School of Medicine

The School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest-growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world, with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals.

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Maureen M. Black, PhD

Global child development

Nutrition and child development

Health disparities

Dr. Black is a pediatric psychologist who has made significant contributions to the intersection of child development and nutrition. Dr. Black’s training is in developmental science and pediatric psychology. She is a licensed psychologist, chaired the Division of Growth and Nutrition in the Department of Pediatrics from 2003-2021, and directed an interdisciplinary Growth and Nutrition Practice for children with growth and /or feeding problems for 25 years. She spearheaded advances in child development by co-authoring three series of papers on early child development, published in The Lancet (2007, 2011, and 2017), including leading the first paper of the 2017 Lancet series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale. That paper provided the scientific basis for the Nurturing Care Framework, which has been adopted by the World Health Assembly (2018) and advanced globally by WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank Group. In recent work, she demonstrated that the principles of Nurturing Care apply from pre-conception through adolescence. Dr. Black has been instrumental in the development of the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED), a WHO-led, population-based scale to evaluate children’s development globally.

Rebecca M. Brotman, PhD, MPH

Infectious Diseases Epidemiology

Vaginal Microbiome

Dr. Brotman is an infectious diseases epidemiologist who has developed a research career in various aspects of the human microbiome with an emphasis on urogenital health. Her research has ranged between the role of the vaginal microbiome in the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and the behavioral and biological factors associated with the development of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Steven J. Czinn, MD

Child Health

Infant Health

Pediatric Vaccinations

I have been the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland for the last 17 years. In addition to a very robust Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, my Department has developed creative programs to provide our local community with access to medical care. Examples include two mobile units providing free asthma care to children at their public schools of Baltimore, and the second provides counseling, testing and treatment for STI’s and HIV for teenage population. We also provide healthcare and immunizations in a newly created community Center in Baltimore. To address the mental health crisis in children, I am a member of the Mayor’s “Trauma informed Taskforce” and we have also just completed an expansion of an adolescent inpatient treatment center for adolescents. The progress we are making in Baltimore with creative programming may stimulate similar efforts on a national scale.

Alan I. Faden, MD

Head Injury

Spinal Cord Injury

Neuroinflammation

Dr. Faden is a neurologist who is an internationally recognized leader in neurotrauma. As the director of the Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research for 10 years, Dr. Faden oversaw multidisciplinary research focusing on brain injuries, critical care, organ support, resuscitation, surgical outcomes, patient safety, and injury prevention. His present research focuses on the pathobiology and treatment of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, mechanisms of cell death, neuroinflammation, neuroimmunology, dementia and brain systemic interactions.

Matthew Frieman, PhD

Virology

Coronaviruses

Therapeutics

I am the Alicia and Yaya Professor of Viral Pathogen Research in The Department of Microbiology and Immunology in The University of Maryland School of Medicine. My laboratory focuses on the pathogenesis of Coronaviruses to better understand how they cause disease. For the past 17 years, I have studied the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 via genetic, molecular, virological, immunological, and cell biological techniques. We focus on identifying viral proteins that control replication and host protein pathways as well as assessing those viral proteins and host proteins in animal model systems. In addition, we have investigated other human respiratory viruses including seasonal coronaviruses, rhinovirus, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus. We have used the combination of in vitro (air-liquid-interface, Lung Chip, human immortalized lung cells) and in vivo models (mouse models of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, Influenza virus) to identify host factors that affect multiple viruses and for the development and evaluation of therapeutics for these important respiratory viruses.

Charles C. Hong, MD, PhD

Cardiovascular Genetics

Inherited Heart Diseases

Stem Cells

Charles (Chaz) Hong is a physician-scientist whose research, which functions at the intersection of developmental biology, chemical biology, stem cell biology, and cardiovascular medicine, has led to new biological insights and therapeutic opportunities. Dr. Hong’s work includes innovative chemical genetic studies in zebrafish as well as the use of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) to better understand human heart diseases at the cellular level. His scientific contributions include the first small molecule inhibitor of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, which has led directly to a clinical stage therapeutic program for devastating human diseases. Additionally, his small molecules are key components of the “Dual Chemical SMAD Inhibition,” the most widely used strategy to generate neurons and neural organoids from human stem cells. Moreover, his chemical genetic studies elucidated the roles of mitogen-activated kinase in artery-vein specification during development. Finally, he has made important contributions toward the utilization of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) as an in vitro model for the study of human cardiomyocyte physiology. Dr. Hong edited one of the first books focused on the role of chemical biology in stem cell and regenerative medicine, and a book covering the latest methods and protocols in chemical biology. He serves on editorial boards of number of scientific journals and is inaugural Chief Editor of Frontiers in Drug Discovery overseeing Hematologic and Cardiovascular domains. His ongoing basic investigations include the elucidation of the novel role of centrosome proteins in cardiac structure and function, and therapeutic targeting of a novel pro-oncogenic pathway activated downstream of the Warburg Effect. His clinical expertise is in cardiovascular genetics. Finally, Dr. Hong is a key member of the West Baltimore RICH (Reducing Isolation and Inequities in Cardiovascular Health) Collaborative, an interdisciplinary team of community leaders, churches, local charities, 2 local hospitals, the University of Maryland, and federally qualified health centers to develop sustainable strategies to overcome health disparities in West Baltimore.

Asaf Keller, PhD

Chronic pain

Addiction

Early Exposure to Drugs

Dr. Keller is a leading scientist in the fields of addiction, chronic pain, and affective disorders. His lab, which receives funding from the National Institutes of Health with multiple grants, focuses on how brain circuits responsible for sensory perception are affected by drug exposure and pain conditions. His team described changes in brain circuits that lead to chronic pain, as well as brain circuits that can modulate the perception of pain. Dr. Keller's team is working on harnessing this knowledge to relieve chronic pain conditions. They also demonstrated that exposure to drugs, such as marijuana or opioids, in the womb or in adolescence—both critical periods for brain development—can lead to lasting, irreversible changes in brain function and behavior. The work focuses on learning how to prevent these devastating, lasting neurological and psychiatric deficits. Dr. Keller's research has been and continues to be funded by the National Instituted of Health.

Raya E. Kheirbek, MD, MPH, FGSA

Geriatrics

Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Internal Medicine

Dr. Kheirbek is a Professor of Medicine and the inaugural Division Head of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Her clinical work focuses on offering comprehensive care and support to individuals and their families facing serious and advanced illnesses. Her research centers on the oldest segment of the population, particularly centenarians as expert survivors. Dr. Kheirbek is an advocate for social justice and a writer who provides expert testimonies addressing the unique needs of marginalized and vulnerable individuals, including elders within the criminal justice system. Her work has been featured in academic journals as well as the Baltimore Sun, New York Times, Washington Post, and US World and News Report.

Wendy G. Lane, MD, MPH

Child Maltreatment

Maternal and Child Health

Preventive Medicine

Wendy Lane, MD, MPH is a clinician and researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is board certified in General Pediatrics, Child Abuse Pediatrics, and Preventive Medicine. A Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and the Department of Pediatrics, she serves as Medical Director for the Center for Hope/Baltimore Child Abuse Center (CFH/BCAC) and the Howard County Child Advocacy Center. She is a member of the Child Protection Team at the University of Maryland Medical Center, where she served as Chair from 2004-2011. In 2020, Dr. Lane became Director of the Maryland CHAMP (Child Abuse Medical Professionals) Program, which provides training and peer review to health care professionals throughout Maryland. She and her colleagues have been working to identify and train doctors and nurses to serve all Maryland counties, and to increase their participation in peer review. Since 2008, Dr. Lane has served as Chair of the Child Maltreatment and Foster Care Committee for the Maryland Chapter of the AAP (MDAAP). She collaborated with MDAAP on a national AAP grant to address health care services for children in foster care. Dr. Lane has continued this work as a member and now Chair of Maryland’s State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (SCCAN), one of the three citizen panels mandated by CAPTA. Advocacy by SCCAN helped pass Maryland legislation to create a Medical Director for Child Welfare and to require an electronic health passport for children in foster care. In addition, SCCAN worked with legislators to pass two bills to reduce the likelihood of sexual abuse and misconduct in schools. In addition to her child maltreatment work, Dr. Lane also serves as Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program and the Principal Investigator for B’more for Healthy Babies Upton/Druid Heights (BHB-U/DH), a community-based and community-engaged intervention to improve birth outcomes. Since its inception 11 years ago, this predominantly low-income, Black community has seen a 75% decrease in infant mortality rates.

Sandra Quezada, MD, MS, AGAF

Unconscious Bias in Academic Medicine

Social Determinants of Health in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Diversifying the Physician Workforce

Dr. Quezada received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, where she also completed her post-graduate residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in gastroenterology and hepatology. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, and diversity, and brings this lens to her work in academic medicine. She is Associate Dean for Medical School Admissions and Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion at the School of Medicine (SOM), and has worked locally, regionally, and nationally to amplify physician workforce diversity, and to impact the climate in which future and current physicians train and practice. As co-Chair of the SOM Diversity Advisory Council, Dr. Quezada spearheaded the development of an Equitable Faculty Search Policy, and established an unconscious bias training initiative for SOM faculty, leadership and students. She led the SOM initiative to eliminate race in the estimation of GFR in the University of Maryland Medical System. She is faculty advisor to the SOM Student Diversity Council, and serves on the University of Maryland Baltimore campus Diversity Advisory Council. Dr. Quezada is a practicing gastroenterologist who subspecializes in inflammatory bowel disease, and is recent past-Chair of the Diversity Committee, current co-Chair of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Equity Project, and Chair of the Intersociety Group on Diversity in Gastroenterology. She is also a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation National Scientific Advisory Committee, and DEI Section Editor for Gastroenterology, the AGA's flagship journal. She was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by the American Gastroenterological Association, and the 2022 Healio Disruptive Innovator Health Equity Award by the American College of Gastroenterology.

Jacques Ravel, PHD

Microbiome

Women’s Health

Bacterial Genomics

Over the past 18 years, he has developed a research program focused on applying modern genomics technologies and ecological principles to characterize the role and dynamics of the vaginal microbiome in women's health. He uses clinical genomics and systems biology approaches to develop improved strategies to manage gynecological and obstetrics conditions. His foundational research has led to the development of innovative live microbiome-based live biotherapeutic drugs to restore vaginal health, and treat conditions such as bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections. These interventions are being evaluated in several clinical trials in the US and Africa. He previously was an investigator at the Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., where the first microbial genome was sequenced in 1995. He was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2012 and was awarded the Blaise Pascal International Research Chair in 2015. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed publications and is among the most highly cited scientists worldwide. Dr. Ravel is the current and founding editor-in-chief of the journal Microbiome and an associate editor of the journal mBio. He received his PhD in environmental molecular microbiology and ecology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and performed his postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Chemistry, working on microbial natural product chemistry.

Kristin Reavis, MD

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Dr. Reavis joined the School of Medicine (SOM) faculty in 2013 and practices a full scope of family medicine. She is the faculty advisor for SOM’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association, co-faculty advisor for the Student Diversity Council, and has been an advisor for SOM’s House Advisory System since its inception in 2016. Additionally, she serves on the Diversity Advisory Councils at UMB and SOM. As a leader for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts at SOM, she is working to establish an Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in an effort to centralize DEI efforts at the school. Dr. Reavis is an inaugural member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine’s Anti-Racism Task Force and is working to integrate anti-racism policies into the strategic plan of the leading organization that supports family medicine educators, thus affecting the future of family medicine. Dr. Reavis serves as the director of maternal child health and is a family medicine obstetrics provider for the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Her academic and clinical interests include women’s health and social justice/health equity. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and was the 2019 recipient of the Dean’s Alumni Award for Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Reavis completed her undergraduate education at Morgan State University before earning her Master of Biological Sciences degree at Drexel University. She earned her medical degree from UMSOM and completed her residency and fellowship training in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FASTRO, FACRO

GI and CNS Malignancies

Dr. Regine, ranked in the top five in National Institutes of Health research funding, is recognized nationally and internationally in the areas of gastrointestinal and sympathetic nervous system malignancies and in the use of stereotactic radiosurgery. At the Maryland Proton Treatment Center, he leads the first and most advanced facility of its kind in the Baltimore-Washington region, providing nearly 2,000 cancer patients a year with precise “pencil-beam” technology to treat solid tumors. UMB’s 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year, Dr. Regine has served as principal or co-principal investigator on at least four National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored cooperative group clinical trials. He has also been the Radiation Oncology Principal Investigator/Study Chairman of at least 2 additional Institutional clinical trials published in JAMA and the Lancet which defined new standards of care for patients with brain metastases and malignant spinal cord compression. He is co-editor "Principles and Practices of Stereotactic Radiosurgery," the first comprehensive textbook of its kind. His department ranks top 5 in NIH funding for Radiation Oncology. Dr. Regine was named a "Top Doctor" in the specialty of Radiation Oncology by Baltimore Magazine and "Super Doctor" in Mid-Atlantic by Washington Post Magazine multiple years.

Thomas M. Scalea, MD

Surgery

Critical Care

Dr. Scalea is one of the world’s foremost authorities on trauma research, education, and clinical practice. As physician-in-chief of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, he leads the largest facility of its kind in the nation and the first in the world to treat shock. Since taking over Shock Trauma, he has elevated the center to be one of the premier trauma facilities in the world, treating 8,000 critically injured patients annually with a 96 percent survival rate for gunshot victims, head-on car collisions, and other trauma injuries. Widely acknowledged as a pioneer in the treatment of shock trauma, Dr. Scalea puts in 60 to70 hours a week attending to patients and performing about 600 surgeries a year. His Program in Trauma has expanded clinical services, and his faculty is responsible for the bulk of emergency general surgery patients at the University of Maryland Medical Center. His group has built a regionwide critical care program and is responsible for nine intensive care units and over 100 beds. Several years ago, he established the GO Team, a physician-led rapid response team consisting of an anesthesiologist, surgeon, critical care medicine specialist, and certified registered nurse anesthetist that is available around the clock every day and serves as a specialized component of Maryland’s statewide emergency medical system. Dr. Scalea remains a prolific investigator, and Shock Trauma investigators from his department report at many national meetings.

Graeme F. Woodworth, MD

Neurosurgery

Neuro-Oncology

Image-Guided Interventions

Graeme Woodworth, MD, FACS is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He also serves as the Director of the Brain Tumor Program and the Translational Therapeutics Research Group in the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Maryland. Dr. Woodworth completed medical school and neurosurgical residency training at Johns Hopkins. He also completed fellowships in cancer nanomedicine at Johns Hopkins and cranial endoscopy at Cornell with Dr. Ted Schwartz. His clinical subspecialty areas of interest are Neurosurgical Oncology and Skull base and Stereotactic surgery. Dr. Woodworth’s research focuses on developing new therapeutic strategies to improve the treatments and outcomes for patients with malignant brain tumors. These efforts include (1) leveraging the diverse interstitial effects of transcranial focused ultrasound and hyperthermia, (2) developing advanced nano-therapeutics to improve treatment efficacy, and (3) expanding the suite of patient-derived and genetically engineered models of human brain tumors to improve predictive therapeutic testing. A core component of the research has been centered on the concept of using the operating room as a portal for discovery and opportunity to improve our understanding of and therapeutic delivery to brain cancers. Dr. Woodworth’s team is leading the first-in-human clinical trials of MRI-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) and Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) combined with radiation in the United States. Dr. Woodworth will provide insights into the emerging role and impact of image-guided focused ultrasound in neurosurgery.