Irina Burd, MD, PhD

Maternal Fetal Medicine

High-Risk Pregnancy

Dr. Irina Burd is the Sylvan Frieman, MD Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include high-risk pregnancy conditions and fetal brain development. Dr. Burd earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University followed by a combined M.D./Ph.D. program at the Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (where she served as an Administrative Chief resident) and performed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Peter B. Crino, MD, PhD

Developmental Brain Disorders

Epilepsy

Autism

Dr. Crino is an internationally recognized physician-scientist specializing in developmental brain disorders. His laboratory has researched mechanisms of altered brain development associated with autism, intellectual disability, and epilepsy, defining developmental disorders associated with intractable epilepsy including autism, hemimegalencephaly, focal cortical dysplasia, and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), which he has studied extensively. Dr. Crino has previously been named a "Top Doctor" in the specialty of epilepsy by Baltimore magazine.

Kelly Dunn, PhD, MBA

Addiction Medicine

Opioid Use Disorder

Kelly Dunn, PhD, MBA, is one of the nation’s leading researchers on opioid use disorder. She is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Dunn has been the Principal Investigator on projects totaling more than $21 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health. She has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications in the area of substance use and opioid use disorder. She has also managed trials focused on treatments for cigarette smoking and alcohol use disorder and has conducted several basic science human laboratory examinations of drug effects, which is complemented by a body of work focused on epidemiological and machine-learning analyses of publicly available datasets. Dr. Dunn has held multiple leadership roles in the substance use field, including serving as President for the American Psychological Association’s Society for Psychopharmacology and Substance Use and the College on the Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) as well as Co-Editor of the Journal of Addiction Medicine and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Elana J. Fertig, PhD, FAIMBE

Drug Resistance in Cancer Treatment

Computational Science

Elana J. Fertig, PhD, FAIMBE, is the Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is internationally-recognized for her work in integrating spatial multi-omics technologies with mathematical models to develop a new predictive medicine paradigm in cancer. Spatial technologies allow researchers to learn about any cell type inside of natural tissue, including gene activity and cell interactions. With over 130 research publications, she is currently principal investigator or core lead on several National Cancer Institute Consortia grants, including the Cancer Systems Biology, Informatics Technologies for Cancer Research, and Translational and Basic Science in Early Lesions Consortia, and the National Institute of Aging Mouse SenNet Consortium. She is a co-investigator on several other major grants totaling more than $30 million. Dr. Fertig earned a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics at Brandeis University and received her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Her unique blend interpreting biological systems by integrating these high-throughput data with artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling techniques is informed by her background in applied mathematics and numerical weather prediction from her graduate training at UMCP.

Bartley P. Griffith, MD

Cardiac and Lung Transplant

Xenotransplantation

Dr. Griffith is a distinguished Professor of Transplant Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He specializes in adult cardiac care, coronary revascularization, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgery (PTE) and heart reconstruction surgery. His clinical work focuses on coronary artery surgery, mitral and aortic valve replacement and aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta. In August 2003, Dr. Griffith reconstructed the top two chambers of a woman's heart with animal and human donor tissue, a first-of-its-kind surgery that was performed to remove a potentially deadly and recurring tumor called a myxoma. In September 2002, he led a team of cardiac surgeons in the implantation of a revolutionary rotary heart pump called the Jarvik 2000 to save the life of a man with heart failure. In January 2022, he became the first surgeon in the world to implant a genetically modified pig heart into a living patient in partnership with Muhammad Mohiuddin, MD, Professor of Surgery at UMSOM. The 57-year-old patient lived for two months, and the surgery was hailed as a breakthrough. A second patient received a pig heart in October 2023 and lived for several weeks. Prior to his arrival at UMSOM, he served as vice chair in the department of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was also chief of cardiothoracic surgery and the Henry T. Bahnson Professor of Surgery. He also served as the founding director for the internationally recognized McGowan Center for Artificial Organ Development. Dr. Griffith's research interests include heart and lung transplantation, cell transplantation and the advancement of artificial organ use. He has directed more than 1,200 heart transplants and 600 lung transplants. He is an innovator in the use of immunosuppression after transplant and mechanical blood pumps prior to transplant.

James B. Kaper, PhD

Microbiology and Immunology

Diarrheal Disease Pathogens

Dr. Kaper is an internationally-recognized microbiologist with specific expertise in the molecular pathogenesis of diarrheal disease pathogens, specifically Vibrio cholerae and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli. He has constructed a number of live attenuated V. cholerae vaccine strains, which his long-time collaborator, Dr. Myron Levine, tested in numerous volunteer and field trials for clinical safety and efficacy. These strains included the first genetically engineered bacterial vaccine to be tested in humans (attenuated V. cholerae strain JBK70) and the first recombinant bacterial vaccine licensed for human use (attenuated V. cholerae strain CVD 103-HgR). Funded since 1982 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Kaper’s research on the pathogenesis of enteric disease has contributed to six books, 68 book chapters, and 303 articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

Shawn G. Kwatra, MD

Skin of Color Research

Chronic Inflammatory Skin Disease

Dr. Kwatra is an internationally renowned dermatologist and clinical leader in skin of color research, as well as chronic inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, prurigo nodularis, and chronic pruritus of unknown origin. He also has expertise in managing cutaneous adverse events associated with immunotherapy. He is an NIH-funded investigator whose research focuses on precision medicine-based techniques to uncover new patient endotypes, designing and leading Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials, and studying racial disparities in the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases.

Christine L. Lau, MD, MBA

Thoracic Surgery

Lung Transplants

Lung Cancer Screening

Dr. Lau is a nationally renowned thoracic and lung transplant surgeon who is widely regarded for her leadership in the field of thoracic surgery. She specializes in the treatment of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, non-cancerous thoracic disorders and lung transplantation. Her clinical interest parallels and complements her laboratory interests. Her research laboratory has had a long-standing interest in adenosine analogs and lung transplant injury and repair. Dr. Lau received her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School graduating top of her class. She completed her general and thoracic residency at Duke. Dr. Lau completed her cardiothoracic surgery and lung transplantation fellowships at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Lau was on faculty at the University of Virginia where she was the George Minor Professor and Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery before coming to University of Maryland to be Chair of the Department in 2019. While at the University of Virginia she obtained her MBA degree. Dr. Lau currently is the Robert W. Buxton Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Surgeon-in-Chief at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She was named a "Top Doctor" in the specialty of Transplant-Lung by Baltimore magazine in 2020.

Mary Kay Lobo, PhD

Neurobiology

Addiction Research

I obtained my PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles under the mentorship of Dr. X. William Yang. My PhD work involved pioneering a new methodology to isolate the two main striatal projection neuron subtypes for gene expression profiling and uncovered many new genes enriched in these two neuron subtypes. My Postdoctoral studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Nestler at University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, TX and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, NY. I built upon my scientific foundations in striatal circuit genetics and function to continue studying these circuits in drug addiction. My work demonstrated divergent roles in the two ventral striatal (nucleus accumbens- NAc) projection neurons in the rewarding effects of cocaine and morphine. I joined the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University School of Medicine in 2011. My lab continues to study the two striatal projection neuron subtypes, as well as their downstream brain target regions, in psychiatric disease including drug abuse, mood disorders and stereotypy disorders.

Victoria G. Marchese, PhD, PT, FAPTA

Pediatric Physical Therapy

In 2019, Victoria "Tori" Marchese, PT, PhD, FAPTA, was named chair of the Department of PT & Rehabilitation Science at UMSOM. Dr. Marchese has over 25 years of clinical and research experience in pediatric physical therapy and rehabilitation science. She has authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles in assessment and physical therapy intervention for children with acute and chronic illnesses. Dr. Marchese's research focuses on the complex interplay of physiological mechanisms contributing to physical performance and physical activity in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Stuart S. Martin, PhD

Breast Cancer Research

With a focus on bioengineering, tumor cell biology, and the molecular mechanisms to inhibit cancer metastasis, Dr. Martin is widely regarded for the research and discovery of thin membrane protrusions called “microtentacles” on the surface of breast cancer cells which may indicate how cancer spreads to other parts of the body. In 2020, his research team furthered this work and invented a novel device called TetherChip, to enable better testing for microtentacles. The tiny fluid-filled device preserves tumor cells by preventing cell adhesion and has been awarded a US patent with the goal of seeking FDA approval. Dr. Martin has published more than 90 articles in high-impact scientific journals, including Cancer Research, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Signaling and Clinical Cancer Research. He was one of only three investigators in the U.S. in 2010 to receive an Era of Hope Scholar Award from the Department of Defense for his innovative research on breast cancer. After joining UMSOM as a faculty member in 2004, Dr. Martin served as a Professor of Physiology for 16 years before transitioning to the Department of Pharmacology in 2020. In recognition of his transformative contributions in cancer research, he was invested as the Drs. Angela and Harry Brodie Professor in Translational Cancer Research. Dr. Martin received his Ph.D. from the University of California-San Diego in Biomedical Sciences, a program that combined molecular cell biology with pharmacology and physiology.

Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, MBBS

Cardiac Xenotransplantation

Dr. Mohiuddin’s primary interest is in understanding the role of B lymphocytes in Transplantation, especially xenograft rejection. His other interests include transplantation tolerance and immune modulation. He has made several contributions to the fields of transplantation and xenotransplantation with over 120 publications and over 100 abstracts as well as numerous presentations. His group holds the record of longest xenograft survival in a large animal model. The immunosuppressive regimen developed under his leadership is now used widely throughout the xenotransplantation field. Dr. Mohiuddin is an elected councilor of International Xenotransplantation Association / TTS. He is a member of prestigious societies; The Transplantation Society and American Society of Transplant Physicians. He reviews manuscripts for journals; Transplantation, Transplant Immunology, xenotransplantation, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, etc. He has received several NIH and non-NIH grants during his academic career. His recent work in cardiac xenotransplantation was highlighted widely in press throughout the world.

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.

Samuel A. Tisherman, MD

Critical Care

My research has focused on the management of severe hemorrhagic shock and cardiac arrest, with a special interest in therapeutic hypothermia. Along with Drs. Peter Safar and Pat Kochanek, I have worked on the development of Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation (EPR), a novel approach to the management of the exsanguinating trauma patient utilizing hypothermia to "buy time" for resuscitative surgery. I am currently conducting a clinical trial of EPR with the RA Cowley Shock Trauma Center as the coordinating center for the study. Within the Center for Critical Care and Trauma Education, we are expanding the educational programs within the Shock Trauma Center and the University of Maryland Medical System. This includes the development of novel simulation programs to train multi-professional teams in the optimal management of the most critically ill and injured patients. With funding from the Department of Defense, we are also studying trauma procedural skill acquisition, retention, and refresher techniques.