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

Donald E. Wilson, MD, MACP, became dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1991 and is the fourth longest serving dean in the U.S.  In 1999 he was named Vice President for Medical Affairs of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. 

Dr. Wilson came to the University of Maryland School of Medicine from the State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn, where he was professor and chairman of the department of medicine, and physician-in-chief at the University Hospital.  He completed his undergraduate education at Harvard University and received his medical degree from Tufts University. 

A member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Wilson is also a Master of the American College of Physicians, an honor bestowed on less than 0.4% of its members.  Dr. Wilson is a co-founder of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians.

Dr. Wilson is immediate past chair of the Maryland Health Care Commission, one of the regulatory commissions that oversees health care in Maryland.  He is also immediate past chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and a past chair of the AAMC’s Council of Deans and was the first recipient of the AAMC’s Herbert W. Nickens, MD Award for his dedication to the principles of diversity and equity in health care.

Dr. Wilson has chaired several federal committees for NIH, FDA, and the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research.  He has also served on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the NIH and the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Council of the NIH.  He has received the Baltimore Urban League Whitney M. Young, Jr. Humanitarian Award, the Baltimore Area Council Boy Scouts of America Health Services Good Scout Award, the Towson University Distinguished Black Marylander Award, and the University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ Frederick Douglass Award.

Claudia R. Baquet, MD, MPH, Associate Dean, Policy and Planning, Professor, Medicine, Director, Center for Health Disparities, University of Maryland School of Medicine

As Associate Dean for Policy and Planning at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Claudia R. Baquet serves as an advocate for better health care, including issues relating to the health needs and models for underserved communities, telemedicine and rural health initiatives.  Dr. Baquet also serves as director of the Maryland Area Health Education Center Program, director of the Center for Health Policy/Health Services Research and director of the Center for Health Disparities.  In 2003, she became director of the University of Maryland Comprehensive Center for Health Disparities.  Dr. Baquet seeks to reduce and eventually eliminate health disparities.

In 2002, Dr. Baquet served as the chair of the Governor’s Commission for the Prevention of Infant Mortality and received the Governor’s Citation for the reduction of the Maryland infant mortality rate.  She was also formally recognized by the Maryland Senate for her work to reduce cancer disparities. Dr. Baquet is also the recipient of the American Public Health Association’s 2005 David P. Rall Award for Advocacy in Public Health and the National Medical Association’s Council on Concerns for Women Physicians Research Award. Dr. Baquet is also the 2004 co-recipient of the US Department HHS Best Practice Award for “Increasing Availability of Community-Based Clinical Trials on the Eastern Shore.”

Dr. Baquet received her MD in 1977 from Meharry Medical College, Tennessee and her MPH in epidemiology in 1983 from Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health.  Her residency was in pathology at St. Louis University and Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital.