Feb. 4, 2022

Dear UMB Community,

I’m pleased to share that the search committee for the next dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has presented a slate of finalists for the position. As such, I’d like to invite all University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) faculty, staff and students to the first of four finalist town halls to meet the candidates being considered for the position of Dean of UMSOM. 

The first UMSOM Dean town hall will take place on Monday, Feb. 7 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in-person at Leadership Hall, MSTF. You will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of the candidate, John M. Carethers, MD, MACP (see biographical information below). 

This will be the first of four such town halls. We will share information about the remaining three as they are scheduled. I am grateful for the work of the search committee in bringing four strong candidates for consideration to UMB.

I look forward to seeing many of you in person on Monday, and at future town halls.

Sincerely,

Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS

President

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ABOUT THE FEB. 7 CANDIDATE

John M. Carethers, MD, MACP, the John G. Searle Professor of Internal Medicine, Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine, and Professor of Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, is a gastroenterology specialist in Ann Arbor, Mich., with more than 33 years of experience. He is affiliated with University Hospital — University of Michigan Health.

Dr. Carethers’ laboratory studies the pathogenesis of sporadic and hereditary colorectal cancer. The laboratory focuses on the function and consequences of the DNA mismatch repair system, which, when affected, is involved in both inherited and sporadic colorectal cancer.

Dr. Carethers earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with a minor in chemistry from Wayne State University and his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1989.

He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan. He was then recruited to the University of California San Diego, where he grew his laboratory-based research in DNA mismatch repair and colorectal cancer pathogenesis and saw internal medicine and gastroenterology patients. In addition, he has served in leadership roles including the gastroenterology fellowship director and gastroenterology section chief for the San Diego VA Hospital, then division chief for UC San Diego before being recruited to the University of Michigan as chair of internal medicine.

Dr. Carethers has published more than 200 manuscripts and book chapters.