As the University of Maryland School of Medicine community begins to return to campus for the fall semester, we still face many unknowns regarding the pandemic. The Delta variant threatens to reverse the progress we have made as a country, and those who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 are not being helpful to this threatened loss of great progress. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has found a way to live and thrive through a variant nearly twice as contagious as previous forms. While those who are fully vaccinated can contract and spread the Delta variant of the virus, they are less likey to do so, and they are less infectious for less time than unvaccinated persons. Those who are unvaccinated remain the greatest concern for transmission. One of our biggest unknowns remains whether or not enough people will become vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to fully immunize our nation (herd immunity) against the rampant spread of the virus in this country. What we do know is that the vaccine is our greatest weapon, and we need more people to use it.
One of the biggest reasons people may choose not to get vaccinated at this time includes concerns about the vaccine’s safety. As with anything subject to the age of digital news and social media, the COVID-19 vaccines have fallen victim to a wealth of misinformation. It is important to be aware of the source of our news and data that guide our decision-making, and it is extremey valuable to find people and authorities who we can trust, especially in matters critical to our health and safety. We are all looking forward to being able to live our lives as we did before the pandemic – without masks, without physical distancing, and with normal, worry-free gatherings where we share meals and conversations. The quickest way that we’ll be able to do that is through the vaccine.
I am thankful that we were able to hold both our Student Clinician Ceremony and our White Coat Ceremony in person this summer. We were only able to do so because of the vaccination status of our students and faculty. These two major milestone celebrations represent significant beginnings of new chapters for our students – one marking the start of their medical school journeys and the other marking the start of their clinical rotations. It is important that we continue to honor events like these, especially given the circumstances, as these students represent the near future of our victory against this pandemic.
While we are uncertain of exactly what the fall and winter will look like this year, we do know that we are in excellent hands to guide us through these next seasons. With a brand new curriculum that has already made it through one year of adjustment due to COVID-19, and our superb researchers, clinicians, and public servants, the School of Medicine is well positioned to stay on track and accomplish all of our goals in all mission areas. I wish for a productive and healthy semester and return to school/work for all. Please stay safe, stay engaged, and stay hopeful that we will soon experience the end of this pandemic together.
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
Marie-Claude Lavoie, PhD, MSc, has been appointed Interim Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health and the Center for International Health, Education and Biosecurity (CIHEB), Institute of Human Virology. Dr Lavoie will serve as the CIHEB Strategic Information Director supporting and expanding CIHEB’s research efforts under the supervision of Man Charurat, PhD, MHS, Director of CIHEB.
Bennett Myers, MD, joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as an Assistant Professor on June 10, 2021. Dr. Myers graduated from the department’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program in 2017, served as Chief Resident while completing his Informatics Fellowship, and has been working at Carroll Hospital. He also is joining the department’s residency leadership team as an Associate Program Director.
Benjamin Smith, MD, joined the Department of Medicine, Program in Trauma in July as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Smith will join the clinical staff at the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center, Division of Critical Care Services.
Recent Appointments
Alash’le Abimiku, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, has been selected to join the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) for three years.
Linda Horn, PT, DScPT, MHS, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, has been appointed to the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) Advocacy Committee. She will serve a three-year term and represent the ACAPT Middle Atlantic Region, which includes Delaware, Washington, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The ACAPT’s Advocacy Committee is designed to ensure that ACAPT plays an active and effective role in influencing outcomes that contribute to the achievement of academic excellence for all physical therapist education programs and their clinical partners.
Scott Jerome, DO, FACC, FASNC, FSCCT, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, was re-elected to the Epic National Cardiology Steering Committee, for a two-year term. This committee helps steer the direction of all cardiology products that Epic develops. This affects our lives daily as we work through our patients’ care and management. This group works on all aspects of cardiovascular medicine.
Xiaofeng Jia, BM, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, was the Section Chair for the 2021 Congress of The International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) in June 2021. ISPRM is the result of the merger and integration of the International Rehabilitation Medicine Association (IRMA) and the International Federation of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (IFPMR) since 1999.
Melissa McDiarmid, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, was recently elected President of the Collegium Ramazzini, an international academy of clinicians and scientists from 35 countries, all experts in occupational and environmental health. Dr. McDiarmid’s five-year term will begin in January 2022.
Congratulations to the following who have received honors!
Afrah Abdul Wahid Ali, MBBS, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was confirmed as a selected Rising Star speaker in the American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s Speaker Development Group on January 18, 2021.
Jonathon Baghdadi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, has been named as one of the 10 Class of 2021 Scholars for the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence.
Laura Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, received the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) Written Board Review Course’s Top Speaker Award at the AAEM Annual Scientific Assembly on June 20, 2021.
Joseph Herrold, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, was awarded the Surgical Educator of the Year Award by the Department of Surgery senior residents. The residents pointed out Dr. Herrold’s commitment to education, his patient style, and his clinical excellence.
Isabel Jackson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was named as a Councilor-at-Large in the Radiation Research Society on June 18, 2021.
Amal Mattu, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, received the “2021 Corey Slovis Excellence in Education Award” from “The Eagles” Coalition of National EMS [Emergency Medical Services] Medical Directors on June 17, 2021, at the coalition’s 22nd Annual Conference in Hollywood, FL.
H. Neil Reynolds, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, received the Daily Record’s 2021 Healthcare Hero Award. Dr. Reynolds was recognized not only for his long-time commitment to excellence in patient care, but also for his innovative approach using a robot to deliver clinical care during the COVID pandemic.
Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was recognized on June 24, 2021 by the Daily Record with its Healthcare Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award for his positive impact on the lives of thousands of cancer patients worldwide through his work in research, education, and clinical care.
UMMC introduced the UMMC’s “Our Innovation Challenge,” which allows individuals and teams to compete for three grants up to $25K and three grants of up to $125K. The Program in Trauma had two teams win one grant in each category.
Gary Schwartzbauer, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery; Madeline Marks, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; and Samantha Latorre, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; along with Shock Trauma nursing team members Karen McQuillan, MS, RN; Paul Thurman, PhD, RN; Alivia Stenzel, MS, RN; Nora Tamulevich, RN, BSN; Alexandra Hunt, MSN, CRNP; Amy Madren BS, BSN; Katelyn Delauter, MS, RN; Pharmacy staff member Mehrnaz Pajoumand, PharmD, BCSP; Rehab Services staff member Juli Carbone, OTR/L, CBIS; and Perioperative Services staff member Sara Le Maitre, MS, RN, were the recipients of a $25,000 award for “Development and Implementation of an Agitation Management Guideline to Reduce Agitation in Patients with Acute Traumatic Brain Injury.”
Samuel Tisherman, MD, FACS, Professor, Department of Surgery; Nicholas Morris, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology; and Kathleen To, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery; along with Sai Ho Jason Chui, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacy Services; Mojdeh Heavner, PharmD, BCPS, Pharmacy Practice and Science; Benjamin Neustein, MAT, Paramedic, Critical Care and Trauma Education; Robin Price, MSN, RN, Clinical Practice and Professional Development; and Shawn Craft, RRT, Respiratory Services, were the recipients of a $125,000 award for “In-situ, Inter-Professional Simulation to Improve the Response to Rapidly Deteriorating Patients.”
In the Media
Michael Benitez, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, was featured among others, in the University of Maryland Medicine Bulletin magazine, Summer 2021 issue, in the cover story “Understanding Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.”
Wilbur Chen, MD, MS, Professor, Department of Medicine, was interviewed by FOX45 on “Myocarditis/Pericarditis Risk with mRNA Vaccines among Adolescents” on June 25, 2021.
Elizabeth Clayborne, MD, MA, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was interviewed for “It’s Concerning Seeing Variants Popping Up All over the World: Doctor,” which was published by Yahoo Finance on June 25, 2021.
David Efron, MD, Professor of Surgery, Chief of Trauma and Medical Director, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, was interviewed live and provided a demonstration of the “Stop the Bleed” training on WMAR-TV. He was also featured in a story about the lifesaving techniques that can be used to treat people with traumatic injuries.
Matthew Laurens, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, was interviewed and quoted by:
- USA TODAY, “Fact Check: Post Misleads on Effectiveness of J&J COVID-19 Vaccine in Older Adults” on June 6, 2021
- USA TODAY, “Fact Check: White Pine Tea Likely Not Helpful against COVID-19; Vaccinated Don’t Shed Particles” on June 15, 2021
- USA TODAY, “Fact Check: Yes, Asymptomatic Infections Are Real” on June 24, 2021
- PolitiFact online “CDC Officials Admit More Hospitalizations of Young People from Vaccine than from the Actual COVID Virus” on June 30, 2021
- WBFF FOX45 Baltimore News, “Fighting the COVID Delta Variant” on July 2, 2021
David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, MHS-CL, FACEP, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was interviewed for “National Day of Action: Getting More Americans Vaccinated against COVID-19,” which aired on WBAL TV 11 on June 4, 2021.
Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor in Vaccinology and Director, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, was quoted in the article “Novavax’s Coronavirus Vaccine is 90 Percent Effective, Study Finds,” which was published in the Washington Post on June 14, 2021. Dr. Neuzil also was quoted in the Wall Street Journal article, “Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine is 90% Effective, Including against Variants, New Study Shows” on June 14, 2021; was quoted in a Science Magazine article on June 18, 2021; and was interviewed on CBS News: “Confusion Builds over Face Masks as Delta Variant Spreads across US” on June 30, 2021.
Congratulations to our very productive faculty on their recent grants and contracts!
Sally Adebamowo, MBBS, MSc, ScD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, received a five-year, $4,667,253 National of Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement for her work entitled, “Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) Methods and Analysis for Populations of Diverse Ancestry—Study Sites.” The grant, which seeks to improve the utility of polygenic risk scores in diverse populations, predominantly African and African-American, was awarded as part of a five-year project to better ascertain a genetic disposition for specific diseases. Dr. Adebamowo also has been invited to become a reviewer in the NIH Study Section: Cancer, Heart and Sleep Epidemiology Panel A (CHSA).
Zubair Ahmed, PhD, Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, received a $100,000 grant from the Usher1F Collaborative Foundation to support his translational research related to retinal dystrophies.
Ola Awad, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has been awarded a two-year, R21 $424,875 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS/NIH) for “Mechanisms of Neuronal Loss Mediated by mTORC1-TFEB Deregulation in Human iPSC Model of GBA1-Associated Parkinson’s Disease.”
Joseph Cheer PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, received a five-year, $2,213,950 competing continuation R01 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for “Endogenous Cannabinoid Control of Reward Substrates.”
Lauren Cohee, MD, Instructor, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, received a three-year $450,000 Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for a Clinical Trial to Evaluate “Intermittent Screening and Treatment with High Sensitivity Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Asymptomatic Schoolchildren to Decrease P. falciparum Infection and Transmission.”
Anthony Harris, MD, MPH, Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, received a five-year, $5,085,625 grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for his work entitled “Prevention Epicenters Program: Protecting Patients from Infections, Antibiotic Resistance and Other Adverse Events.”
Johanna Holm, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, received a K01 five-year, $464,325 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for “Integrating Multi-Omics Data: Modeling Biomarkers and Mechanisms to Reduce Bacterial Vaginosis Recurrence.”
Elizabeth Lamos, MD, Associate Professor, and Rana Malek, MD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Medicine, received a three-year, $20,000 grant from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), ABIM Foundation, the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM), the American College of Physicians (ACP), and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation for “Improving Care to Incarcerated Transgender Individuals with a Culturally Competent Educational Curriculum.”
Wendy Lane, MD, MPH, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, received a five-year, $1,913,202 award from the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA) for her project entitled “Primary Care Training and Enhancement—Community Prevention and Maternal Health.”
Irina Luzina, MD, PhD, Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, received a five-year R01 $1,699,500 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) for “Taming IL-33 to Control Inflammation and Fibrosis.”
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MBBS, Associate Professor (lead PI), and Arezoo Modiri, PhD, Assistant Professor, (co-PI), both from the Department of Radiation Oncology, received a $48,297 UMGCCC Payline Award for “Minimizing Radiation-Induced Cardiotoxicity through Prospective Optimization of Patient-Specific Survival Model in Radiotherapy Planning.”
Jean-Pierre Raufman, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, received a four-year, $710,000 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for “Muscarinic Receptors Regulate Colon Cancer Stem Cell Function and Invasiveness.”
Michael Sikorski, MD/PhD Candidate, Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, received a three-year, $36,470 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to study “Genomics of Salmonella Typhi in Samoa: Population Structure and Genomic Epidemiology.”
Hervé Tettelin, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, received a two-year, $537,838 award from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Merck Investigator Studies Program (MISP), for “Integrative Genomic and Transcriptomic Studies of Serotype 3 Pneumococcal Disease with a Focus on Cardiac Involvement.”
Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, (PI), Department of Radiation Oncology, received an administrative supplement of $199,964 to CMCR U19 AI150574 for “Supplemental Funding to Cover Unmet Needs, Including the Role of the Microbiome and Intestinal Stem Cells in Radiation.”
Kudos to our colleagues who are experts in their fields and give their all to represent the School of Medicine!
Twenty faculty members of the Department of Emergency Medicine presented at the American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s 27th Annual Scientific Assembly, held June 20–24, 2021 in St. Louis, MO, and online:
• 
Jason Adler, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, lectured on “Getting What You Deserve: Reimbursement for Medication-Assisted Therapy”
• Afrah Abdul Wahid Ali, MBBS, Assistant Professor, presented the lecture “Is That Rash Deadly?”
• Laura Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor, lectured on “Critical ENT [Ear, Nose, and Throat] Hemorrhage” and “DIY Peritonsillar Abscess”
• Wan-Tsu Chang, MD, Assistant Professor, presented the lectures “Are You Performing GCS [Glasgow Coma Scale] Correctly?” and “Cracking the Spinal Code”
• Sarah Dubbs, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Putting the Comfort in Comfort Care”
• Daniel Gingold, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, presented the poster “An Alternative Care Model for Low-Acuity 911 Calls” as part of the Young Physician Section Research Competition
• Kami Hu, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Caring for the ICU [Intensive Care Unit] Boarder,” “Mastering Mechanical Ventilation in the ED [Emergency Department],” and “Resuscitation for Two: The Critically Ill Pregnant Patient”
• Rupal Jain, MD, Adjunct Instructor, presented the lectures “CT [Computed Tomography] Perfusion: What Is It and When Do You Need It?” and “Insulin Pump & Preventing the Patient Crump”
• Danya Khoujah, MBBS, Adjunct Assistant Professor, lectured on “Combatting Delirium in the ED: As Easy as ABCDE”
• Joseph Martinez, MD, Associate Professor, lectured on “Abdominal Pain in the Elderly”
• Amal Mattu, MD, Professor, presented the plenary lecture “Recent Cardiology Articles You’ve Got to Know,” as well as an “ECG [Electrocardiogram] Literature Update;” taught the two-hour “Cardiac Ischemia, Mimics, and Confounding Patterns” section of the ECG in the ED course; and directed a four-hour Advanced ECG Workshop
• Siamak Moayedi, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Procedure Tips, Tricks and Hacks”
• Siamak Moayedi, MD, Assistant Professor, led, and Afrah Abdul Wahid Ali, MBBS, Assistant Professor; Michael Billet, MD, Assistant Professor; Brandon Aaron Elder, MD, Assistant Professor; Cheyenne Falat, MD, Instructor; and Lauren Rosenblatt, MD, Instructor, taught the small group skills labs “Transvenous Pacers” and “Vertigo Maneuvers”
• Alexis Salerno, MD, Assistant Professor, taught at the Lower Extremity Ultrasound Workshop and the Beginner Ultrasound Post-Conference Course
• Ryan Michael Spangler, MD, Assistant Professor, led, and Michael Billet, MD, Assistant Professor; Cheyenne Falat, MD, Instructor; and Lauren Rosenblatt, MD, Instructor, taught the small group skills lab “Priapism Management”
• Ryan Spangler, MD, Assistant Professor, led, and Laura Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor; Cheyenne Falat, MD, Instructor; Rupal Jain, MD, Adjunct Instructor; and Lauren Rosenblatt, MD, Instructor, taught the small group skills lab “Cricothyrotomy & Needle Cric”
• Roger Stone, MD, MS, FACEP, FAAEM, Clinical Assistant Professor, lectured on “Crisis Standards of EMS [Emergency Medical Services] Care During COVID19: Keeping Ambulances and EDs as Safe as Possible”
• George Willis, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Balanced Solutions in the Management of Hypovolemic Hyperkalemia”
• Mike Winters, MD, Professor, directed the Resuscitation for the Emergency Physician Post-Conference Course; presented the plenary lecture “Recent Resuscitation Articles You’ve Got to Know!”; and lectured on “Controversies in Sepsis Resuscitation,” “Current Controversies in Sepsis Resuscitation,” and “Recent Resus Articles You’ve Got to Know!”
In addition, these faculty members made the following contributions of their time and effort to help plan the event:
• Laura Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor, co-chaired the Scientific Assembly Subcommittee, which is responsible for planning the Annual Scientific Assembly. Within that subcommittee, Siamak Moayedi, MD, Assistant Professor, chaired the Small Group Clinic Workgroup, planning, selecting, moderating, and evaluating speakers and instructors.
• Alexis Salerno, MD, Assistant Professor, served as Secretary at the meeting of the Academy’s Emergency Ultrasound Section.
• Roger Stone, MD, MS, FACEP, FAAEM, Clinical Assistant Professor, provided legacy perspective and information and future planning input as past Chair of the Academy’s former Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Committee and outgoing inaugural Councilor for the newly established EMS Section.
The Department of Emergency Medicine presented its annual Critical Care Symposium with the theme of Mastering ED (Emergency Department) Mechanical Ventilation on June 16, 2021. Mike Winters, MD, Professor, directed the symposium and lectured on “The Crashing Ventilated Patient.” Michael Bond, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Associate Professor, directed the symposium’s virtual and multimedia education, and Caleb Chan, MD, Critical Care Fellow, moderated the Q&A session. Other speakers included Kami Hu, MD, Assistant Professor, lecturing on “Extubating in the ED,” and Mark Sutherland, MD, Assistant Professor, lecturing on “PRVC [Pressure Regulated Volume Control], APRV [Airway Pressure Release Ventilation], SIMV [Synchronized Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation]—Oh My! Alternative Modes of MV [Mechanical Ventilation].”
Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science student representatives Alissa Klein (SPT ’22), Lindsey Mathis (SPT ’22), and Peyton Strieder (SPT ’22) were introduced to physical therapy faculty and student partners in Malawi by Leslie Glickman, PT, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, during the UMB Global Health Summit 2021: “Decolonizing Global Health Education.” Together, they explored concepts of decolonization in global health prior to the summit with guidance from faculty mentors Victoria Marchese, PT, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair; and Cara Felter, PT, DPT, MPH, NCS, PCS, Assistant Professor.
Xiaofeng Jia, BM, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, was an invited speaker who presented “Human Neural Stem Cell Transplantation for Acute Ischemic Brain Injury” at the 2021 Congress of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) in June 2021. The theme of the event was “Furthering Rehabilitation in a New World,” which signifies the rapid advancement in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to deal with scenarios and challenges that we will encounter in the new world.
Mary McKenna, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Program in Neuroscience, presented “Central Nervous System Fuels” at the Inaugural Scientific Meeting of the Glut1 Deficiency Foundation, which was held virtually June 21–22, 2021.
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MBBS, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, presented “Management of Carcinoma in Situ: A RadOnc Perspective” on August 27 at the 2021 American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology in Baltimore.
Michael Zarro, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, hosted a webinar on June 30, 2021, for the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT) featuring Dr. Francesco Della Villa from the Isokinetic Medical Group in Italy, an internationally renowned researcher on the topic of ACL injury mechanisms. More than 50 individuals from across the country attended.
Patents
Jeffrey Wolf, MD, Professor and Medical Director, Associate Chair of Clinical Practice, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, was awarded a patent for “System and Method for Emergency Apneic Oxygenation.” Aldo Iacono, MD, the Hamish S. and Christine C. Osborne Distinguished Professor in Advanced Pulmonary Care, and Professor, Department of Medicine, was a co-inventor of this patent.
Hats off to those who have been published!
Nabid Ahmed, MD, MS, Medical Student; Dheeraj Gandhi, MBBS, Professor; Elias Melhem, MD, PhD, the Dean John M. Dennis Chair in Radiology; and Victor Frenkel, PhD, Associate Professor, all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were co-authors of “MRI Guided Focused Ultrasound-Mediated Delivery of Therapeutic Cells to the Brain: A Review of the State-of-the-Art Methodology and Future Applications,” which was published in the June 2021 issue of Frontiers in Neurology.
Zubair Ahmed, PhD, Professor, and Saima Riazuddin, PhD, MPH, MBA, Professor, both from the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, were among the co-authors of “CIB2 Regulates mTORC1 Signaling and Is Essential for Autophagy and Visual Function,” which was published in Nature Communication on June 23, 2021. This study was featured as an “Editor’s Choice,” as well on the journal website.
Jennifer Albrecht, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, co-authored “CPAP Adherence Is Associated with Reduced Inpatient Utilization among Older Adult Medicare Beneficiaries with Pre-Existing Cardiovascular Disease,” which was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine on June 21, 2021.
Lara Antonios, MD, Nuclear Medicine Resident; Wengen Chen, BM, PhD, MSc, Professor; and Vasken Dilsizian, MD, Professor, all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were co-authors of “The Impact of COVID-19 on Nuclear Medicine Operations Including Cardiovascular Manifestations in the USA,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of Seminars in Nuclear Medicine.
Omer Awan, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was the author of “The Power of Communication,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of Academic Radiology. Additionally, Dr. Awan was first author of “Mentorship in Radiology and in Life,” which was published in the July–August 2021 issue of Radiographics, and was the last author of “The Real Essence of Testing,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of Academic Radiology.
Olga Bocharova, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Kara Molesworth, Laboratory Specialist; Narayan Pandit, Aidan Fisher, and Olga Mychko, Laboratory Technicians; Natallia Makarava, Research Associate; and Ilia Baskakov, PhD, Professor, all from the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and The Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, were the authors of “Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated b-Amyloid Does Not Protect against Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection in the Mouse Brain,” which was published in the July 2021 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC). The publication was selected for the JBC Editors’ Pick and covered by ALZFORUM.ORG.
Jochen Cammin, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Evaluation of Motion Compensation Methods for Non-Invasive Cardiac Radioablation of Ventricular Tachycardia,” which was epublished in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics on July 1, 2021.
Qi Cao, BM, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was among the co-authors of “Development of An Arteriolar Niche and Self-Renewal of Breast Cancer Stem Cells by Lysophosphatidic Acid/Protein Kinase D Signaling,” which was published in the June 2021 issue of Communications Biology. Dr. Cao was also the last author of “RRY Inhibits Amyloid-beta1-42 Peptide Aggregation and Neurotoxicity,” which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports in 2021.
Linda Chang, MD, MS, Professor; Christine Cloak, PhD, Assistant Professor; and Thomas Ernst, Dr rer nat, Professor, all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were among the co-authors of “Baseline Brain Function in the Preadolescents of the ABCD Study,” which was epublished in Nature Neuroscience on June 7, 2021.
Shannon Cole, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Ramesh Chandra, PhD, Assistant Professor; and Mary Kay Lobo, PhD, Professor, all from the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, were respective co-first and senior authors on “Cocaine-Induced Neuron Subtype Mitochondrial Dynamics through Egr3 Transcriptional Regulation,” which was published in Molecular Brain on June 29, 2021.
Dan Covey, PhD, former Assistant Professor; Edith Hernandez, former Medical Scientist Training Program Student; and Miguel Lujan, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, all in the laboratory of Joseph Cheer, PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, were the authors of “Chronic Augmentation of Endocannabinoid Levels Persistently Increases Dopaminergic Encoding of Reward Cost and Motivation,” which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience on July 6, 2021.
Stephen DeVience, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Elias Melhem, MD, PhD, the Dean John M. Dennis Chair in Radiology; Rao Gullapalli, PhD, MBA, Professor; and Dirk Mayer, Dr rer nat, Professor, all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, were among the co-authors of “Enhancing Metabolic Imaging of Energy Metabolism in Traumatic Brain Injury Using Hyperpolarized [1-13C]Pyruvate and Dichloroacetate,” which was published in the May 2021 issue of Metabolites.
Thorsten Fleiter, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was among the co-authors of “Autonomous Robotic Point-of-Care Ultrasound Imaging for Monitoring of COVID-19-Induced Pulmonary Diseases,” which was published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI on May 25, 2021.
Jeffrey Galvin, MD, Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was among the co-authors of “Non-Infectious Granulomatous Lung Disease: Imaging Findings with Pathologic Correlation,” which was epublished in the Korean Journal of Radiology on May 26, 2021.
Peter Gaskin, MBBS, DCH, FAAP, FACC, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, was among the co-authors of “Post-Operative Course of Pulmonary Artery Pressure after Complete Atrioventricular Canal Defect Repair,” which was published online in Cambridge University Press on June 11, 2021.
Jennifer Guyther, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was first author of “Big Tests in Little People,” which was published in Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America on June 8, 2021.
Robert Haupt, PhD, successfully defended his thesis and part of his thesis work was just accepted in Vaccine, titled “Novel TLR4 Adjuvant Elicits Protection against Homologous and Heterologous Influenza A Infection.” Co-authors include Erin Harberts, PhD; and Robert Ernst, PhD, Professor, University of Maryland School of Dentistry; and Matthew Frieman, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Isabel Jackson, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “All for One, Though Not One for All: Team Players in Normal Tissue Radiobiology,” which was epublished in the International Journal of Radiation Biology on July 1, 2021.
Xiaofeng Jia, BM, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery (corresponding author); Shuai Zhang, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery (first author); and Brittany Lachance, Fellow, Program in Trauma, Department of Neurology (co-author), were authors of “Glucose Metabolic Crosstalk and Regulation in Brain Function and Disease,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of Progress in Neurobiology.
Susan Joseph, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, was among the co-authors of “Long-Term Neurocognitive Outcome in Patients with Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device,” which was accepted in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology’s Heart Failure in May 2021.
Kimia Khalatbari Kani, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was last author of “Current Concepts of Spondylosis and Posterior Spinal Motion Preservation for Radiologists,” which was epublished in Skeletal Radiology on June 15, 2021. Separately, Dr. Kani was among the co-authors of “Update of Pediatric Soft Tissue Tumors with Review of Conventional MRI Appearance-Part 1: Tumor-Like Lesions, Adipocytic Tumors, Fibroblastic and Myofibroblastic Tumors, and Perivascular Tumors,” also epublished in Skeletal Radiology on June 30, 2021.
Antony Koroulakis, MD, Resident, and Pranshu Mohindra, MD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “Palliative Radiotherapy for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma,” which was published in the May 2021 issue of Clinical Lymphoma
Marcel Bahia Lanza, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, was a co-author of “Resistance Training Intervention Performed with Different Muscle Action Durations Influences the Maximal Dynamic Strength without Promoting Joint-Angle Specific Strength Gains,” which was published in the Journal of Sports Science, and “Neural Adaptations to Long-Term Resistance Training: Evidence for the Confounding Effect of Muscle Size on the Interpretation of Surface Electromyography,” which was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Yajie Liang, MB, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was first author of “Optical and Genetic Tools for In Vivo Single Cell Tracking,” which was published in the July 2021 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Methods.
Andrea Meredith, PhD, Professor; Jacob Miller, MS1 Summer PRISM Fellow; and Hans Moldenhauer, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology, were the authors of “An Emerging Spectrum of Variants and Clinical Features in KCNMA1-Linked Channelopathy,” which was published in the journal Channels on July 5, 2021. Separately, Dr. Meredith; Amber Plante, and Josh Whitt, Graduate Students, Department of Physiology, were the authors of “BK Channel Activation by L-type Ca2+ Channels Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 during the Subthreshold Phase of an Action Potential,” which was epublished online in the Journal of Neurophysiology
Timothy Miller, MD, Associate Professor; Gaurav Jindal, MD, Associate Professor; and Dheeraj Gandhi, MBBS, Professor, all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were among the co-authors of “The Utility of Platelet Inhibition Testing in Patients Undergoing Pipeline Embolization of Intracranial Aneurysms,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “A Nomogram to Predict the Overall Survival of Patients with Symptomatic Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Thoracic Radiotherapy,” which was published in the May 2021 issue of Translational Lung Cancer Research.
Dipanjan Pan, MSc, PhD, Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was the last author of “Unlocking the Power of Optical Imaging in the Second Biological Window: Structuring Near-Infrared II Materials from Organic Molecules to Nanoparticles,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology.
Elizabeth Parker, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, was a co-author of “Evidence on Yoga for Health: A Bibliometric Analysis of Systematic Reviews,” which was published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
Saima Riazuddin, PhD, MPH, MBA, Professor, and Zubair Ahmed, PhD, Professor, both from the Departments of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, were among the co-authors of “De novo and Bi-allelic Variants in AP1G1 Cause Neurodevelopmental Disorder with Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability, and Epilepsy,” which was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics on June 7, 2021. Additionally, both Drs. Riazuddin and Ahmed were among the co-authors of “ADAMTS1, MPDZ, MVD, and SEZ6: Candidate Genes for Autosomal Recessive Nonsyndromic Hearing Impairment,” which was published in the European Journal of Human Genetics on June 16, 2021.
Manita Shakya, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Iris Lindberg, PhD, Professor, both from the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, were respective first and senior authors on “Mice Lacking PC1/3 Expression in POMC-Expressing Cells Do Not Develop Obesity,” which was published in Endocrinology on March 10, 2021. The paper was selected as a featured article and the authors were invited to submit a mini-review on “Obesity, POMC, and POMC-Processing Enzymes” on the basis of the article.
Michael Sikorski, MD/PhD Candidate, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, was among the co-authors of “Draft Genome Sequences of Two Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli Strains Representative of Major Enteroinvasive E. coli Clades,” which was published in Microbiological Resource Announcements on June 10, 2021.
Mark Smith, PhD, Associate Professor; Wengen Chen, MD, PhD, Professor; and Vasken Dilsizian, MD, Professor, all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were among the co-authors of “Metabolic Heterogeneous Zone Assessed by 18 FDG-PET is Predictive of Postablation Mortality in Patients with Ventricular Tachycardia,” which was epublished in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology on June 23, 2021.
Piotr Walczak, MD, PhD, Professor, and Miroslaw Janowski, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were the co-authors of “The COVID-19 Menace,” which was epublished in the May 2021 issue of Global Challenges. Separately, Dr. Janowski was among the co-authors of “Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Glioblastoma Therapy and Progression: How One Cell Does It All,” which was epublished in the June 2021 issue of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Reviews on Cancer.
Mike Winters, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was among the discussants in the twice-monthly podcast, Critical Care Perspectives in Emergency Medicine, episodes:
• “Mechanical Ventilation in the Patient with ARDS [Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome],” published June 10, 2021
• “The TTM2 [Targeted Hypothermia Versus Targeted Normothermia after Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest] Trial,” published July 1, 2021