for Research in Anesthesiology and Vice Chair, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, were among the co-authors of “Oximetry-Guided Normoxic Resuscitation Following Canine Cardiac Arrest Reduces Cerebellar Purkinje Neuronal Damage,” which published in Resuscitation Journal on May 4, 2019.
Feyruz Rassool, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Partnering with PARP Inhibitors in Acute Myeloid Leukemia with FL3-ITD,” which was published in Cancer Letters on April 3, 2019.
Jacques Ravel, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, was among the co-authors on “Natural History, Dynamics, and Ecology of Human Papillomaviruses in Genital Infections of Young Women: Protocol of the PAPCLEAR Cohort Study,” which was published in BMJ Open on June 11, 2019.
Violeta Rus, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, and Horea Rus, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurology, were among the co-authors of “Role of C5b-9 and RGC-32 in Cancer,” which was published in Frontiers in Immunology on May 9, 2019.
Douglas Savin, PT, PhD, Assistant Professor; Robert Creath, PhD, Assistant Professor; and Mark Rogers, PT, PhD, FAPTA, Volunteer Adjunct Professor; all from the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, were among the co-authors of “Aging Effects of Motor Prediction on Protective Balance and Startle Responses to Sudden Drop Perturbations,” which was published in the June 2019 issue of Journal of Biomechanics.
Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Cellular Senescence and Radiation-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis,” which was published in Translational Research on March 27, 2019.
Yan Wang, MD, DrPH, Associate Professor; Erin Hager, PhD, Associate Professor; and Maureen Black, PhD, the John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics; all from the Department of Pediatrics, were among the authors of “Building Blocks for Healthy Children: Evaluation of a Childcare Center-Based Obesity Prevention Pilot Among Low-Income Children,” which was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior on June 19, 2019.
Lisa Wieland, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, authored “Acupuncture and Related Interventions for the Treatment of Symptoms Associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Summary of a Cochrane Review,” which was published in the May 2019 issue of Explore (NY).
Brittney Williams, MD, Assistant Professor; Jessica Neder, Research Specialist; Ping Cui, MD, Research Fellow; Andrew Suen, MD, Research Fellow; Kenichi Tanaka, MD, MSc, Professor; Lin Zou, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor; and Wei Chao, MD, PhD, FAHA, Anesthesiology Endowed Professor in Translational Research, Director, Translational Research Program, Vice-Chair for Translational Research, Associate Director, Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research; all from the Department of Anesthesiology and the Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR), were among the co-authors of “Toll-Like Receptor 2 and 7 Mediate Coagulation Activation and Coagulopathy in Murine Sepsis,” which was published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis on June 18, 2019.
Yanbao Xiong, PhD, and Wenji Piao, MD, PhD, Research Associates, Department of Surgery, and Jonathan Bromberg, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, were among the co-authors of “Lysolipid Receptor Cross-Talk Regulates Lymphatic Endothelial Junctions in Lymph Nodes,” which was published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine on July 1, 2019.