A Publication for the Faculty & Staff of the University of Maryland School of Medicine

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FUNfact

Did you know that the School of Medicine generates more than $800,000 million of economic activity annually in the state?


is produced by the University of Maryland School of Medicine Office of Public Affairs.

Donald E. Wilson, MD, MACP, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean, School of Medicine

Jennifer B. Litchman, Executive Editor
Jennifer L. McGinley, Contributor
Concept Foundry, Designer

Submitting Information to SOMNews Do you have news or information you would like to see in SOMNews? If so, please e-mail your submission to Jennifer Litchman, Director, Public Affairs, at jlitchman@som.umaryland.edu or fax it to 6-8520.
    

headerVol2Num6.JPG - 6852 BytesFebruary 2001  Volume 2   Number 6

Dean Wilson Delivers 2001
State of the School Address

We can now all agree that the new millennium has arrived, and we are moving rapidly towards the bicentennial celebration of our medical school. I believe that now – more than at any other time during my tenure as dean – we hold our destiny in our hands. If we are willing to let go of the status quo, be innovative, demand excellence and accept some risks, we can shape our future. Because my entire address will be mailed to faculty and staff next month, I will just give you the highlights here.

Faculty & Students. There were 989 full-time faculty in the School of Medicine in 2000, compared to 968 in 1999. There were 3,185 applicants for our current freshman class of 142. Nationally, medical school applications decreased by nearly 4 percent, representing the 5th year in a row of decline. The number of students applying to Maryland reflects the national trend.

Finances. In FY 2000, our total revenues were $382.6 million, compared to $337 million in FY 1999. Research grants and contracts and practice plan income continue to provide most of our support. State appropriations represent approximately 10% of our budget. However, direct state support did increase by $3.3 million last year, to include merit and COLA increases for faculty and staff. Over the last decade, the only real growth in inflation-adjusted dollars has been in research, clinical practice and philanthropy. So as an institution, we continue to be primarily self-supporting.

Development. Private gifts to the School of Medicine increased to $21.2 million in FY 2000, compared to $14.5 million in FY 1999, an increase of nearly 50 percent. Thirty-eight percent of this amount was in the form of pledges and deferred gifts. Of the $13 million of cash received, $9 million went directly to departments, with only 4.4 percent of the total being unrestricted. Four million went to the dean’s office, 75 percent of which was restricted. As you can see, the vast majority of cash coming into our institution is restricted for use in programs or areas specified by the donors.

Research. Our rising stature among the top medical schools in the country can be attributed in large part to our continued growth in research funding. External research funding reached $169.8 million in FY 2000. Importantly, there has been growth in awards from all funding sources. According to the latest data available from the AAMC (1998-1999), we ranked 24th among all 125 medical schools (up from 25th the previous year) and 9th among public medical schools.

Since schools vary dramatically in the size of their faculties, a more comparative way to look at research productivity is funding per faculty member. Our clinical faculty ranked 10th in clinical research funding per faculty member for all medical schools (up from 13th in 97-98) and 5th in public medical schools (up from 6th in 97-98). Our basic science faculty ranked 32nd in research funding per faculty member in all medical schools (up from 33rd in 97-98) and remained at 14th in public medical schools. We truly have an exceptional faculty.

Mission-Based Management. I am pleased to report that on an all-funds basis the medical school ended the fiscal year with a surplus of $800,000. While most departments were financially solvent last year, too many continue to struggle with operating deficits, primarily because of the clinical demands being thrust upon them. We are progressing nicely with the process of recasting our financials according to mission. The information you submitted last summer and fall about your activity by mission has provided us with the initial data needed to develop a mission-based budget for each department. For us to make meaningful decisions about our future, we must understand the revenues gained and the resources expended according to mission.

Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME). One of the major achievements of all of our faculty, staff and students was the re-accreditation of our medical school. We have undergone many changes during our 194-year history, but the founding principle of providing a high quality education has endured. A year ago the quality of our medical education program was reaffirmed by the LCME and we were granted full re-accreditation for seven years. In the formal report, the LCME listed 18 institutional strengths and just three areas of concern – an extraordinarily favorable review.

This year I will celebrate my tenth year as dean of the School of Medicine, a noteworthy milestone considering the average tenure for deans is three years. Being the dean of a medical school consumes one’s time 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, building a great institution requires the efforts of many individuals. It is your contributions that will really make us great. I want to express my gratitude to all of you for your dedication and support. I encourage you to try to look at the big picture and not concentrate on the leaves on the trees.

“The main thing is to keep the MAIN THING the main thing.” -Anonymous

Grand Rounds to Focus on Genetics

Departmental grand rounds scheduled for the week of February 19 will focus on genetics. Coordinated by Miriam G. Blitzer, PhD, professor and chief, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, “Genetics Week” will highlight the recent advances in modern genetics and how they influence the practice of clinical medicine. “We planned these presentations in each department so that faculty, residents and students can address the potential impact of the Human Genome Project within particular medical specialties,” Dr. Blitzer explained.

The calendar for Genetics Week is as follows:
Departments of Anesthesiology and Surgery
Speaker: Reed Pyeritz, MD, PhD, president, Association of Professors in Human and Medical Genetics
Topic: “Genetics in Medicine and Surgery”
Date: February 22, 7:15 AM, Shock Trauma Auditorium
Contact: Carl Soderstrom, MD, 8-5537

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Speaker: A-Lien Lu-Chang, PhD, professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Topic: “Guarding the Genome: DNA Repair and Genetic Stability”
Date: February 26, 4:00 PM, 108 N. Greene Street, Room 102
Contact: Lisa Schuetz, 6-3220 or lschu003@umaryland.edu

Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine
Speaker: Alan R. Shuldiner, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Topic: “Genetics of Diabetes in the Amish”
Date: February 22, 12:00 PM, Howard Hall, Room 224
Contact: Larry Magder, PhD, 6-3253

Department of Family Medicine
Speaker: Vicky Holets Whittemore, PhD, associate director, Genetic Alliance
Topic: “Diagnosis of a Genetic Condition”
Date: February 22, 8:00 AM, Kowaleski Conference Room, 29 South Paca Street
Contact: Niharika Khanna, MD, 8-5012

Department of Medicine Speaker: Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, director, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health
Topic: “The Human Genome Project and the Future of Medicine”
Date: February 21, 12:15 PM, MSTF Auditorium
Contact: Molly Lutz, 8-2488 or mlutz@medicine.umaryland.edu

Department of Ophthalmology
Speaker: Stephen Bernstein, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Topic: “Can Age-Related Changes in Gene Expression Cause Macular Degeneration?”
Date: February 20, 7:30 AM, 419 West Redwood Street, Room 470
Contact: Nancy Cook, 8-5929

Department of Pediatrics
Speaker: Barry Wolf, MD, PhD, associate chair and director for Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Topic: “Biotinidase Deficiency: From the Laboratory to the Patient”
Date: February 22, 8:30 AM, Shock Trauma Auditorium
Contact: Pat Schmidt, 8-5213

Please refer to the SOM calendar of events (medschool.umaryland.edu/news.htm) for other departments participating in “Genetics Week.”

The Office of Research Subjects (ORS), which includes the Institutional Review Board (IRB), has moved. It can be found in the Health Sciences Facility I (HSFI), 685 West Baltimore Street, Room 130. For more information, contact Rita Gross, 6-5037, or rgross@som.umaryland.edu.

Quick Studies

Edson X. Albuquerque, MD, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, has been accepted as a life member of the National Registry of Who’s Who, a nationally distributed biographical publication for professionals.

Brian M. Berman, MD, professor, Department of Family Medicine, and director, Program in Complementary Medicine, received the Seirin Award for “advancing scientific knowledge and understanding of acupuncture.” The award was presented in Dusseldorf, Germany, during the opening ceremony of Medica 2000, one of the world’s largest medical trade shows with more than 100,000 attendees. Dr. Berman was selected by an international jury as “one of the world’s most important scientists doing clinical research of acupuncture.” The jury also noted that his publications are well known worldwide.

William T. Carpenter, Jr., MD, professor, Department of Psychiatry, and director of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, was awarded the 2000-2001 University System of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity.

Patricia Commiskey, MA, research coordinator, Office of Policy and Planning, was chosen to present her poster entitled “Enrollment of Minorities into Cancer Clinical Trials: Knowledge, Attitudes and Barriers for Patients,” during the Research Centers in Minority Institutions’ International Symposium on Health Disparities in November in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Howard H. Goldman, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Psychiatry, was awarded the Surgeon General’s Medallion, the highest award that the surgeon general can give, for promoting mental health awareness. Surgeon General David Satcher presented the medallion in a surprise ceremony

at the recent American Public Health Association meeting in Boston. The medallion, which is the only medal given to civilians by the Surgeon General, was awarded for “outstanding support as the scientific editor of the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health.” Dr. Goldman was assisted in the development of the report by Anthony F. Lehman, MD, professor, Lisa M. Dixon, MD, associate professor, and Alicia Lucksted, PhD, senior research associate, all in the Department of Psychiatry.

Adil E. Shamoo, PhD, professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the National Human Research Advisory Committee.

Alan R. Shuldiner, MD, professor and head, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Braxton D. Mitchell, MPH, PhD, professor, and Elizabeth Streeten, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, were awarded a five-year grant for $2,673,978 from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Infectious Diseases to study the genetics of osteoporosis in the Old Order Amish.

Mark D. Weist, PhD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, and director of The Center for School Mental Health Assistance (CSMHA), a part of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry within the Department of Psychiatry, has been awarded a $2 million grant for five years from the Maternal Child and Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The CSMHA will use the grant to continue advancing the school mental health movement by increasing its outreach initiatives and assistance to other states and communities in need of mental health services.